The
Petőfi Literary Museum
marks the 400th anniversary of
Shakespeare’s
death
by organizing a Film Club in autumn 2016 in association with the British Council, the Institute of British-American Studies of Péter Pázmány Catholic University and the Hungarian Shakespeare Committee.
The program includes some of the most daring and unconventional adaptations. Shakespeare’s overwhelmingly rich legacy inspired not only the best filmmakers like
Derek Jarman, Peter Greenaway
,
or Roman Polanski
but also other acknowledged artists like the legendary theater director Peter Brook to undertake the task of reinterpreting the genius for
their contemporaries.
Each screening starts with an introduction by an invited expert and is followed by an open discussion.
Peter Brook
directs his own adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. King Lear (Paul Scofield), having decided to split his kingdom between his three daughters, decides to apportion the lands according to which daughter declaims her love for him best. When his daughter Cordelia refuses to flatter her father’s ego with claims of devotion, Lear angrily gives the lion’s share of his power to her sisters, Goneril and Regan. They soon abuse this trust, and Lear finds himself emasculated and powerless. Before long he is drifting into madness, as his former empire falls apart.
