Othello (1951)

The Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.

Director:

Orson Welles

Writer:

William Shakespeare (based on the play by)

Stars:

Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Micheál MacLiammóir	...	Iago
Suzanne Cloutier	...	Desdemona
Orson Welles	...	Othello
Robert Coote	...	Roderigo
Hilton Edwards	...	Brabantio
Michael Laurence	...	Cassio
Fay Compton	...	Emilia
Nicholas Bruce	...	Lodovico
Doris Dowling	...	Bianca
Jean Davis	...	Montano (uncredited)

Storyline

Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian aristocrat, elopes with Moorish military hero Othello, to the great resentment of Othello's envious underling Iago. Alas, Iago knows Othello's weakness, and with chilling malice works on him with but too good effect.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | cypress | opening scene is same with ending scene | moor the person | father daughter conflict | 

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Taglines:

Orson Welles' magnificent screening of Shakespeare's immortal tragedy

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

According with Orson Welles in Filming 'Othello' (1978), he knew that the movie was the winner of the Grand Prize of Cannes Film Festival, hours before the gala. He was in his hotel room when the festival director arrived asking him which was the national anthem of Morocco, because the orchestra plays the country's national anthem from the award-winning film when the award is given, and nobody knew which was Morocco's anthem, neither Welles. Finally, the orchestra performed something vaguely oriental.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: There was once in Venice a moor, Othello, who for his merits is the affairs of war was held in great esteem. It happened that he fell in love with a young and noble lady called Desdemona, who drawn by his virtue became equally enamoured of Othello...

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Alternate Versions

There are actually 3 significant versions of this film. The version that is available on DVD and at Film Festivals is the "restored" version mentioned above. The Criterion laserdisc consists of Orson Welles' American version of the film in which he completely overdubbed Desdemona's voice with a new actress and overdubbed many characters including Roderigo with his own voice. In addition this version contains written credits instead of spoken and has many alternate shots. The original Cannes version was shown once on British Televison in the early 80's and is very difficult to find.

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Connections

Referenced in The Last Screen (1982)

User Reviews

Welles' images match the beauty of Shakespeare's language

Considerable controversy has surrounded the 1992 restoration and re-release of Orson Welles' "Othello." First, the film was wrongly labelled a "lost classic" - not technically true, as Welles aficionados will realize. More seriously, the restoration crew (under the aegis of Welles' daughter, Beatrice Welles) re-synced the dialogue and re-recorded the musical score - an abomination to Welles purists. While it would have been preferable to adhere to Welles' vision for the film, such an endeavor becomes extremely difficult when no written record of Welles' intent exists (as it did with his famous 26-page memo to Universal regarding "Touch of Evil"). So it's true that the restored version lacks a degree of authenticity, but what are the alternatives? Grainy, scratched, poorly synced public domain prints (c.f. "Mr Arkadin" and "The Trial")? Or, worse, no available copy at all (c.f. "Chimes at Midnight")?

Anyway, on to the film. "Othello's" existence helps disprove the charges of profligacy and "fear of completion" that plagued Welles' career after "Citizen Kane." Shot over four years in Morocco and Italy, and financed largely by Welles himself, "Othello" manages to avoid a low-budget look, thanks largely to virtuoso editing that masks the incongruities of time and space. Welles' powers of invention are on full display here, most obviously in the famous Turkish bath scene (an improvised set necessitated by a lack of costumes). Set designer Alexandre Trauner's astute choice of Moroccan and Venetian locations instantly establishes a geographic authenticity; Welles initially exploits them for all their stark beauty before retreating into noirish interiors, underscoring Othello's descent into darkness.

Aside from Michael Macliammoir's chilling Method performance as Iago, the acting in Welles' "Othello" has been criticized as too restrained and modulated for Shakespearean tragedy. Such criticism is largely unwarranted, for this "Othello" is as much for the eyes as the ears: Welles' bold framing and expressionistic camera angles free the play from its theatrical moorings (pun intended), undermining the need for stage elocution. Indeed, the camera is the true star of this film, as Welles generates images that match the grandeur and eloquence of Shakespeare's language.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site from Carlotta Films US

Country:

Italy Morocco USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Othello

Filming Locations:

Mogador, Morocco

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,010, 27 April 2014

Gross USA:

$28,980

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,980

Company Credits

Production Co:

Scalera Film, Mercury Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 93 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Dolby (re-release) Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1