Movies like King Lear 2008
If you like "King Lear" you are looking for movies about / with shakespeare, medieval, betrayal, tragedy, death of king, dancing and mythology themes of Drama genre shot in UK.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
King Lear (2008)
723
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 156 min.
Story:
Sir Ian McKellen gives a tour-de-force performance as Shakespeare's tragic monarch, in this special television adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company production of one of the playwright's most enduring and haunting works.
Plot:
shakespeare, medieval, betrayal, tragedy, death of king, dancing, mythology, myth, bible, celtic, theater, ancient history, royalty, singer, duke, letter, masked man, death of father, hanging, sword duel, messenger, illegitimate son, sister sister relationship, half brother half brother relationship, sororicide ...
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to King Lear
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out bleak, period drama, atmospheric and period piece films with plots about shakespeare, betrayal, tragedy, medieval, shakespeare play, king and royalty mostly in Drama and History genres. Some movies like King Lear: A Performance of Macbeth (1979), Richard III (1983), Henry IV Part I (1979), Henry IV Part II (1979), National Theatre Live: Hamlet (2015). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
925
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
An aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters and rejects his one loving, but honest one.
Style:
serious, realistic, bleak, emotional, talky ...
Plot:
shakespeare, medieval, king, celtic, literary, dancing, betrayal, unfulfillment, aging, tragic hero, intrigue, rivalry ...
Similarity:
95%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 145 min.
Story:
Shakespeare's classic tragedy of ambition, witches and murder.
Style:
dark, art house, period drama
Plot:
shakespeare, medieval, macbeth, ambition, tragedy, power struggle, witch, guilt, madness, prophecy, regicide, supernatural ...
Similarity:
93%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 239 min.
Story:
Richard Duke of Gloucester, youngest brother of King Edward IV, will stop at nothing to get the crown. He first convinces the ailing King that the Duke of Clarence, his elder brother, is a threat to the lives of Edward's two young sons. Edward ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, dark, bleak, grim ...
Plot:
shakespeare, royal family, royalty, murder, ambition, betrayal, political intrigue, power struggle, manipulation, tragedy, conspiracy, adaptation ...
Time:
15th century
Similarity:
84%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son (nicknamed 'Hotspur'). Henry's son Hal, the Prince of Wales, has thrown over life at court in ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, comedy drama, tense
Plot:
british history, shakespeare, king of england, medieval, rebellion, political intrigue, coming of age, friendship, betrayal, identity crisis, character study, loyalty ...
Similarity:
84%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
The death of King Henry the Fourth and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth.
Style:
historical drama, period piece, bleak, black comedy, tragic
Plot:
shakespeare, british history, coronation, monarchy, father son conflict, loyalty, literary, rebellion, political intrigue, friendship, betrayal, social class ...
Place:
england
Similarity:
79%
289
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and ...
Style:
tragic ending, melancholic, bleak, allegory, period drama
Plot:
shakespeare, tragedy, betrayal, father daughter conflict, madness, power struggle, literary, deception, political intrigue, sibling rivalry, loyalty, desperation ...
Similarity:
78%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
Don Warrington stars as the tragic monarch in this acclaimed version of the Shakespeare play recorded at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
Style:
serious, suspenseful, disturbing, captivating
Plot:
live performance, king, family feud, ambition, sister sister relationship, father daughter relationship, dementia, sibling rivalry, betrayal, greed, dysfunctional family, inheritance ...
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
A monarch ordained by God to lead his people. But he is also a man of very human weakness. A man whose vanity threatens to divide the great houses of England and drag his people into a dynastic civil war that will last 100 years.
Style:
period piece, historical drama, disturbing, captivating, costume drama ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
monarchy, political intrigue, civil war, shakespeare, palace intrigue, monarch, medieval, power struggle, king, royalty, ruler, arrogance ...
Time:
14th century
Similarity:
74%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 217 min.
Story:
Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock, Doctor Strange) plays the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. Now seen by over 900,000 people worldwide, the original broadcast returns to international cinemas to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th ...
Style:
entertaining, atmospheric, melancholic, intense, talky ...
Plot:
live performance, theater, shakespeare, royal court, theatre play, life & death, dealing with death, royal family, storytelling, love and romance, runaway, couples ...
