Jean-Luc Godard’s first English-language narrative feature is a radical anti-adaptation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece that finds the visionary filmmaker continuing to reinvent the syntax of cinema. In a post-Chernobyl world where culture has been lost, William Shakespeare Jr. V (played by theater director Peter Sellars) attempts to reconstruct his ancestor’s play, abetted by a cast that includes Molly Ringwald, Burgess Meredith, and Godard himself as a crazed avant savant. Through a dense layering of sounds, images, and ideas about everything from language to the economics of filmmaking to the very meaning of art in a ruined world, Godard fashions a puckish and profound metacinematic riddle to be endlessly analyzed, argued over, and savored.

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Video Quality

The Criterion Collection presents King Lear on Blu-Ray with a 1080p master in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio derived from a brand new 2K restoration of the 35m Original Camera Negative with color approved by director of photography Sophie Maintigneux. We have never seen this film in any form, but this transfer retains the organic qualities without filtering or DNR messing up the image. The natural grain resolves consistently with no major issues with the grain field becoming loose or clumpy.

The source has been restored with great care and precision to eradicate wear and tear such as dirt, cuts, and speckling. The presentation avoids instances of nasty compression artifacts, banding, and other digital shortcomings. A few settings look a touch murky, but that likely links back to how these scenes were captured. The transfer thrives when it comes to the bold color saturation in some of the environments, costumes, and light sources. Fine detail is excellent as you observe distinct facets of the villa interior and the surrounding foliage without issue. The Criterion Collection has given this long-awaited release a strong presentation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a remastered DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio surround track in the original English that sounds great. Although very annoying, the piercing recurring bird sounds come through clearly without any sense of distortion. There are no major instances of damage or audio dropouts. Dialogue is typically clear and easy to discern even if the content itself is a bit opaque. The music comes through with preferable fidelity. The movie is mostly character-driven moments, and every showcase comes through well. The Criterion Collection has provided a stellar sonic experience for fans. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

The Criterion Blu-Ray of King Lear includes a foldout pamphlet featuring the essay “After The End of the World” by film critic Richard Brody which explores the film and the career of Jean-Luc Godard. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Richard Brody: A new 31-minute interview with Richard Brody, author of Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard, in which he makes an argument for why it is the greatest film of all time while delving into its place in the career of Godard.

Peter Sellars: A new 25-minute interview with the performer in which he discusses the influence of Godard on his career, challenging the notions of sequentiality, how this film came to be, how the filmmaker exhibits the spirit of Shakespeare, the shooting locations, and more.

Molly Ringwald: A new 19-minute interview with the actress in which she discusses first meeting Godard, the experience of working for him, memories of the shooting locations, generally not having a sense of what was going on, how this film stands apart from her other work, and more.

Cannes Press Conference, 1987: A nearly 37-minute audio excerpt from the Cannes press conference in which reporters try to extract some meaning from the film to mixed results.

Final Thoughts

King Lear is a very challenging film to decipher upon your first viewing, which comes as no shock when you are dealing with the great Jean-Luc Godard. This is not a Shakespeare adaptation in the classic sense, but the filmmaker does challenge what it means to adapt the work of the classic playwright. There are some notable names in the cast such as Burgess Meredith and Molly Ringwald, but this is not a film you should come to lightly based on the cast alone. It will not be for most audiences, but if you are a devotee of Godard, it is a crucial part of his legacy not to be missed. The Criterion Collection has delivered a new Blu-Ray that offers a wonderful A/V presentation and some terrific special features.

The Criterion Collection edition of King Lear will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on February 11, 2025.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.