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:

An actual performance of the National Theatre of Great Britain

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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

This is the only Shakespeare film in which all four leading actors (Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay and Joyce Redman) were nominated for Oscars.

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Quotes

Othello: O, blood, blood, blood!

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Connections

Referenced in If.... (1968)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

stagy but very successful

The National Theatre production of 'Othello' was legendary - one of Laurence Olivier's iconic roles from the era when white actors still blacked up to play the lead part.

But is it really any good on the screen? It is essentially filmed theatre with an overpowering performance from Olivier, which is perhaps too large for viewing away from the stage - but it does benefit from three key parts of excellence in support (Frank Finlay as Iago, in Shakespeare's longest role as far as numbers of lines is concerned; Maggie Smith as a delicate Desdemona; and a very young Derek Jacobi as Cassio, resplendent in fine clothes and groomed hair).

Trimmed slightly from the full play, it nevertheless keeps the main characters and the sense of the story, and plays at nearly two and a half hours. Tight direction, good diction, and - as far as filmed theatre can be - adequate sets give this Othello an edge which means it is still relevant today.