Othello
by Geoffrey Sax
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Allan Cutts, Christopher Eccleston, Christopher Fox, Eamonn Walker, Keeley HawesDirector: Geoffrey Sax
Brand: Acorn
Producer: Anne Pivcevic
Producer: Ian Strachan
Producer: Jo Wright
Producer: Julie Gardner
Producer: Michele Buck
Writer: Andrew Davies
Writer: William Shakespeare
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-03-12
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
Movie Reviews of Othello
Movie Review: Monsters in London
Summary: 4 Stars
The final result in this version of Othello is like that of the original: The green-eyed monster wins.
Fortunately the BBC decided to use the concepts of Shakespeare's Othello but not to try to adapt the words to a modern setting. In this version, John Othello is the head of the London police force during a series of racial crises.
After losing at his own game of office politics, and realizing that Othello does not see him as a lover, Jago's plotting uses race only as a weapon. His hatred and revenge are much more personal.
John Othello's tragic end is like that of the Moor: He realizes too late that while Jago/Iago has betrayed him, Othello has eagerly participated in that very betrayal and his own self-destruction.
Well written and well acted, this movie demonstrates the dynamism of the old story of a man "who loved more than any man should."
Like other versions of the story: Not for the faint of heart.
Summary of Othello
Shakespeares tale of obsession jealousy and betrayal set in present-day london against a backdrop of expolsive racial tension. Studio: Acorn Media Release Date: 03/12/2002 Starring: Eamonn Walker Keeley Hawes Run time: 96 minutes Rating: NrSet amid the racially charged politics of London's Metropolitan Police Force, Andrew Davies's deft and gripping adaptation of Othello achieves an ideal balance of realism, contemporary relevance, and respect for the rhythms of Shakespeare's play. John Othello is a black police officer who is named commissioner after he defuses a race riot. His friend and colleague Ben Jago (Shakespeare's Iago) is furious at being passed over for the top job, and he secretly begins a plan to destroy Othello by making him believe that his new wife is having an affair.
Eamonn Walker makes Othello's tragic fall believable and moving, but the story belongs, as it often does on stage, to the villain. Christopher Eccleston's Jago is a wonderfully complex creation, defined by his wickedness but as much a victim of it as any other character. Funny, tragic, and crackling with energy, this is an unmissable performance. Credit should also go to Davies for his script--which echoes Shakespeare's without ever quoting it directly--to a strong supporting cast, and to director Geoffrey Sax, who balances the film's realism with slightly stylized touches that give more dramatic punch to key scenes. Othello offers a daring new version of a familiar story, and it succeeds both as a powerful modern drama and as a testament to Shakespeare's insight into human weaknesses. --Simon Leake
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