Othello (1995)

Director:

Oliver Parker

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Oliver Parker (adaptation)

Release Date:

15 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Envy, greed, jealousy and love.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Jealousy | Moor | Racism | Suspicion

Awards:

3 nominations

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Luca Guardabascio	...	Servant in the dancin scene (uncredited)

Directed by
Oliver Parker

Writing credits
William Shakespeare		(play)
Oliver Parker		(adaptation)

Produced by
David Barron	....	producer
Jonathan Olsberg	....	executive producer
Luc Roeg	....	producer

Original Music by
Charlie Mole

Cinematography by
David Johnson

Film Editing by
Tony Lawson

Casting by
Debbie McWilliams

Production Design by
Tim Harvey

Art Direction by
Livia Borgognoni
Desmond Crowe

Costume Design by
Caroline Harris

Makeup Department
Laura Borselli	....	makeup artist
Polly Earnshaw	....	makeup department runner
Tina Earnshaw	....	chief makeup artist
Carol Hemming	....	chief hair stylist
Elizabeth Lewis	....	hair stylist
Paolo Mantini	....	hair stylist
Deborah Taylor	....	makeup artist
Desideria Corridoni	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Gianluca Leurini	....	production manager
Iona Price	....	production manager
Emanuele Spatafora	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joyce Branagh	....	third assistant director
Francesca Castellano	....	third assistant director
Sara Desmond	....	third assistant director
Luca Lachin	....	second assistant director
Simon Moseley	....	first assistant director
Richard Styles	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Celia Bobak	....	production buyer
Michael Cohen	....	stand-by stagehand
Danny Hunter	....	property master
George Malin	....	dressing propman
George Malin	....	storeman
Peter Mounsey	....	stand-by painter
Alf Newvell	....	stand-by rigger
John Pitt	....	stand-by rigger
Paolo Pugiotto	....	property assistant: Venice
Alfie Smith	....	chargehand stand-by propman
Dashamir Subashi	....	props department assistant
Micky Swift	....	stand-by propman
Kevin Wheeler	....	dressing propman
Iain White	....	art department assistant
David Williamson	....	stand-by carpenter

Sound Department
Philip Alton	....	dialogue editor
John Bateman	....	adr mixer
John Bateman	....	foley mixer
Robbie Broughton	....	assistant sound editor
Rodney Glenn	....	supervising sound editor
Peter Glossop	....	production sound mixer
Dominic Lester	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sean Mills	....	boom operator
Shaun Mills	....	boom operator
Andrea Moser	....	boom operator: Venice
Robin O'Donoghue	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Poyner	....	foley editor
Federico Saraceni	....	sound trainee

Visual Effects by
José Granell	....	model unit supervisor (uncredited)
Andy Stevens	....	visual effects camera assistant: Magic Camera Co (uncredited)

Stunts
Ferdinando Stazzone	....	horse stuntman (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Appleby	....	key grip
Stuart Barell	....	clapper loader (as Stuart Barrell)
Flavio Bertini	....	electrician: Venice
John Bremer	....	focus puller
David Bruce	....	generator operator
Andrea Chiozzotto	....	electrician: Venice
Vince Clarke	....	electrician
Roberto De Angelis	....	Steadicam assistant
Mauro De Marchi	....	electrician: Venice
Mike Evans	....	focus puller
Cephas Howard	....	electrician
Martin Kenzie	....	camera operator
Rolf Konow	....	still photographer
Dean Morrish	....	clapper loader
Ricky Pattenden	....	electrician
Marco Pieroni	....	Steadicam operator
John Pitt	....	stand-by rigger
Ray Potter	....	best boy
Terry Potter	....	gaffer
Emiliano Topai	....	video operator
Piero Zennaro	....	electrician: Venice

Casting Department
Sylvie Brocheré	....	casting: France (as Sylvie Borchere)
Beatrice Kruger	....	casting: Italy (as Béatrice Kruger)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anthony Brookman	....	wardrobe master
Caroline Kelly	....	costume assistant
Maggie Neale	....	wardrobe supervisor
Debbie Scott	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Paolo Benassi	....	editing department assistant
Lionel Johnson	....	editor trainee
Julian Rodd	....	first assistant editor
Melanie Viner-Cuneo	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
John Bell	....	additional orchestrator
Andrew Glen	....	music editor
Isobel Griffiths	....	music assembler
Nick Ingman	....	conductor
Nick Ingman	....	orchestrator
Mike Ross-Trevor	....	music engineer
James Shearman	....	additional orchestrator
Eliza Thompson	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Guido Bianchi	....	driver: Irene Jacob
David Bruyea	....	driver: stand-by props
Alfio Galli	....	transportation captain: Venice
Umbetto Leurini	....	transportation captain
Salvatore Mureddu	....	driver: Laurence Fishburne
Terry Pritchard	....	driver: Kenneth Branagh
Antonio Privitera	....	unit driver

