Orson Welles' Othello [DVD]

Starring: Orson Welles, Michel MacLiammir, Robert Coote, et al.

Product Description

Orson Welles' daring and visually adventurous production of William Shakespeare's classic play. Welles, one of the greatest directors ever, revered Shakespeare and was determined to bring his own... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• Release Date: May 2003
• Rating: Unrated (Not Rated)
• Publisher: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
• Director: Orson Welles
• Starring: Orson Welles, Michel MacLiammir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier, Hilton Edwards, Nicholas Bruce, Michael Laurence, Fay Compton, Doris Dowling, Abdullah Ben Mohamet
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: Black & White; DVD; NTSC
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

You get Moor Welles. “He is that he is.”

Although this movie version of Othello (1951) with Orson Welles can easily be followed and enjoyed as a standalone movie, it is more enjoyable if you have had a chance to read or see the complete Shakespeare play ahead of time, so that you can follow and enjoy the movie without having to pause and think about what the message is that is trying to deliver. Reading a review cannot give you the real feel of the Shakespeare play and especially “Othello.” Also, it helps to be familiar with other works of Orson Welles so that you can gauge his acting in this movie. Criterion version offers Blu-ray A restored 4K digital transfer of two versions of the film, the 1952 European movie and the 1955 U.S. and UK movie, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks. Restored in 1992 Leave your DVD player screen size on 16.9 as the film squares itself. ----------------- In 1952, Europe started out with the voice-over introduction instead of watching scrolling credits. You can actually use subtitles to get the spelling and overcome any mumbling. It shows the timeline and characters to familiarize the viewer. Shakespearean speeches where no one was there to listen. “O, now… forever… Farewell, the tranquil mind.” ----------------- 1955 U.S. and the UK Three minutes shorter, and I cannot tell what is missing. Watch again with the voice-over commentary from 1994. In the overview, time is taken to point out missing Shakespeare stanzas. We discover to our horror that Suzanne Cloutier’s (1923-2003) voice had been dubbed by Gudrun Ure, a Scottish actress. It starts with the ending scene. Then tells what the tale is all about. There is a spoken introduction by Welles summarizing and setting the action. William Shakespeare’s Othello, Act V, Scene 2. “Put out the light and then put out the light.”