Othello (1965)

Desdemona defies her father to marry the Moor of Venice, the mighty warrior, Othello. But Othello's old lieutenant, Iago, doesn't like Othello, and is determined to bring about the downfall... See full summary »

Director:

Stuart Burge

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Joyce Redman

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier	...	Othello
Maggie Smith	...	Desdemona
Joyce Redman	...	Emilia
Frank Finlay	...	Iago
Derek Jacobi	...	Cassio
Robert Lang	...	Roderigo
Kenneth MacKintosh	...	Lodovico
Anthony Nicholls	...	Brabantio
Sheila Reid	...	Bianca
Malcolm Terris	...	Senate Officer
Harry Lomax	...	Duke of Venice
Michael Turner	...	Gratiano
Terence Knapp	...	Duke's Officer
Keith Marsh	...	Senator
Tom Kempinski	...	Sailor

Storyline

Desdemona defies her father to marry the Moor of Venice, the mighty warrior, Othello. But Othello's old lieutenant, Iago, doesn't like Othello, and is determined to bring about the downfall of Othello's new favorite, Cassio, and destroy Othello in the process, by casting aspersions on Othello's new bride.

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Plot Keywords:

moor | love | cyprus | general | tragedy | 

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Taglines:

The greatest Othello ever by the greatest actor of our time

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1967 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Otello

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BHE Films, National Theatre of Great Britain Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Derek Jacobi 's film debut.

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Quotes

Othello: It is the cause. It is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars. It is the cause.

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Connections

Version of Othello (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Fanfares"
(uncredited)
Music by Jack Trombey
De Wolfe Music Ltd

User Reviews

Excellent Performances

This is the best film of a Shakespeare play that I have ever seen. (Throne of Blood is a great movie, but it's an adaptation, not really Shakespeare's Macbeth.) What makes the difference for me are the outstanding performances by the entire cast, not just Olivier. Maggie Smith's Desdemona is truly touching as a woman overwhelmed by fate. A young Derek Jacobi hits all the right notes as Michael Cassio: smart, loyal, eager to please, but a little immature. I haven't seen any other roles played by either Frank Finlay or Joyce Redman, but in any case, they're excellent here. I much prefer Olivier's Othello to his film role as Hamlet. That's because too many of Hamlet's lines were cut from that version. More text gives more characterization to Othello, and gives Olivier the chance to really fill the role, which he does beautifully. My only real complaint is that on the videotape, the widescreen picture is cropped too much. Everybody who is a fan of Shakespeare or any of the above mentioned actors should see this movie!