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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0014381583120
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Release Date: August 31, 1999
Running Time: 93 minutes
Sales Rank: 91334
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1955-06
Editorial Review:
Description:
Orson Welles' daring and visually adventurous production of William Shakespeare's classic play. Welles, one of the greatest directors ever, revered Shakespeare and was determined to bring his own versions of the Bard's work to the silver screen, though the studios resisted the idea. Without studio funding, Welles struggled for three years to make 'Othello' with his own money. The film won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and critical acclaim but was rarely seen for many years. Over $1 million dollars in restoration work was spent, including re recording the score and re creating the sound effects, as well as updating the audio to digital. 'Othello' remains a testament to Welles' legendary genius.
Amazon.com:
Filmed as a classical tragedy, Orson Welles's Othello is a tale of passion, jealousy, and murder. Welles used his earnings from several performances to finance the production, which was shot over several years across multiple locations including Italy and Morocco. The footage was well matched photographically, resulting in an artistically brave compression of a great play. In the title role, Welles shows us a man who has fought many wars but still maintains a princely disposition. As Desdemona, Suzanne Cloutier is guileless but strong enough to have wanted and pursued the Moor. In a rare filmed role, Micheál MacLiammóir excels as the diabolical Iago, a master of manipulating appearances and devoid of any motive save pure evil. The financial constraints appear to have ignited an even higher level of creativity within Welles, who never takes the expected angle and directs the film with a vertiginous, exhibitionist energy. This Othello won the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes in April 1952. --Kevin Mulhall
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Restoration of a Classic
Between 1949 and 1951 Orson Welles filmed Shakespeare's Othello on s shoestring budget and often with his own funds earned for acting on other films. The adaptation is sometimes challenging but is often an engrossing cinematic experience.
The film shares more in style with Welles'Citizen Kane than it does with other productions of Shakespeare for the screen. Employing just about every editing trick in his catalogue, Welles creates an experience that is more than a little unsettling. ... Read More
Rating:  - The Gangrenous Monster of Jealousy.
You have to wonder how Orson Welles would ever have to spend a penny of his own to make a movie after Citizen Kane, but I suppose Shakespeare was not considered worthy of expense back then. Here, Welles turned Othello into a picturesque fifties version of a standard high budget classic. Visually, the scenes are candy from the soldiers to the ocean to the flags to the cliffs. As for Welles, he brings an intense dignity to this role. My only complaint is that there are no subtitles so you cannot absorb ... Read More
Rating: - Welles strikes again!
This legendary filmmaker was in his late thirties (38) when he adapted to screen this colossal adaptation of Othello. The film is visually stunning and constitutes in my opinion his best achievement after Kane, despite the terrible acting of the worst Desdemona in any movie. Nevertheless the imaginative direction of Wisconsin 's genius and his performance was offbeat.
This film won Cannes Festival with all honors. Welles was briefly interviewed and asked about if he personally considered ... Read More
Rating:  - Not for purists, poor sound quality
While I have great respect for Welles as both an actor and director, the fact that this was done more or less as a pet project of his over several years is readily apparent. As a Shakespeare purist, I also found his reworking of the text off-putting. If you're not familiar with the original play, you may have difficulty following this film version. Finally, much of the audio is difficult, if not impossible in some spots, to understand. According to the extras documentary, to produce this version the ... Read More
Rating: - Great Cinematography, poor shakespeare
For students of film, this is a must-see and worthy of five stars in that category. For Shakespeare, don't rely on this interpetation or editing as the story of Othello. Iago is completely misinterpreted. Othello would never trust this Uriah Heep-sinister-weasel version. Kenneth Branaugh has a much better interpretation of this role. Iago is someone you would trust and buddy with on first impression; that is why Othello is willing to listen to him. In this version, Iago runs away and does not die in ... Read More
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