Othello (1995)

The evil Iago pretends to be friend of Othello in order to manipulate him to serve his own end in the film version of this Shakespeare classic.

Director:

Oliver Parker

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Oliver Parker (adaptation)

Stars:

Laurence Fishburne, Irène Jacob, Kenneth Branagh

3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Laurence Fishburne	...	Othello
Irène Jacob	...	Desdemona
Kenneth Branagh	...	Iago
Nathaniel Parker	...	Michael Cassio
Michael Maloney	...	Roderigo
Anna Patrick	...	Emilia
Nicholas Farrell	...	Montano
Indra Ové	...	Bianca
Michael Sheen	...	Lodovico
André Oumansky	...	Gratiano
Philip Locke	...	1st Senator
John Savident	...	2nd Senator
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Duke of Venice
Pierre Vaneck	...	Brabantio

Storyline

Iago convinces Othello, The Moor of Venice that his wife, Desdemona has been unfaithful. Iago is an evil, manipulative character with his own agenda. A plot of jealousy and rage transpires in this classic Shakespearean tale.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | jealousy | moor | racism | suspicion | 

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Taglines:

Envy, greed, jealousy and love.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Otelo

Filming Locations:

Orsini Castle, Bracciano, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,112,951 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Dakota Films, Imminent Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oliver Parker's directorial debut.

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Goofs

Gov. Montano stops Cassio from beating Roderigo, and Cassio's sword is raised above his head. Montano says, "You're drunk" and Cassio's response, "Drunk?" is accompanied by the sound of his already drawn sword being pulled from its scabbard for attack.

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Quotes

Iago: Oh Beware, my lord, of jealousy. 'Tis the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.

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Connections

Version of Othello (1962)

User Reviews

Just when you thought Kenneth Branagh couldn't get any better

Othello, the classic Shakespearen story of love, betrayal, lies, and tragedy. I remember studying this story in high school, actually I found Othello to be probably my favorite Shakespeare story due to the fact of how fascinating it was, the fact that Shakespeare captured the feeling of friendship, love, and racism perfectly. I mean, when you really do study this story, you could go into so many philosophies on why Othello went insane with jealousy in the blink of an eye. But later on for my report I also watched this version of Othello and I have to say that it was absolutely brilliant. Lawerance and Kenneth just capture the story so well and understood it's darkness.

Othello is the big time soldier in his city, he is loved by everyone, including the king. But when the king finds out that Othello snuck off with his daughter, Desdemona, the king is infuriated, but excepts it. Othello is welcome in the city and makes his best friend, Cassio, his side man instead of Iago, who has stood by Othello. Due to his insane jealousy, he's out for revenge. Still pretending to be Othello's best friend, he just mearly hints at Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio, never says that they are, just makes Othello think that it's happening. Othello is driven insane and doesn't have pleasant plans for Desdemona or Cassio and Iago is more than happy to help him out.

Othello is an incredible story, I highly recommend that you read it. It's an incredible story that keeps you thinking after you've read it. Othello the movie is also great and once again I recommend it, it captured the story perfectly and has a big tearjerker type of feel, or you could just be in utter shock of what happens between Othello and Desdemona, how quickly he believes that his true love would betray him. This is a terrific movie, great acting, good sets, and good direction, this is what Shakespeare meant when he wrote the story.

10/10