Othello [Criterion Collection] [2 Discs]

Overview

Anyone interested in making a low-budget movie ought to see Orson Welles' screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, a striking example of how much can be achieved with very little money. For years, stories about this singularly troubled movie circulated more widely than the film itself; Welles began shooting Othello without securing full financing, so he would gather his cast, assemble a crew, and shoot until his money ran out. He would then take an acting assignment to raise some cash, reassemble his cast, and start filming again until the latest batch of money was gone. For the sequence featuring the murder of Cassio, Welles (depending on who tells the story) either couldn't pay the bill for the costumes or they just didn't arrive in time, so he reset the scene in a Turkish bath with his players wrapped in towels borrowed from their hotel. This process went on for four years; by the time Welles was done, the film was on its third Desdemona, and the director, himself, had to dub several voices, since most of the dialogue was recorded after the fact. Remarkably, the finished film not only isn't a disaster, it's a triumph, that rare example of a movie based on a Shakespeare play that's as exciting to look at as it is to listen to. While Welles pared the Bard's story of jealousy, betrayal, and murder to the bone (this version clocks in at a mere 92 minutes), the film's striking compositions and energetic quick-cutting allow the camera to tell more of the story than almost any other Shakespeare adaptation. Repeat viewers will see that Welles picked many of his camera angles to obscure the fact that Othello's mighty army was merely a handful of extras, but the unexpected bonus is a lean, muscular look that's the perfect match for the film's brisk narrative style. The spare, but powerful, visuals feel like a product of Expressionism, not a low budget, and the images have atmosphere to spare. In addition, it's truly a pleasure to hear Welles' rich baritone wrap itself around Shakespeare's dialogue; his con brio performance as the noble Moor undone by jealousy and betrayal has the impact of a fine stage rendition without overplaying its hand. Michael MacLiammoir is his equal as the conniving (and lustful) Iago, and had this film been more widely seen, it could well have sparked the successful screen career he so obviously deserved. And Michael Laurence is fine in an often witty turn as Cassio (with a verbal assistance from Welles). Only Suzanne Cloutier as the virtuous but wronged Desdemona lacks the forceful presence of the rest of the cast (though given how much of the role was edited away, it may not be entirely her fault). Welles' daughter spearheaded a campaign to restore and re-release Othello in 1992; and while the digital sheen of the re-recorded score sometimes makes for an odd contrast to the occasionally scratchy recordings of the dialogue, the new edition of the film looks better than ever (both on the big screen and on video) and is highly recommended to anyone who loves good acting or good cinema.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/23/2017
UPC:	0715515197915
Original Release:	1952
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	3:04:00
Sales rank:	19,122

Special Features

New, restored 4K digital transfers of two versions of the film, the 1952 European one and the 1955 U.S. and UK one Audio commentary from 1995 featuring filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and Orson Welles scholar Myron Meisel Filmming "Othello," Welle's last completed film, a 1979 essay-documentary Return to Glennascaul, a 1953 short film made by actors Micheál MacLiammóir and Hilton Edwards during a hiatus from shooting Othello New interview with Welles biographer Simon Callow Souvenirs d'"Othello," a 1995 documentary about actor Suzanne Cloutier by François Thomas on the two versions New interview with Ayanna Thompson, author of Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America Interview from 2014 with scholar Joseph McBride

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Orson Welles	Othello
Suzanne Cloutier	Desdemona
Michael MacLiammoir	Iago
Robert Coote	Roderigo
Hilton Edwards	Brabantio
Fay Compton	Emilia
Nicholas Bruce	Lodovico
Jean Davis	Montano
Doris Dowling	Bianca
Joseph Cotten	Senator
Joan Fontaine	Page
Micheál MacLiammóir	Iago
Michael Lawrence	Cassio
Willy Ferrero	Conductor
Angelo Lavagnino	Composer
Alberto Barberis	Composer

Technical Credits

Orson Welles

Donald Liebsker	Executive Producer
Edward Stone	Executive Producer
James Trainor	Executive Producer
Orson Welles	Producer,Director,Screenwriter

