Re Lear

This Italian version of King Lear is memorable mainly because of the primitive hand-tinting, which remains bright and good to look at. In the lead, Ermente Novelli is touching and mesmerising, while Francesca Bertini is a charming and naive Cordelia. Novelli's wife plays one of the other daughters.

Silent Shakespeare productions were curious since these plays do rely so much on their message being conveyed by the use of dialogue. That short examples like this one still work when nearly a century has passed is staggering. The BFI are to be particularly commended in making productions like 'Re Lear' available on home video.

They like their costume films do the Italians, so it's hardly any wonder that they were quick to adapt Shakespeare's plays for the screen. Here, many of the scenes are stencil-coloured, although these are spliced with conventional monochrome prints in the version I watched. To be honest, these black-and-white scenes are something of a relief after all the gaudy colours.

The film is a prestige production from Film d'Arte Italiana, an offshoot of the French company that dedicated itself to raising the cultural quality of cinema (with only limited success). As with most early silent films, the film relies heavily on titles to explain what is happening, and too frequently the titles are inadequate, leaving the viewer to scratch their head as they try to make sense of what's going on. The pace is fairly measured, and it seems to be quite an earnest adaptation. One point the commentator on the DVD soundtrack made: note how the actors always leave stage left or right – never towards or away from the character or at an oblique angle. It emphasises not only the stage roots of the source material but the halting way in which cinema was still finding its way as a medium (and art form) in its own right.

I have seen quite a few very early Shakespeare films--probably because I am some sort of masochist!! Just think about it--there were many silent versions of Shakepeare's plays made around the turn of the 19th century that lasted from three to twenty minutes long--not nearly enough time to do any of his plays any justice at all. It's like trying to condense the Encyclopedia Brittanica into a bumper sticker!! And given the low production values of the average picture of the time and generally poor acting, the films aren't especially watchable today like those of early film geniuses like Georges Méliès. However, for a bad early version of Shakepeare, this is among the best because at least a novice will have a general idea of what the play was about when the movie concludes and it's nice to see a hand painted color film--I have got to admire all the hard work that went into making it.

This silent Italian film gives a colorful treatment of the basic plot of Shakespeare's "King Lear". It leaves out much of the plot, and of course has to make do without the dialogue, but it gives a reasonable portrait of Lear and his three daughters, and of some of the tragic events that unfold in their relationships. Lear is rendered believably as he goes through his various experiences.

What's really noteworthy about this little film, though, is the color. For large stretches of the movie, the characters' costumes and a few other details were given color, using the old method of frame-by-frame hand tinting. Some of the resulting scenes look very nice, and it is especially effective with Lear's costumes as his fortunes change. It must have been a real labor of love, and it really adds to the film.

This truncated silent version of Shakespeare's King Lear is an interesting curiosity piece. Color tinted and naturally without spoken words it obviously cuts the power of the Bard off at the knees forcing the actors to wildly gesticulate to get the drama across.

King Lear is a merry old soul who decides to divide his kingdom among his daughters. The two elder he gives large portions while youngest and most faithful daughter Cordelia asks for nothing and gets crumbs. With the shift in power both daughters turn on their father and caste him from his domain with the faithful Cordelia by his side.

Ermette Novelli as Lear has an imposing larger than life look about him as he responds to praise that turns into rage upon betrayal. Francesca Bertini as the suffering Cordelia is the most retrained and touching of the thespians while Ragan and Goneril built like Chicago Bear interior linemen throw their weight around with disdain.

Rickety and physically showing the ravages of age this treatment is worth the little time it asks of you (16 minutes). Not so much for its faithfulness to the folio but for the techniques of the era employed and for the audacity like all the other Shakespeare silents to present him without uttering a word.