Othello

Rating:
Summary: Uneven
Review: Laurence Fishburne goes against type and misses the mark. I'm a big fan of both Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh and bought this title on sight.

As Iago Branagh absolutely oozes wrath and hatred as he stalks his Moorish prey. Branagh really takes the caricature and runs with it. His Iago loves being bad and takes pride in his nefarious doings.

Laurence Fishburne unfortunately never settles in his role. His Moore is too unmilitary to be anything more than a corporal of the guard. He looks uncomfortable in that armor and lacks a commanding presence that any good general would have built in. He is flat and lacks passion . The underlay of violence that should always be under the surface is missing in his Moore. Thus why does he get enticed to marry and how does Iago set up his trap? A passionless Moore is oxymoron.

Rating:
Summary: Oh Iago Iago Iago
Review: Laurence Fishburne turns in an effective performance as Othello, and Irene Jacob's Desdemona is as beautiful as she is vulnerable. But the true star of this screen adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy is undoubtedly Kenneth Branagh's delightfully wicked and memorable Iago. While some uninitiated viewers may find the Shakespearean English hard to comprehend (having the English caption turned on will help immensely), Branagh's crystal-clear delivery and performance will leave little room for confusion about what Iago is up to, and that makes for an extremely enjoyable movie-watching experience.

The fact that the DVD is a bit too bare-bones (there is only the theatrical trailer, nothing else) keeps me from giving it a full 5-star rating. I would have loved to hear some commentaries from the actors (especially Fishburne and Branagh). Nevertheless, this movie should be on the to-watch list of everybody who has even a modicum of interest in Shakespeare.

Rating:
Summary: APPEALING TO THE MODERN AUDIENCE
Review: Modern day treatments of Shakespeare are risky business. Shakespeare's pre-eminent interpreter in the modern day is Kenneth Branagh, and although he was not the director of this excellent version of Othello, he played the most meaty and pivotal role of Iago, the pretended friend of the tragic hero, Othello. Branagh sinks his teeth heartily into the role and does not let go. Laurence Fishburne effectively plays the ill-fated Othello with force but somehow does not quite muster the intensity and insane jealousy of his character. The beautiful French actress Irene Jacob portrays Othello's bride Desdemona, whom fate has condemned to an untimely end thanks to Iago's conniving and Othello's blind loyalty and trust in Iago. Jacob plays a very sweet and innocent Desdemona, but her command of English and her accent make her a bit hard to bear in this role. I was pleased with the choice of Fishburne for this role because Othello is supposed to be African. In a version I watched in high school Anthony Hopkins was cast in the role of Othello, and while he conveyed the appropriate rage and jealousy and blind passion for Othello, he was hideously costumed in face paints, which really seemed over the top. This version is superior if for no other reason than that.

Rating:
Summary: Lots cut. Still lots to like.
Review: Mr Fishburne is good, but of course the play is about
Iago and so Mr Branagh leaves himself the best lines.

Irene Jacob makes for a pleasant Desdemona, but seems
a little unhappy with the lines and does not speak them
too well.

And is that Kurt Jurgens as the Duke at the start?
Jings if his voice gets any lower, you will have to
wear a miner's helmet to hear it.

All in all I would say this is a worthy addition to
the ever expanding list of Shakespearean movies.

Rating:
Summary: A True to Life and History Performance, Brilliant
Review: Mr. Fishburne is riveting as Othello, bringing the pain and jealousy that the character dealt with to life. I find it amazing, however that his blackfaced counterparts are given a higher rating then him for the role. Nevertheless Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branaugh play beautifully together in this modern adaptation. As a brief commentary on the man who seemed a bit miffed about the "Moor", I would like to point out that not only were the Moors black, making Mr. Fishburne a prime choice for the part, but also in Shakespears time, anyone of African features and very dark complexion was referred to as a Moor. Check your history. Again, loved the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Shakespeare. Even worse History
Review: Not only did Oliver Parker butcher one of Shakespeare plays once again but he also helped to propogate this absolute Hollywood lie that the Moors were black. Many of the people reading this may think this false or that it doesn't matter, but for those who respect the truth it does matter very much.
First of all the South African Negroid type who plays Othello in this movie was kept its distance by the Sahara Desert and very few, if any, were able to figure out how to cross this border. Secondly, and more importantly, the Moors were a mixture of White Berbers, Caucasian, Arabs, and converts of Greek, Roman, and Vandal blood. A little fact that the modern cult of poltical self rightousness chooses to ignore. Now while it is true that the Moors carried traits such as olive skin, dark hair and eyes, etc, it is important to remember this was a result of a little thing called adaptation to continuous exposure to the sun. Meaning that those who do not have these traits were much more likely to die of skin cancer etc. .
But lets throw history out the window (like this movie did) and say that Oliver Parker is correct and the Moors were of Simian descent. It would have been impossible for a white woman to have any type of relationship with him. Unlike our MTV, junk filled society of today the men of old did not turn a blind eye to miscegenation.
I enjoyed Kenneth Branaugh's performance (even if a little overdone at times) but I'm afraid there were just too many inaccuracies for me to enjoy this film.

