This is a really unique interpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear. The film opens by panning over a shot of a group of ragged people shuffling towards something unseen. From the opening shot, you know this is going to be a political film. The actor playing Lear does a great job of portraying Lear as fool from start to finish. Speaking of fools, this film has one of the most memorable interpretations of Lear's fool that I have seen. The film is well acted, well shot, and beautifully scored (courtesy of Dmitri Shostakovitch). This cynical - and deeply soviet - interpretation of King Lear is definitely worth a watch.