Filming 'Othello' (1978)

Director:

Orson Welles

Writer:

Orson Welles (writer)

Release Date:

July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

"Il vero cineasta è colui che sa dominare le catastrofi !". Partendo da questa affermazione, Orson Welles spiega le ragioni...

Plot Keywords:

Film Making | Reference To Laurence Olivier | Acting | Interview | Reference To Picasso

Cast

Orson Welles	...	Host
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Coote
Hilton Edwards
Micheál MacLiammóir

Also Known As:

Erinnerungen an 'Othello' (West Germany)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Trivia:

Welles reportedly shot a few scenes of him traveling in Venice explaining his Othello. This footage has been lost.

Movie Connections:

Features The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952)

A wonderful, gentle coda to a boistrous film career.

A wonderful, private oration with Orson Welles for once talking about his vast visual artistry and visual imagery. Welles always shied away from discussing such things, that his fans would have much loved to hear. During his conversations with Peter Bogdanovich which became "This is Orson Welles," he speaks as if his visual style never had any thematic significance. It is wonderful to hear him finally talk about style and vindicate one for taking such joy in his visual motifs.

In the second half of the movie, Welles discusses the elements of the film which were dictated by practicality and necessity. Welles had to procure the funds for his Othello entirely himself, either from being paid to appear in other mens' movies, or from the odd backer who would contribute not nearly enough money. This meant production had to keep stopping and relocating across the world. Orson Welles was the first person in the history of cinema to make a movie not attached to a certain studio or even country! When it came to the Cannes film festival, Welles was stuck with what country to say the movie was of! He chose Morrocco for convenience, ironically where the character Othello was originally from. This makes Orson Welles' Othello the very first independent film, and Welles went on to become the founder of the independent film movement.

Also included is a reunion luncheon party with Hilton Edwards (Desdemona's father) and Michael Macliammoir (Iago). Following, Welles further discusses the play of Othello, performs a couple of key speeches from the play. The final segment is from a question time after a screening of Othello to film students.

As always, hearing Orson talk is marvellous to listen to. A wonderful, gentle coda to a boistrous film career.