Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

King Lear

  • 1987
  • PG
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
Jean-Luc Godard and William Shakespeare in King Lear (1987)
ComedyDramaSci-Fi

A descendant of Shakespeare tries to restore his plays in a world rebuilding itself after the Chernobyl catastrophe obliterates most of human civilization.A descendant of Shakespeare tries to restore his plays in a world rebuilding itself after the Chernobyl catastrophe obliterates most of human civilization.A descendant of Shakespeare tries to restore his plays in a world rebuilding itself after the Chernobyl catastrophe obliterates most of human civilization.

  • Director
    • Jean-Luc Godard
  • Writers
    • Richard Debuisne
    • Jean-Luc Godard
    • Norman Mailer
  • Stars
    • Woody Allen
    • Freddy Buache
    • Leos Carax
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    1.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jean-Luc Godard
    • Writers
      • Richard Debuisne
      • Jean-Luc Godard
      • Norman Mailer
    • Stars
      • Woody Allen
      • Freddy Buache
      • Leos Carax
    • 23User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos18

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 11
    View Poster

    Top cast12

    Edit
    Woody Allen
    Woody Allen
    • Mr. Alien
    • (uncredited)
    Freddy Buache
    Freddy Buache
    • Professor Quentin Kozintsev
    • (uncredited)
    Leos Carax
    Leos Carax
    • Edgar
    • (uncredited)
    Julie Delpy
    Julie Delpy
    • Virginia
    • (uncredited)
    Jean-Luc Godard
    Jean-Luc Godard
    • Professor Pluggy
    • (uncredited)
    Suzanne Lanza
    Suzanne Lanza
      Kate Mailer
      • Self
      • (uncredited)
      Norman Mailer
      Norman Mailer
      • Self
      • (uncredited)
      Burgess Meredith
      Burgess Meredith
      • Don Learo
      • (uncredited)
      Michèle Pétin
      • Journalist
      • (uncredited)
      Molly Ringwald
      Molly Ringwald
      • Cordelia
      • (uncredited)
      Peter Sellars
      Peter Sellars
      • William Shaksper Junior the Fifth
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Jean-Luc Godard
      • Writers
        • Richard Debuisne
        • Jean-Luc Godard
        • Norman Mailer
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      More like this

      Film socialisme
      5.7
      Film socialisme
      First Name: Carmen
      6.3
      First Name: Carmen
      Every Man for Himself
      6.5
      Every Man for Himself
      Oh, Woe Is Me
      6.1
      Oh, Woe Is Me
      Hail Mary
      6.4
      Hail Mary
      Goodbye to Language
      5.8
      Goodbye to Language
      For Ever Mozart
      6.1
      For Ever Mozart
      Keep Your Right Up
      6.0
      Keep Your Right Up
      New Wave
      6.5
      New Wave
      Passion
      6.2
      Passion
      King Lear
      7.2
      King Lear
      Detective
      5.7
      Detective

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        When he was starting out, Quentin Tarantino claimed on his CV that he had appeared in this film, as he guessed nobody would have seen it and know that he was lying.
      • Quotes

        The Great Writer: For words are one thing, and reality, sweet reality, is another thing, and between them is no thing.

      • Connections
        Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Seul le cinéma (1994)

      User reviews23

      Featured review
      5/10

      A Rose By Any Other Name

      I can't say I've ever actually *liked* ANY film by Jean-Luc Godard (and I've actively hated several), but this late entry in his career is lighthearted and infectiously playful in its experimentation, especially early on, so that even when what it's trying to do doesn't come off, we still feel involved enough to roll along with it.

      It was apparently first commissioned as a genuine, straightforward adaptation of Shakespeare's play, but the end result is a wild, free-associating modern creation of its own, much more to do with the process of adaptation than the play itself, and peopled almost entirely by famous faces such as Norman Mailer, Burgess Meredith, Julie Delphy, Molly Ringwald and even Woody Allen for a few seconds.

      It's a very strange thing to exist, and many, I'm sure, would just find it insufferably pretentious (which it certainly is), but I still enjoyed it more than any of his efforts from the 60s and 70s, so take from that what you will.

      P. S., you're definitely gonna need the subtitles on, particularly for Godard's own (English) scenes.
      • MogwaiMovieReviews
      • Feb 11, 2025
      • Permalink

      Top picks

      Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
      Sign in

      FAQ19

      • How long is King Lear?Powered by Alexa

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • April 3, 2002 (France)
      • Countries of origin
        • United States
        • Bahamas
        • France
        • Switzerland
      • Official site
        • arabuloku.com
      • Languages
        • French
        • English
        • Russian
        • Japanese
      • Also known as
        • Jean-Luc Godard's King Lear
      • Filming locations
        • Rolle, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland
      • Production companies
        • The Cannon Group
        • Golan-Globus Productions
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Budget
        • $2,000,000 (estimated)
      • Gross US & Canada
        • $61,821
      • Opening weekend US & Canada
        • $8,756
        • Jan 24, 1988
      • Gross worldwide
        • $85,018
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 30 minutes
      • Color
        • Color

      Related news

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Jean-Luc Godard and William Shakespeare in King Lear (1987)
      Top Gap
      By what name was King Lear (1987) officially released in India in English?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb app
      Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
      Follow IMDb on social
      Get the IMDb app
      For Android and iOS
      Get the IMDb app
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • License IMDb Data
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Your Ads Privacy Choices
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.