Customer Reviews

Othello

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Unlike many Shakespeare enthusiasts, I adore modern adaptations and staging of Shakespeare's works. One of the reasons his plays have endured is that they have a timeless quality that is understood generation after generation. His stories capture something essential about human nature that cannot be confined to a historical period.

Some modern versions of Shakespeare use original dialogue with updated settings, costumes, and character relationships. This sometimes works very well, as in Ethan Hawke's Hamlet or the Julie Taymor's Titus (my favorite). In this version of Othello, however, the dialogue has been modernized to match the setting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I saw it in a class on Shakespeare's Tragedies at Syracuse University which was taught by a reknowned Shakespeare scholar. This was her choice as the best film version of Othello to show us. Othello is a story which translates particularly well into a modern version because it deals with issues such as racism, jealousy, and insecurity that make it applicable to a variety of situations. The acting in this movie is excellent - very believable and powerful. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, whether or not you have previous experience with Othello.

I teach "Othello" in an intro to literature course for non-liberal arts majors; it's their only chance to study literature at my college, and I find this a well-balanced counterpart to the 1995 Oliver Parker-directed film dramatization starring Laurence Fishburne & Kenneth Branagh. My students tend to prefer the "original" with Shakespeare's language to this BBC-CBC production, but I like this for the energetic gallows humor it provides. While some of my students have seen "O," made around the same time as this Masterpiece Theatre version, this is more adult, and less teenaged in its appeal. It's grimmer than "O," and moves rapidly.

The performances of not only Eamonn Andrews and Christopher Eccleston (who I enjoyed so much in Danny Boyle's "Shallow Grave" in an earlier, equally unhinged role) deserve acclaim. Cass and Desi and Lulu (=Emilia) all do well in difficult scenes, and the conflation of the Rodrigo character into the officer pressured by Jago into recanting his testimony provides a challenging example of how a modern adaptation can alter the original plot and alter characters into this admittedly manic, compressed, and entertaining version. Issues of race, gender, class, and trust all are explored efficiently; how the storyline places Desi's earlier dalliances into her now-faithful relationship with Othello again moves the story into current sexual realism and cultural mores.

Still, even if "Othello" appears to be the play that replaces (as in my textbook anthology!) "Hamlet," it cannot be glossed or streamlined. It is a tale of unrelenting deceit and unforgiving revenge. Trendy topics aside, at its dark core, Othello remains a depressing play, and the ironies and sarcasms of Jago, as with Iago, can be disheartening as you see Desi and Othello trapped. I suspect students recoil at how evil the villain is, and how, in this 2001 version, the contemporary twist at the end only seems to emphasize how our standards may have slipped even further from those of Shakespeare's cloak-and-dagger era.

A final note: the use of technology to enhance Jago's entrapment, using cameras, stalkers, the Net, tape recorders, and good old gossip, updates the story well into our own decade. Similarly, the race riot and nod to Brutus' "I have not come to praise Caesar" speech plays off Andrews' own quiet strength as well as the scene in the restaurant where he reveals his own "race card" in another episode that makes the story even more relevant to today's multicultural but still tense urban society. And, don't forget the substitute for the handkerchief: a nimble plot device! I daresay this improves on the original-- many of my students have a hard time "believing" the awkward manner in which the Bard drops the handkerchief into the storyline!

...and I think quite good, actually.

Don't expect Shakepeare's Othello and you won't be disappointed. This retelling of Othello dispenses with Shakepeare's poetry, replaces it with modern dialog and drops the story down into modern day London. This adaptation also uses the maybe too clever device of having Iago speak directly into the camera and letting the audience know what he's up to, a device lifted from BBC's political thriller, 'House of Cards.' If you're not a purist, it all works. While the Shakepearean language may be missing the core of the story, jealousy, obsession and power come through stunningly.

