On a more technical level, the music track sometimes tends to add unnecessary emotional embellishments. And occasionally his voice becomes a touch weak, reflecting less the ravages of age than of poor health. It is evident that Lord Olivier cannot perform for too long an unedited stretch. But with Michael Elliott's singularly intelligent direction and with an ideal supporting cast, Britain's Granada Television has managed to assemble an extraordinary recording of a legendary actor in one of the world's greatest and most difficult plays. Clearly, a sustained stage production, even if only for a single performance, would now be out of the question for him. Lord Olivier will be 77 next May, and it is no secret that he has suffered several serious illnesses over the past decade. In addition, although Lear is supposed to be somewhere around 80 years old, ''fourscore and upwards,'' the role demands a level of energy that would be trying for actors half that age. One begins to wonder if a fellow named Will Shakespeare has been forgotten. Some of the ads for the program - ''Laurence Olivier's 'King Lear,' starring Laurence Olivier'' - are not reassuring on that score. Lord Olivier has reached that stage of life and career where he could become little more than an excessively venerated icon. The syndicated production might understandably be approached with trepidation. Tonight's ''King Lear,'' beginning at 8 o'clock on WNEW-TV, offers Laurence Olivier in one of the towering performances of his illustrious career.
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