Peter Brook's film production of King Lear has been followed by varying critical opinions. W. Chaplin (1973) considers the production a dramatic failure because of its violent character; however, W. Johnson (1972) conversely praises the "bursts of exaggerated violence" which he believes successfully lead to the establishment of the production's atmosphere. Through these two perspectives, we see violence as a central element of Brook's interpretation of King Lear. Similarly, Anne Bradby (2004) described Shakespeare's Lear as having an "unprecedented atmosphere of rapine, cruelty and bodily pain" at the heart of its plots and themes (a theme also addressed by other critics such as G. Orwell (1947), and W. Knight (1949)). From here we see that interpretations of King Lear benefit from an examination of violence. In order to show how Brook establishes his distinctive atmosphere of violence, I will explore the presentation of violence, the destruction of compassion, and the reactions to these two key aspects of the production. created to directly establish violence through: setting, brutality arising from character action, and emphasis on language. Key elements include the architectural environment (castles), costumes and props (especially the choice of weapons), and the landscape. Furthermore, to heighten the importance of these characteristics, Brook uses various responses to violence and carefully focuses on the cinematography. The landscape and setting permeate every scene in every production; in Brook's Lear, this repetition creates continuity of brutal violence throughout the production. In cases like Edgar's grim escape at 0:42, to the battle's grisly conclusion at 2:01, the landscape is...... middle of paper...... from Shakespeare Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Print. Carnovsky, M. and P. Sander (1977). “The Eye of the Storm: Playing King Lear.” Shakespeare Quarterly 28(2): 144-150. Schlueter, L. a. (1991). “Reading Shakespeare in Performance: King Lear” Associated University Press. Johnson, W. (1972). Film Quarterly 25(3): 41-48. Chaplin, W. (1973). “Our Darkest Goal: Peter Brook’s King Lear.” Arion 1(1): 168-187. Hole, S. (1968). “The Context of Divine Action in King Lear.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 8(2): 217-233. Carroll, W. C. (1987). "'Basis will be greater than legitimacy': The beggar Bedlam and the role of Edgar in 'King Lear.'" Shakespeare Quarterly 38(4): 426-441. Isenberg, A. (1951). “Cordelia missing.” Shakespeare Quarterly 2(3): 185-194. Knowles, R. (1999). “The Return of Cordelia.” Shakespeare Quarterly 50(1): 33-50.