Other crew
Chris Allies	....	title designer
Fabio Bozzetti	....	runner/assistant: Venice
Rebecca Ciallella	....	production assistant: Oliver Parker
Naomi Cohen	....	assistant to producer
Dominique De Langes	....	production assistant: Venice
Alberto De Stefani	....	assistant accountant
Gianna Di Michele	....	location accountant (as Gianna De Michele)
Massimiliano Discepolo	....	production runner
Daniela Foà	....	crowd marshall: Venice
Francesca Gentili	....	production assistant
Kay Georgiou	....	postiche artist
Karen Gordon	....	production accountant
Eileen Gorman	....	production runner
Nick Hall	....	fight arranger
Stacey Haynes	....	assistant choreographer
Lil Heyman	....	production coordinator
Charmian Hoare	....	dialogue coach
Stuart Hopps	....	choreographer
Russell Jackson	....	text consultant
Felice Lattes	....	crowd marshall
Roberto Leone	....	production assistant
Cristina Leurini	....	catering manager
Valeria Licurgo	....	production assistant
Talita G. Long	....	tattoo designer: Laurence Fishburne
Paolo Merosi	....	assistant crowd marshall
Emi Mochizuki	....	floor runner
Matthew O'Toole	....	accounting assistant
Jay Roberts	....	assistant: Laurence Fishburne
Rosanna Roditi	....	location manager: Venice
Nicola Rosada	....	caterer: Venice
Paolo Rosada	....	on-set runner: Venice
Sally Ross	....	production runner
Giorgio Rossi	....	medic: Venice
Helen Seery	....	assistant accountant
Ron Shillingford	....	supervising copyist
Tamar Thomas	....	assistant: Kenneth Branagh
Roberto Todeschi	....	production assistant
Anita Tomaselli	....	production runner: Venice
Day Trinh-Dinh	....	location projectionist
Fabio Vianello	....	runner/assistant: Venice
John Wall	....	production accountant
Gay Whelan	....	production assistant
Tom White	....	production runner
Anna Worley	....	script supervisor
Paolo Rosada	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Phil Stoole	....	production runner (uncredited)

Thanks
Richard Attenborough	....	special thanks (as Lord Attenborough)
Clive Barker	....	special thanks
Nigel Barker	....	special thanks
Keith Blackpool	....	special thanks
Helena Bonham Carter	....	special thanks (as Helena Bonham-Carter)
Langston Fishburne	....	special thanks
Anna C. Miller	....	special thanks (as Anna Miller)

Production Companies

• Castle Rock Entertainment (presents)
• Dakota Films
• Imminent Film Productions (as Imminent Films)

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (1995) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Columbia Pictures (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Filmayer-Castle Rock-Turner S.A. (1996) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Concorde-Castle Rock/Turner (1996) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (1996) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Filmes Lusomundo (1996) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (1996) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1996) (Netherlands) (VHS) (rental)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS) (retail)
• Turner Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (199?) (UK) (VHS)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Shepperton Studios  movie studio
• Corbett & Keene  publicity
• Filmcraft S.r.l.  production services: Italy
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Magic Camera Company, The  film opticals
• Sammy's  Moviecam camera equipment provided by
• Special Treats  electronic press kit
• Twickenham Studios  adr and foley recording (as Twickenham Film Studios)
• Twickenham Studios  sound re-recording services (as Twickenham Film Studios)
• Whitfield Street Studios  music recorded at (as Whitfield Street Recording Studio)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (bw) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:R | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Orsini Castle, Bracciano, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

First cinema film of Michael Sheen

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During Emilia's dying speech, the already dead Desdemona can be seen breathing.

Quotes:

Iago:Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Century of Black Cinema (2003) (V)

Shakespeare would have been pleased

While maintaining the location and time period of the original play, this film gives us a much clearer insight into Othello as a character and as a story than many of the supposedly more important versions. The dialogue is trimmed to what is essential, the settings are atmospheric, and the cast is great. You will never forget the story after you see this version.