The premise and themes are strong, but the mechanics of the plot aren’t all that interesting and the ultimate significance not always easy to discern. A patriarch makes errors of judgment, some of his children are venal and unworthy, and a bastard does whatever he pleases, but the most affecting scenes here are those between two old men, Olivier and McKern, comforting each other for the fate of ageing in a very cold universe. The principals are good but Lindsay doesn’t really convince as Edmund.

Obviously a filmed stage production, but Olivier is inspired, and Blakely and Hurt (as Kent and the Fool) are excellent too.