PBS to air McKellen's LEAR beginning March 25

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 11:24pm

Trevor Nunn's staging of KING LEAR starring Ian McKellen in the title role.

Is a "Great Performances" presentation.

No word if they've cut his nude scene.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 11:29pm

Remember when they bleeped the cures words in Contact? That was sad. I remember the nude scene in The Women just being shot from an obscure angle.

[Holbee]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 11:33pm

My English friends who saw it say its heavily edited...

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 11:39pm

When I saw PBS, I thought GYPSY.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 11:49pm

Of course you did. Can we have one thread without mentioning Gypsy?

I have no desire to see Ian McKellen, one of my favorite actors and activists, nude, so no big loss for me.

[Q]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 12:50am

"I have no desire to see Ian McKellen, one of my favorite actors and activists, nude, so no big loss for me."

Well, that nude scene is brief, at best. So you're telling us you don't have any desire to see arguably one of the greatest actors ever tackle one of the greatest roles ever written?

Some fan.

[gilvisto]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 1:57am

Just because you don't want to see someone nude does not make you a bad fan...

[dchesnutny]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 7:52am

Ian McKellen's doing Gypsy?!!!

WHEN?

[nmartin]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 7:59am

The McKellen Mama Rose nude scene in Gypsy must NOT be cut!!
Read into that what you will.

[joshy]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 8:57am

They already showed it on UK TV - I thought it was really badly filmed. I saw the production twice, and thought it was good, and McKellen's performance very good, but in this filmed version it comes across as lifeless and ugly. It's a shame.

[Brick]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 11:24am

I'm not especially interested in seeing him nude, though having missed the production I'd like to see it in its entirety. I don't care for someone choosing to edit out portions for me. Will the full production be on the DVD?

[gilvisto]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 11:45am

*mental image of Sir McKellen dancing around in his birthday suit singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses"... or maybe he's just dancing to Ethel's version... lol.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 12:06pm

Bobby don't be silly. McKellan's nude scene was not about seeing a hot guy naked, and you're smart enough to know that.

It was about Lear being stripped down to nothing, literally and metaphorically. It was a powerful raw emotional experience, and you would have considered yourself lucky to have seen a world-class actor of his stature and integrity play a part like that.

I'm sorry the film seems to have turned out disappointingly. I saw it at BAM and consider it one of a handful of greatest Shakespearean performances I have ever seen. I can't imagine I will ever see a Lear its equal in my lifetime.

[Weez]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 2:24pm

I haven't seen the film yet, but I saw snippets of it during a documentary about acting Shakespeare (goddamn but that was an aces documentary :3) and was VERY disappointed they went to a studio and filmed it with sets and stuff. The stage set was wonderful, I'd rather they'd just set up a camera and filmed it onstage as was.

I do like the euphemism potential. "Oh, I saw Ian McKellen's Lear during its London run, y'know. And I saw his *Lear*, if you get what I mean. *nudge nudge, wink wink*".

I'm seeing Pete Postlethwaite's Lear for my birthday. I hope not to see his Lear though.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 4:25pm

All nude scenes should be about hot guys naked.

[Tom-497]

Posted: 1/3/09 at 11:53pm

There is actually a very brief, fraction-of-a-second glimpse of the upper area of McKellen's private parts. But he doesn't stomp around completely naked like in the stage version. Instead, somebody pulls Lear's pants back up just a few moments after they've been pulled down.

And as another poster noted, the photography overall is sort of ugly. They've purposely gone for the opposite of bright and colorful.

[kec]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 12:21pm

Found this report on the IMDB:
No McKellen Nude Scene for TV's King Lear

[NY_Broadway2]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 12:59pm

Regardless if it's edited or not, I still can't wait to watch it! Although I would prefer unedited of course.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 1:03pm

I do like the euphemism potential. "Oh, I saw Ian McKellen's Lear during its London run, y'know. And I saw his *Lear*, if you get what I mean. *nudge nudge, wink wink*".

My friend saw EQUUS in London and endlessly bragged about seeing Daniel Radcliffe naked. A couple weeks later, I said to him: "You may have seen Harry Potter's wand, but I saw Gandalf's staff."

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 2:44pm

It is one of my greatest regrets that I missed the Lear last year when it played BAM. I'm glad, therefore, that I will have the opportunity to see a "somewhat" production on TV. As far as the nudity goes, I couldn't care less, not having any particular desire to see McKellan naked. Cheyenne Jackson, Ethan Hawke, Bobby Steggert, Bobby Canavale, yes. Ian McKellan? NO.

[professor]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 6:19pm

So, who's planning on watching tonight?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 6:53pm

I am! I'm excited because I just got a DVD recorder so I'll be able to record something on DVD for the first time.

[kec]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 7:58pm

I've got the DVR set to record it and I'll watch at my leisure.

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 9:29pm

It's recording now...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:17pm

Is anyone else seeing the annoying white lines at the top of the screen or is it just me?