Othello
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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.
Movie Review: Love it or hate it... it's clever
Summary: 4 Stars
...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.
Movie Review: Othello Adaptation
Summary: 4 Stars
This video was a great contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. The the country's racial tension, Othello's insecurity, Desi's innocence, and Iago's master manipulation were clear for the modern audience. I still love the original, but this was great too.Movie Review: A Travesty
Summary: 1 Stars
This is a terrible adaption of Shakespeare's Othello. It's more like an adaption of someone's interpretation of Othello, one that I do not necessarily agree with. This movie steers so off-course that it doesn't accurately follow the storyline in the original Othello, thus changing everything and really not having anything to do at all with Shakespeare's play. There is virtually no acting going on in this movie. Instead, there are a lot of in-your-face shots of the characters, giving the viewers a forced set of motivations for the inevitable to happen, which are not convincing in any sense. Sure it happens in the original play, but it is not convincing enough in this version.
Instead of the climax becoming Othello's growing rage and madness, the climax in this movie is when the Iago character perches nude on the edge of a bathtub in a very gargoylesque pose. It becomes obvious why they chose this particular actor to play Iago, or Jago as he is called in the movie, with his ugly gargoylesque looks. It all goes downhill after this scene. The Iago character is constantly shown in close-up, advising viewers "This is a tragedy" or "It's all about love." I guess a viewer could never be sure since it is not obvious in this movie's plot.
Besides of the tragic element in Shakespeare's Othello, there is also a thin thread of dark humor, the misunderstandings newly weds may have with each other, the miscommunications between the sexes, the blindness of love that sometimes blows things out of porportion, the bitterness and disillusionment of older married couples. All these elements that add another dimension to Othello are completely omitted in this version, since as we are informed by the annoying Jago character, "It is a tragedy."
I would highly recommend skipping this one and watching "O" or "Switchblade Sisters" instead, two non-Elizabethan versions of Othello that are more on cue, and American-made versions incidentally, and perhaps surprisingly.
Movie Review: Contemptible
Summary: 1 Stars
God save us from directors who think they're smarter than Shakespeare (and who apparently think we're dumber than rocks.) If you keep the broad plot outlines but dispense with Shakespeare's language, guess what - you've dispensed with Shakespeare. (Plot is exactly what mattered to him least - he borrowed almost all of them from other sources.) If you're too lazy or dull to handle Shakespeare's language, that's fine. Watch The Practice or read Anne Rice. But please don't rip everything valuable out of the greatest plays ever written and then try to pass them of as "new and improved."