Rating:
Summary: Great Iago but weak Othello
Review: Othello is a complex play, no doubt about it - Othello: "What did he say?" Iago: "Lie -" Othello: "Lie with her?" Iago: "With her, on her, what you will." It is a play about lying, all lie almost all the time, even Desdemona - "Handkerchief?" "It is not lost, but what if it were?" Shakespeare lies. A man in the middle of the play stands up and announces he is not drunk, what is the obvious conclusion? Then he tells you the ending and you laugh, now even more convinced he's drunk.

I was not especially pleased with this version, although there is a lot to like about it. Branagh's Iago is brilliant, in a good version of Othello there should be that slight tinge of feeling toward Iago when the end comes, and this is well done; Branagh holds a nice balance between mastermind and in-over-his-head, and he reads Shakespeare better than anyone alive. The rest of the very able cast is superb, most notably the woman playing Emilia (always a juicy role), and, amazingly, a very decent Roderigo (never a juicy role).

But the negatives - Fishburne's Othello is very weak and flat, almost ruins the show. The scene on the beach where he demands the "ocular proof" from Iago is an embarassingly bad reading, he alone of all the cast seems forced and unused to the language. Not all the liberties with the plot were successful, making Desdemona more assertive and worldly for example just begs more the question why she doesn't catch on and act, conversly making her seem more foolish. And the ending is a letdown, mared by some bad cutting and unneccesary inserted dialogue.

Overall, I want to like this but Fishburne doesn't carry it and the play isn't called "Iago". Still a good effort, beautiful production values, good supporting cast, some clever ideas, a great Iago - but no stones for thunder at the center of it all.

Rating:
Summary: Laurence Fishburne's talent is wasted
Review: Poor Laurence Fishburne. I felt so sorry for him watching this movie because he gives a passionate and multi-dimensional performance as Othello and yet, no one else in the cast matches or even comes close to his level of talent.

As the cover photo suggests, this is a more sexualized version of Shakespeare's tragedy, which doesn't make it bad, but definitely steals the focus from the other emotions that fuel the story. All of Othello's feelings were intense, not just those he had for Desdemona, and this fact is overlooked by the emphasis on his sexuality. Kenneth Braunagh is such a bad Iago that I actually found myself laughing at him. As for Irene Jacob's performance, it is really not worth mentioning here. She is pretty and exotic but she gives no depth to the wounded character of Desdemona. I truly wish that this movie could be redone by a different director with a different supporting cast, because it is a fascinating idea that just falls flat.

Rating:
Summary: Laurence Fishburne's talent is wasted
Review: Poor Laurence Fishburne. I felt so sorry for him watching this movie because he gives a passionate and multi-dimensional performance as Othello and yet, no one else in the cast matches or even comes close to his level of talent.

As the cover photo suggests, this is a more sexualized version of Shakespeare's tragedy, which doesn't make it bad, but definitely steals the focus from the other emotions that fuel the story. All of Othello's feelings were intense, not just those he had for Desdemona, and this fact is overlooked by the emphasis on his sexuality. Kenneth Braunagh is such a bad Iago that I actually found myself laughing at him. As for Irene Jacob's performance, it is really not worth mentioning here. She is pretty and exotic but she gives no depth to the wounded character of Desdemona. I truly wish that this movie could be redone by a different director with a different supporting cast, because it is a fascinating idea that just falls flat.

Rating:
Summary: Branagh Shines!
Review: Ten minutes after the closing credits of this film version of Othello, all you'll have left is Kenneth Branagh's distorted crystal performance as the evil Iago. Born with the ability to make Shakespeare 'accesible' and understandable, he uses it to great wealth as Iago. Laurence Fishburn forgettably plays around with the role of the moor, even his physical look betraying a weaker character. Irene Jacob is gorgeous to look at but her shallow performance only leaves Desdemona as a damsel in distress. Director Oliver Parker, leaves most of the direction to the actors in their interesting costumes and beautiful scenery, but adds no inetrpretive statement. Othello is truly one of Will Shakespeares greatest tragedies, focusing on lies, greed and jealousy. (Sounds an awful lot like my office.) In this version, only the villain Iago gives you a taste of its power. But give me this version over "O" anyday...