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This is not strictly Verdi's Otello; it is a fast-moving, hard-hitting film adaptation of the opera that omits some of the music (most notably the "Willow Song") to enhance the dramatic pace. With brilliant camera work, the "you-are-there" impact of film vs. a videotaped stage production, and outstanding performances from all the principals, it is also the Otello that you may find yourself replaying most frequently. Director Franco Zeffirelli has been criticized for altering Verdi--in effect, for adapting the libretto (the best one Verdi ever had) to a medium that Verdi never imagined. But he is only giving to Verdi the same kind of treatment that Verdi gave to Shakespeare and Shakespeare gave to his Italian sources. It's a daring treatment, but it works brilliantly. Placido Domingo stands out in his generation as an interpreter of Otello, vocally powerful and dramatically convincing. He is well supported by Katia Ricciarelli as Desdemona and Justino Diaz as Iago. --Joe McLellan
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