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1952 Version
1. Funeral [4:31]
2. Opening Credits [2:09]
3. "True, I Have married Her" [9:53]
4. "My Desdemona Must I Leave With Thee" [2:43]
5. "With As Little A Web As This..." [3:08]
6. "Courtesy? Lechery!" [4:17]
7. "Do Not Think, Gentleman, I Am Drunk" [5:07]
8. "Reputation, Reputation, Reputation!" [4:06]
9. "I'll See Before I Doubt" [8:03]
10. "Have You Not Sometimes Seen A Hankerchief ...?" [4:42]
11. "This Is A Minx's Token!" [6:22]
12. "Dost Thou Mock Me?" [5:43]
13. "I Do But Say What She Is" [2:33]
14. "Would Thou Hadst Ne'er Been Born!" [3:18]
15. "Good, Good, The Justice Of It Pleases" [3:34]
16. "I Protest I Have Dealt Most Directly In Thy Affair" [5:29]
17. "Let Husbands Know Their Wives Have Sense Like Them" [2:33]
18. "Talk You Of Killing?" [5:47]
19. "Villainy, Villainy, Villainy!" [5:21]
20. "When You Shall These Unlucky Deeds Relate ..." [3:57]
Disc #2 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1955 Version
1. Funeral [4:28]
2. "There Was Once In Venice A Moor" [:58]
3. "True, I Have married Her" [8:03]
4. "My Desdemona Must I Leave With Thee" [2:43]
5. "With As Little A Web As This..." [3:08]
6. "Courtesy? Lechery!" [4:17]
7. "Do Not Think, Gentleman, I Am Drunk" [5:07]
8. "Reputation, Reputation, Reputation!" [4:07]
9. "I'll See Before I Doubt" [8:02]
10. "Have You Not Sometimes Seen A Hankerchief ...?" [4:42]
11. "This Is A Minx's Token!" [6:23]
12. "Dost Thou Mock Me?" [5:42]
13. "I Do But Say What She Is" [2:35]
14. "Would Thou Hadst Ne'er Been Born!" [3:13]
15. "Good, Good, The Justice Of It Pleases" [3:37]
16. "I Protest I Have Dealt Most Directly In Thy Affair" [5:26]
17. "Let Husbands Know Their Wives Have Sense Like Them" [2:33]
18. "Talk You Of Killing?" [5:29]
19. "Villainy, Villainy, Villainy!" [5:21]
20. "When You Shall These Unlucky Deeds Relate ..." [3:46]
21. End Credits [1:05]
1. "Like Breathing Pure Oxygen" [4:28]
2. Welles's Othello [:58]
3. The Effect Of Entrances [8:03]
4. Postsync Sound [2:43]
5. John Ford's Influence [3:08]
6. Welles's Setups And Blocking [4:17]
7. Shooting Without Sound [5:07]
8. The Editing Of Othello [4:07]
9. The Longest Take In The Film [8:02]
10. "Iago The Impotent" [4:42]
11. "A Post-Eichmann Iago" [6:23]
12. Othello's Imperfections [5:42]
13. Orson's Openess [2:35]
14. A King Of Silent Film [3:13]
15. Iago As Director [3:37]
16. Orson's Costumes [5:26]
17. Fay Compton [2:33]
18. Allusions To Sacraments [5:29]
19. Pity For Othello [5:21]
20. Othello Vs. Kane [3:46]
21. "Keep On Shooting" [1:05]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1952 Version
   Play The Movie
   Chapters
   Supplements
      Simon Callow - In This Interview, Filmmed By The Criterion Collection In 2017, Simon Callow, Actor And Author of The Multivolume Biography Orson Welles, Discusses The Production Of Othello, Especially Welle's Relationship With Actors Micheál MacLiammóir And Hilton Edwards
      Ayanna Thompson - The Question Of Race Is Central To Othello. In This Interview, Filmed By The Criterion Collection In 2017, George Washington University Professor Ayanna Thompson, Author Of Passing Strange: Sheakespeare, Race And Contemporary America, Discusses The Complicated History Of White Actors Portraying Othello The Moor.
      Joseph McBride - This 2014 Interview Features Joseph McBride, Author Of What Ever Happened To Orson Welles?
      François Thomas - In This Interview, Recorded By The Criterion Collection In 2017, Film Scholar François Thomas, Coauthor Of Orson Welles At Work, Discusses The Different Versions Of Welles's Othello.
Disc #2 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1955 Version
   Play The Movie
   Chapters
   Commentary - Recorded For The Criterion Collection In 1994, This Commentary Features Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich And Orson Welles Scholar Myron Meisel.
      Commentary: Off
      Commentary: On
      Index
   Supplements
      Return To Glennascaul - This 1951 Short Film Featuring Orson Welles Was Made By Actors Micheál MacLiammóir And Hilton Edwards While On A Brief Hiatus From The Production Of Othello.
      Souvenirs D'Othello" - This 1995 Canadian Documentary Features An Extensive Interview, In English And French, With Actor Suzanne Cloutier (Desdemona) About The Making Of Othello.

Editorial Reviews

"Put money in thy purse," Iago advises in Othello. The line holds unintended irony in director Orson Welles brilliant and highly original adaptation of William Shakespeare's play: the film would not have taken Welles so many years to complete, if he had had the capital. However, Welles's ingenuity and imagination made up for a practically nonexistent budget, and his inventive dramatic and cinematic techniques overcame problems caused by constant delays and a fragmented production schedule. In one instance, after the loss of costumes and sets, a desperate Welles even staged a scene in a sauna. Shot in Morocco, the black-and-white photography glows with a beautiful, sun-drenched look and the editing is a pure miracle, creating a fluid whole from pieces shot months apart. Many of the striking compositions feature net or weblike designs, developing an arresting visual metaphor for Iago's entrapment of Othello. A perfect blend of the Bard and the cinema; never stage-bound, always unexpected, and featuring the charismatic Welles as the Moor who loved not wisely, but too well.

Barnes & Noble - Karen Backstein

Beset by financial problems, Orson Welles' 1952 production of Shakespeare's play took nearly four years to complete. Unable to afford adequate sound equipment, Welles was forced to post-synchronize the dialogue (as he had with Macbeth), but the dubbing is disconcertingly haphazard. Many of the actors were unavailable to dub their parts, so Welles himself voiced their characters. An ever-changing cast (many could not commit to the on again/off again production) further inhibited Welles' ability to pull together a cohesive and coherent film. Lastly, by omitting reams of material, inserting scenes of his own (such as the funeral procession that bookends the film), and rearranging several others, the 91-minute film has an assertively Wellesian stamp on it. Somehow, despite these problems, Welles put together a visually exciting accompaniment to the aural delight of Shakespeare's words. The black-and-white cinematography is sterling, while the aggressively angular shots keep the audience a little off-balance throughout. By dwelling on ceremony and procession, Welles accentuates the conflicts that bedevil Othello, a character who feels socially inferior and unworthy of Desdemona's love. Welles is a capable Shakespearean actor, though his penchant for grand theatrical gestures is occasionally misplaced in the more intimate medium of film. Othello won the Palme d'Or at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.

All Movie Guide - Dan Jardine