Verdi: Otello
by Herbert von Karajan
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aldo Bottion, Jon Vickers, Mirella Freni, Peter Glossop, Stefania MalaguDirector: Herbert von Karajan
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Italian (Original Language), DTS 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled)
Format: Classical, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 142 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Movie Reviews of Verdi: Otello
Movie Review: Very good, with minor flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
This film version of Verdi's Othello -- directed and conducted by Herbert Von Karajan, a man of many talents -- is excellent in many respects, and more than adequate in most. The occasional variation in decibel level is perhaps the only flaw. Buckets of water (intended to serve as the spray of breakers) aside, the 'special affects' are pretty good. The film is nicely filmed; there were times I was convinced they'd found some Maltese castle, but apparently it was done in a Berlin studio. The camera moves subtly and slowly, with none of the frenetic movement (let alone car chases, etc.) that would probably characterize a film version today.
Desdemona would ideally be played by a younger woman than Mirella Freni, but her voice is fine, and her acting gives us a convincing Desdemona (loving and innocent). Peter Glossop is a very good, and sufficiently scary, Jago. He conveys well the moral elusiveness of the part, as well as the earnestness that compels Otello to trust him. Jon Vickers' gravity-defying hair is reminiscent of 1970s televangelists, but his voice is superb and his acting is good. He has a phenomenal presence; the nonchalance of Otello, which is importantly suggestive of his inner strength and confidence, is conveyed ever so well. That said (according to the accompanying description of the performance), Vickers deliberately stammers a line early on in the love duet to foreshadow an element of anxiety/fear. But overall to see him next to Jago is to see a lion next to a jackal. And yet the smooth 'jackal' wins, and the powerful, passionate 'lion' loses.... It is quite moving.
The Times (of London) described this as 'one of the best filmed operas ever made'. Perhaps this was true when it was first made (1974). Still, it has stood the test of time.
Summary of Verdi: Otello
Verdi's Otello is a larger-than-life role, calling for a tenor of Wagnerian vocal power and stage presence. In the late 20th century, two singers fully met its specifications--Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo. Both were filmed in video productions of unusual quality, and a choice between them boils down, ultimately, to a question of personal taste. In this 1973 production, Vickers is given an effective context to set off his powerful, carefully considered characterization. Mirella Freni is an appealing Desdemona, Peter Glossop is a credibly vicious Iago, and the cast is solid right down to the very young future star Jose van Dam in a small supporting role. The chorus and orchestra rank with the world's best.Herbert von Karajan's direction, musical and theatrical, is a source of both strength and shortcomings. His power and prestige allowed him to assemble stellar casts and to scoff at budget limitations. He was also able to take the production beyond the opera house's visual limitations with on-location filming, an opportunity that is exploited with powerful impact in the storm-at-sea scene that opens this Otello. His personal musical taste sometimes tended to favor polish at the expense of expressive intensity. But he does present Verdi's score intact, without the cuts made in the 1986 cinematic production directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Domingo. Personally, I find the Zeffirelli Otello dramatically compelling, but Von Karajan's--or Georg Solti's 1992 version with Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa--is closer to what Verdi had in mind. --Joe McLellan
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