Time:
middle ages
Place:
denmark, europe
Similarity:
72%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
William Houston's portrayal of the Danish prince.
Style:
tragic ending, costume drama, period drama
Plot:
tragedy, shakespeare, revenge, political intrigue, royalty, moral ambiguity, melancholy, castle, patricide, regicide, fatalism, poisoning ...
Place:
denmark
Similarity:
70%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 165 min.
Story:
The 1965 version of the Shakespeare play.
Style:
serious, realistic, emotional, atmospheric, clever ...
Plot:
tragedy, shakespeare, jealousy, shakespeare's othello, love, betrayal, racism, tragic love, innocent person killed, suffocation, deception, miscegenation ...
Time:
16th century
Place:
cyprus, italy, venice, europe
Similarity:
69%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Denmark
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and ...
Style:
independent film, sad, talky, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
shakespeare, murder of daughter, curse, monarch, betrayal, kingdom, romantic rivalry, ostracism, sibling rivalry, infidelity, murder, father daughter relationship ...
Time:
middle ages, 70s, medieval times
Similarity:
68%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
An aging King invites disaster, when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.
Style:
thought provoking, bleak, psychological, rough, independent film ...
Plot:
medieval, monarch, shakespeare, father daughter relationship, sister sister relationship, greed, betrayal, rivalry, parents and children, family relations, life & death, life philosophy ...
Place:
england
Similarity:
68%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
Performing from within the walls of a deconsecrated Manchester church, Kenneth Branagh takes the lead role in this ambitious production of William Shakespeare's tragic tale of ambition and treachery.
Style:
suspense, psychological, captivating, atmospheric, tense ...
Plot:
king, shakespeare, tragic hero, revenge, rise to power, assassination, femme fatale, medieval, ambition, prophecy, state affairs, throne ...
Time:
middle ages
Place:
scotland, united kingdom
Similarity:
65%
948
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
Tony Richardson's Hamlet is based on his own stage production. Filmed entirely within the Roundhouse in London (a disused train shed), it is shot almost entirely in close up, focusing the attention on faces and language rather than action.
Style:
fairy tale, psychological, serious, tense, atmospheric ...
Plot:
shakespeare, hamlet, medieval, european, tragedy, ghost, murder, tragic love, supernatural, hidden identity, heroes, destructive relationship ...
Time:
year 1969, medieval times, middle ages
Place:
denmark, europe
Similarity:
64%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 211 min.
Story:
The life of King Henry the Sixth, in three parts.
Style:
historical drama, period piece, tense, grim, bleak
Plot:
shakespeare, british history, civil war, treason, betrayal, ambition, monarchy, royal court, palace intrigue, literary, tragedy, royalty ...
Time:
15th century
Similarity:
64%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 158 min.
TV show
Story:
Richard II, who ascended the throne as a child, is a regal and stately monarch. He believes he is the rightful ruler of England, ordained by God, yet he is a weak and ineffective king - wasteful in his spending habits, unwise in his choise of ...
Style:
historical drama, bleak, period piece, melancholic
Plot:
shakespeare, royalty, medieval, british history, monarchy, power struggle, political intrigue, betrayal, tragedy, literary, character study, identity crisis ...
Time:
medieval times, middle ages, 14th century
Place:
britain, england
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
A jealous king jeopardizes his family, friendships and succession.
Style:
psychological, thrilling, captivating, dramatic, bleak ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
shakespeare, royal court, palace intrigue, jealousy, problem, male female relationship, relationships, royal family, intrigue, king, husband wife relationship, life is a bitch ...
Place:
sicily
Similarity:
62%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Japan, USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
David Tennant stars in a film of the Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning production of Shakespeare's great play. Director Gregory Doran's modern-dress production was hailed by the critics as thrilling, fast-moving and, in parts, ...
Style:
serious, stylized, emotional, atmospheric, crying ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
royal court, revenge, betrayal, murder, throne, shakespeare, shakespeare's hamlet, tragic hero, rivalry, heroes, intrigue, state affairs ...
Time:
middle ages
Place:
europe, denmark
Similarity:
60%
42K
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 242 min.
Story:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
Style:
stylized, costume drama, atmospheric, period piece, serious ...
Plot:
shakespeare, revenge, medieval, ghost, tragedy, funeral, vengeance, royal family, royal court, literary, shakespeare's hamlet, intrigue ...
