Product Details

• Actors: Laurence Fishburne, Irène Jacob, Kenneth Branagh, Nathaniel Parker, Michael Maloney
• Directors: Oliver Parker
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: February 4, 1997
• Run Time: 123 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630409938X
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,900 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Oliver Parker, a stage and film actor (Hellraiser), made his directorial debut with this scaled-back version of Shakespeare's play about the paranoid Moor, Othello (Laurence Fishburne), and his manipulative friend, Iago (Kenneth Branagh). Parker gets the story so lean he starts running a little short on the author's subtext, and if it's possible to overemphasize the banality of Iago's scheming and Othello's malleability, he does so. The director throws out what is universal in the story and makes it all seem merely ordinary, human, and unfortunate, which is the opposite of what watching Shakespeare should be. In the end, it's hard to care what these characters have done to one another. Branagh's Iago is a little flat and unfocused, while Fishburne is excellent as a quieter Othello than we're accustomed to. With Irène Jacob (Red) as Desdemona. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker

Oliver Parker's version of Shakespeare's tragedy has the distinction of being the first filmed "Othello" in which the Moor of Venice is played by a black actor (Laurence Fishburne). Unfortunately, Parker's screenplay, following the familiar-quotations principle of Shakespearean adaptation, reduces the dramatic poem to a tattered collection of one-liners, and the hero's role suffers the most. By sacrificing the volcanic flow of language that conveys Othello's pride, confusion, and anguish, the movie leaves Fishburne stranded: his performance is tentative, mysteriously uncharismatic. Kenneth Branagh, who plays Iago, has a surer grasp of Shakespearean technique than anyone else in the cast, and his bold, confident interpretation manages to cut through the muddle that Parker has made of the play. Who steals this picture, though, steals trash. Also with Irene Jacob (as Desdemona), Nathaniel Parker, and Anna Patrick. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Adaptation--Wonderful Cast, October 20, 2003

By	Adam Dukovich "colts_19" (Roseville, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Othello (DVD)

I am confused with many of the editorial reviews on the site. This incarnation of Othello is, in my mind, nearly perfect. Sure, it can't encapsulate everything Shakespeare intended, but it stays true to his themes of jealousy, obsession and power, and featured fantastic acting and production values.

What can I say about Othello that hasn't already been said in dozens of dissertations already? As one of the "big four" (Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello) it has remained a benchmark for tragedies for centuries. Some people might scoff at the film's intent to make Shakespeare accessible to the lay viewer, but it truly doesn't hurt the story or interfere with Shakespeare's always delightful prose. In short, the movie outperforms any preconceived notions one might have.

The cast is wonderful. A pre-Matrix Lawrence Fishburne stars as the Moor, Irene Jakob as Desdemona, and the infallible Kenneth Branaugh as Iago, Shakespeare's most complex and calculating villain. Often in Shakespeare plays, the villain is more interesting than the hero, and that is certainly true here. Branaugh steals every scene he is in with his coldly malevolent performance, and his asides to the audience are drenched in dread and rage. One can nearly pity the man, he comes off as so tortured. It is perhaps the best performance I've ever seen out of an actor, period. Fishburne was pretty much a nobody when the film was made, but that doesn't stop him from holding his own with Brannaugh and churning out the iambic pentameter. He hits his marks very well and is very convincing when it comes to acting with passion. Irene Jakob is not necessarily the choice I would have made for Desdemona. I would have chosen someone with a more coquettish personality. However, the fact that her loyalty is beyond question actually enhances the story by showing how obviously and irrationally jealous Othello becomes.

The production is first-rate. The sets, sounds, costumes, etc. are fantastic. One really gets a you-are-there feeling (as corny as that sounds) by watching the movie. After overstylized (and awful) postmodern Shakespeare interpretations, it is refreshing to see the world as Shakespeare himself envisioned it.

Unfortunately, the approach to involve the lay person does have a single weakness, and that is the excessive sexuality. Can we just take it at someone's word that people are deeply in love and leave something to the imagination? Sexing up Shakespeare (no pun intended) in this way just seems purely sensational, the only really problematic aspect in the film.

There are those who would call Shakespeare the greatest writer and thinker in history and there are those who would call him a hack. Thankfully, those of us in the first category can enjoy this olive branch to the second. Truly entertaining and important, and with a respect for its source and its audience, this Othello is hard to beat.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate production, March 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Othello [VHS] (VHS Tape)

While the Orson Welles version is interesting both for its visual elements and fact that it was made over several years due to financial constraints, it does not match the passion and accessibility of the Fishburne-Branagh production.

Branagh's Iago is the soul of charming evil, while Fishburne's Othello is deeply moving as a man struggling against a jealousy that ultimately overwhelms him.

A third performance that rates special mention is that of Desdemona's maid (a fine actress whose name I do not recall). Although this character has virtually no lines for more than the first half of the film, she adds a sad, cynical counterpoint to Desdemona's romantic idealism.

Also, the production values--the setting, cinematography, and costumes--are excellent and serve the film well.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Acting, November 21, 2003

By	Peter Swift (Cogan Station, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Othello (DVD)

I've always been a fan of Kenneth Branagh and both his acting and directing abilities. However, in the film interpretation of "Othello," I was blown away by how well he fit the role of Iago. In the play, Iago has to be two-faced all the time. He shows one side of him to one person, and another side to another. In the film, Iago works very hard to keep up his appearance with all the different characters. No character sees more than one side of him, and his plots are kept to himself. Iago is an actor, and Branagh had to perform his part and I think he did it incredibly. While talking to Othello, his facial reactions would visibly change when Othello looked the other way; the audience saw glimpses of Iago's true motives, but they were always hidden from Othello. It was incredible how quickly the transition from a sinister expression to a loving and loyal expression was made. In one scene, Iago and Othello are hugging, and Iago's face reflects contempt as soon as his face is beside Othello's face.

Iago's changes aren't simply when Othello is around, but the changes are the same for when Iago deals with Roderigo. In the scenes with Roderigo, Iago has to perform doubly hard because he's being partially truthful with Iago. He's showing part of his true motives, but he still has to hide them to some extent to convince Roderigo to do his bidding. The scenes between Branagh and Michael Maloney probably impressed me the most. Roderigo may have been gullible or easily convinced, but Iago was still convincing and persuasive enough to move Roderigo from absolute hatred and distrust to absolute loyalty and thankfulness. In one scene, Roderigo is threatening to kill Iago and by the end of the scene, they're hugging and Iago can barely convince Roderigo to leave his side.

The biggest change that Iago undergoes is when he is caught. In the end of the play, when Emilia finally recognizes what has happened, Iago's facial expressions finally become flat and unwavering. He puts on a stoic face and remains that way into his death. He no longer has to convince anyone of anything because they all know the truth, so he doesn't give anyone any idea of what he's thinking and doesn't talk or change his appearance. This scene left a lasting impression on me, even when he was telling Emilia to be wise or when he was killing her, there is no change in his facial expression.

Overall, I was impressed with the movie. I enjoyed the acting from all the characters (not just Branagh), and I'm sure I'd enjoy watching it repeatedly.