I first saw this rendition of "Othello" over a year ago on PBS, and I was absolutely enthralled with it. Unlike other modern renditions of Shakespearian plays, this version replaces the iambic pentameter with a natural scripted dialogue without losing the meaning and power of Shakespeare's orginal writing. You will fall in love and emphathize with Walker's powerful portrayal of the ill-fated Othello, and you will scorn and shudder at Eccleston's perfectly manipulative Jago. This is by far my favorite version of Othello.

I loved this "Othello" and as such, I highly reccommend it, for all that's worth. Especially if you are an English teacher looking for a successful and interesting transformation of Shakespeare's Othello into a contemporary context. This masterpiece theatre 2001 production is an excellent example of what is possible. Remember to look for the related Materpiece Theatre website resources that accompany the production.

This "Othello" has been translated into the modern language/ context of a London Met Police Department and you should be aware that this is not a direct "loyal" adaptation of Othello. It is a contemporary response to Shakespeare's "Othello" making several significant changes to the narrative detail whilst still maintaining thematic integrity. It has the potential to leave an audience divided over the ending and provoke much intelligent discussion in response. Whilst this "Othello" was made in the same year as "O", I personally believe that it leaves the Amercian film for dead. This film has a strong visual style and all the acting performances are strong. Especially Christopher Eccleston's Ben Jago with his manic asides directly to the camera which I personally really enjoyed.

Whether you watch for it pleasure or for study, this "Othello" deserves to be on your Shakespearean radar.

The DVD of this program is approximately 10 minutes shorter than the version shown on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre. While watching the DVD, I remembered there were scenes with Dessie's father, played by Joss Ackland, that were not included. It is also not the same aspect ratio as the PBS version.

Not merely a recasting (like Ethan Hawke's HAMLET) of a Shakespeare play into a modern setting, this is a translation of the story into a contemporary police station, so that the themes of racial strife and sexual jealousy are even more palpable. Andrew Davies (who supposedly wants to do this with all the Shakespeare plays) dispenses with the Shakespearean language, but keeps the characterizations and some of the stylistic elements intact. Eamonn Walker is a quiet, thoughtful Othello, while Christopher Eccleston, as an Iago with a motive, is chillingly malevolent in a riveting performance that stops just shy of scenery-chewing. It sounds like it should be awful, but it's not. Definitely worth a look, and certainly a good companion piece to the Laurence Fishburne OTHELLO for a high school English class.

I normally dislike movies that dispense with the words of Shakespeare. But for some reason, I loved this modern retelling of Othello.
It didn't feel false, like the so-called 'William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet'.
The acting in it is superb. Eamonn Walker really grabs ahold of the role of John Othello and makes it perfect. I honestly cannot think of another actor that could have played this role to such ability.
Christopher Eccleston's casting to play Ben Jago was the perfect choice. He really gets to the heart of the role. The friend, passed over for the job that was his. The words he uses as narrations are well written, and perfectly acted.
Overall, I give this retelling of Othello 5 stars. Though now, maybe someone can do a full telling of the traditional play in this medium.

Don't think because you know the story, you know how this version is going to play out. I found it completely fascinating and the second time around this movie was as good as the first.

Eamonn Walker was perfectly cast as the man who can control the crowds but not his own imagination. He was brilliant, but I'm afraid this movie belonged to Christopher Eccleston. Every time he faced the camera and gave a peek into what was really going on, he was stunning.

For original Shakespearean text, go for Laurence Fishburne's version, but to try something new, definitely watch this one.

Take Shakespeare's "Othello", stick it in modern-day England, (where both John Othello and Ben Jago *Iago* work at Scotland Yard,) take some prominent BBC actors, and you've got Masterpiece Theater's "Othello". It's hard not to automaticlly classify most "modern adaptations" as lame... but it's only fair to give them a chance, eh?

If you need even one reason to see this... it's Christopher Eccleston. He is one evil butt-munch. Smiling one minute, glaring daggers the next... and he can pull it off. He's a pretty talented actor, so it's pretty fun to watch him go psycho, lol. It should be a nice addition to any collection of Shakespeare videos. Enjoy!