Time:
19th century, 16th century, middle ages, 1800s, 90s ...
Place:
denmark, europe, england
Similarity:
59%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 203 min.
Story:
The life of King Henry the Sixth, in three parts.
Style:
period piece, historical drama
Audience:
adult
Plot:
shakespeare, british history, political intrigue, civil war, power struggle, royal court, betrayal, ambition, monarchy, treason, political manipulation, palace ...
Place:
england, france
Similarity:
59%
417
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
Macbeth and his wife murder Duncan in order to gain his crown, but the bloodbath doesn't stop there, and things supernatural combine to bring the Macbeths down.
Style:
dark, intense, psychological, bleak, atmospheric ...
Plot:
shakespeare, ambition, witch, medieval, murder, blood, guilt, power struggle, tragedy, regicide, prophecy, betrayal ...
Time:
medieval times, 11th century
Similarity:
59%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 156 min.
Story:
An ageing monarch. A kingdom divided. A child’s love rejected. As Lear’s world descends into chaos, all that he once believed is brought into question. One of the greatest works in Western literature, King Lear explores the very nature of human ...
Plot:
shakespeare, friendship, illegitimate son, sister sister relationship, death of daughter, father daughter relationship, insanity, illegitimate child, king, father daughter reunion, sibling rivalry, murder of daughter ...
Similarity:
58%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 177 min.
Story:
When Pericles discovers the dread answer to Antioch's riddle, he flees for his life straight into famine, shipwreck, love, fatherhood, and another shipwreck; he loses his wife and daughter, and doesn't find them again until the story moves ...
Style:
emotional, dark, period drama
Plot:
shakespeare, shipwreck, survival, fatherhood, sea voyage, separation, redemption, exile, literary, resurrection, love story, tragedy ...
Place:
ancient greece
Similarity:
58%
556
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 191 min.
Story:
A stage production of Hamlet filmed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York.
Style:
enigmatic, stylized, talky, witty, cerebral ...
Plot:
shakespeare, murder, conspiracy, friendship, father son relationship, queen, student, king, prince, tragedy, castle, brother sister relationship ...
Time:
18th century, 1930s
Place:
denmark, california, australia, london
Similarity:
58%
25K
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, France, Japan, USA
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
Style:
atmospheric, realistic, costume drama, compassionate, bleak ...
Plot:
shakespeare, revenge, royal family, murder, medieval, tragic hero, poisoning, state affairs, family relations, parents and children, spirit, dishonesty ...
Time:
middle ages, medieval times, 16th century
Place:
denmark, europe, england
Similarity:
55%
127
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
An adaptation of Shakespeare's play.
Style:
dark, atmospheric, bleak, tension, art house ...
Plot:
shakespeare, murder, tragedy, power, adaptation, tragic hero, witch, ambition, supernatural, literary, prophecy, madness ...
Place:
scottish highlands
Similarity:
53%
443
Genre: Drama
Country: Hungary
Duration: 62 min.
Story:
A Hungarian TV version of the play shot in just two takes.
Style:
art house, psychological, bleak, intense, experimental ...
Plot:
shakespeare, theater, tragedy, adaptation, minimalism, literary, power, guilt, ambition, madness, intimate, fate ...
Similarity:
53%
224
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
This is a very theatrical version, full of sound & fury, histrionics and big arm movements. Cynical audiences might not buy into it, but if you were to go back to the early 1600s this is probably the way you'd see it. The plot of ...
Style:
dramatic, psychological, dark, bleak, tense ...
Plot:
shakespeare, macbeth, regicide, medieval, guilt, ambition, adaptation, downfall, tragedy, power struggle, corruption, monarchy ...
Time:
11th century
Place:
scottish highlands, scotland
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 233 min.
TV show
Story:
King Lear is an in-depth study of love, power and death. Through this film Shakespeare is saying, "Don't blame the gods or the heaven's for the horrors committed on earth. No. Blame hellish inhumanity on those who inhabit the ...
Style:
intense, bleak, dark, philosophical, existential ...
Plot:
shakespeare, tragedy, royalty, madness, adaptation, mature, betrayal, literary, desperation, revenge, loyalty, isolation ...
Place:
britain
Similarity:
51%
Related movie lists
