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Film Property

1968 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Leather whip with a thick handle and plaited lash narrowing towards the tip, used by Paul Scofield (1922-2008) in Peter Brook's 1971 film of Shakespeare's King Lear.

In 2004 a poll of 200 members of the Royal Shakespeare Company voted Paul Scofield’s King Lear as the greatest performance in a play by Shakespeare. Scofield played Lear for the RSC in 1962, directed by Peter Brook. ‘This production brings me closer to Lear than I have ever been; from now on, I not only know him but can place him in his harsh and unforgiving world’, wrote Kenneth Tynan (Observer, 11 November 1962). Scofield’s towering performance was re-created for the screen when Brook directed a film of the play, released in 1971. This was not intended as a film of the stage version, though it used several of the RSC production’s leading players. It was shot on location in the snow-covered landscapes of North Jutland, Denmark, during the winter of 1968-1969. Filmed in black and white, play and setting matched each other in bleakness.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Leather, Wood, Metal
Brief description
Leather whip with a thick handle and plaited lash narrowing towards the tip, used by Paul Scofield (1922-2008) in Peter Brook's 1971 film of King Lear by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Physical description
Leather whip with a thick handle and plaited lash narrowing towards the tip. Metal nails flat topped nails and large stitches have been used to attach the leather to the integral wooden handle. Used by Paul Scofield (1922-2008) in Peter Brook's 1971 film of King Lear by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
Dimensions
  • Handle to base of coiled lash length: 34cm
  • Width: 4cm (approximate) (Note: Widest point)
Credit line
Given by Martin Scofield
Association
Literary referenceKing Lear
Summary
Leather whip with a thick handle and plaited lash narrowing towards the tip, used by Paul Scofield (1922-2008) in Peter Brook's 1971 film of Shakespeare's King Lear.

In 2004 a poll of 200 members of the Royal Shakespeare Company voted Paul Scofield’s King Lear as the greatest performance in a play by Shakespeare. Scofield played Lear for the RSC in 1962, directed by Peter Brook. ‘This production brings me closer to Lear than I have ever been; from now on, I not only know him but can place him in his harsh and unforgiving world’, wrote Kenneth Tynan (Observer, 11 November 1962). Scofield’s towering performance was re-created for the screen when Brook directed a film of the play, released in 1971. This was not intended as a film of the stage version, though it used several of the RSC production’s leading players. It was shot on location in the snow-covered landscapes of North Jutland, Denmark, during the winter of 1968-1969. Filmed in black and white, play and setting matched each other in bleakness.
Other number
THM/397/7/2/2/2 - Archive number
Collection
Accession number
S.143-2013

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Record createdJanuary 23, 2014
Record URL
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