Movies
Othello
Strenuous transplantation of Shakespeare (strenuously condensed) to the screen: restless changes of locale; a sex scene (trite shot of a dark hand enfolding a pale one on a white sheet); a chummy, almost winking, relationship between Kenneth Branagh's Iago and the close-up camera. Laurence Fishburne, with shaven, tattooed pate and impeccable enunciation, is an imposing Moor, and Irene Jacob a sweet and understandably bewildered Desdemona. And Anna Patrick makes a strong impression in the weak part of Iago's wife and Desdemona's lady-in-waiting: what did she think her husband wanted with that hanky? Directed by Oliver Parker. 1995.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: R
