Welles also stars as the title character, a Moorish war hero in 16th century Venice. He's happily married to the fair Desdemona (Suzanne Cloutier), but scheming ensign Iago (Michael MacLiammoir) plots to drive Othello mad with jealousy by planting seeds of distrust concerning Desdemona's fidelity.
Welles ran into his usual trouble securing financing, and this was shot piecemeal over time. Despite this difficulty, I found the finished product to be fantastic, and one my favorite Shakespeare adaptations. The endlessly atmospheric B&W cinematography, the unusual for the time editing, the disconcerting score and sound design, the incredible sets and locations, and stellar performances from all involved made this one of the best viewing experiences that I've had in some while. Welles was ahead of his time with the film's look, camera angles, and editing, while exhibiting an old master's knowledge of the use of shadows and perspective to accent scenes and illustrate the inner workings of the characters. The film has a haunted, at-times surreal quality, and most of it is dreamlike without being incoherent.
This movie makes me wonder what Welles could have done with Hamlet. Shakespeare purists may be put off by the judicious editing done to the original work (the 3-hour play is rendered into a 90+ minute movie), but the spirit is maintained. This is the third version of Othello that I've seen filmed, after the 1965 take with Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith and Frank Findlay in the leads, and the 1995 version with Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob and Kenneth Branagh. This Welles version is my favorite. Highly recommended.
Welles ran into his usual trouble securing financing, and this was shot piecemeal over time. Despite this difficulty, I found the finished product to be fantastic, and one my favorite Shakespeare adaptations. The endlessly atmospheric B&W cinematography, the unusual for the time editing, the disconcerting score and sound design, the incredible sets and locations, and stellar performances from all involved made this one of the best viewing experiences that I've had in some while. Welles was ahead of his time with the film's look, camera angles, and editing, while exhibiting an old master's knowledge of the use of shadows and perspective to accent scenes and illustrate the inner workings of the characters. The film has a haunted, at-times surreal quality, and most of it is dreamlike without being incoherent.
This movie makes me wonder what Welles could have done with Hamlet. Shakespeare purists may be put off by the judicious editing done to the original work (the 3-hour play is rendered into a 90+ minute movie), but the spirit is maintained. This is the third version of Othello that I've seen filmed, after the 1965 take with Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith and Frank Findlay in the leads, and the 1995 version with Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob and Kenneth Branagh. This Welles version is my favorite. Highly recommended.