Othello [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Product Details

Director : Oliver Parker
Actor : Laurence Fishburne, Irène Jacob, Kenneth Branagh, Nathaniel Parker, Michael Maloney
Format : Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio : 1.85:1
Binding : DVD
DVD Layers : 1
DVD Sides : 2
EAN : 9780780629363
Picture Format : Anamorphic Widescreen
Picture Format : Pan & Scan
Product Group : DVD
Region Code : 1
Release Date : 2000-01-18
Running Time : 123minutes
Studio : Warner Home Video
UPC : 053939253023

ASIN : B00003OST5

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

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 overemphasise 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. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Not bad but worth comparing to the Hopkins BBC version (2004-03-12)

Branagh acts like Iago is the bloke down the pub everyone would confide in whilst Fishbourne is fantastic as Othello, very moving stuff. A few hollywood-esque fillers in the relationship between Iago and Othello that don't exist in the original text but nonetheless an enjoyable film. Worth comparing alongside Hopkins as Othello in the BBC 1991 version where he plays a far noisier, madder and arguably badder Othello whilst Penelope Wilton as an older Desdemona completely blows away this version of the tragic woman who seemed rather too innocent and school girl like.

Eminently watchable version, very moorish (2000-09-05)

Fishburne plays a strong brooding Othello, surprisingly for a hollywood actor he manages to refrain from too much overacting and puts in a good performance. Brannagh as ever is solid and his Iago is enjoyably reptillian. I would recommend this film as an interesting and exciting introduction to Shakespeare.

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