Othello. 20 Recommended Resources on Shakespeare's Tragedy
Part 1: Introductions for younger readers and viewers
Video SparkNotes: Shakespeare's Othello summary. 9 mins 14 sec
Cliffs Notes. 7 mins 45 sec
This Short Animated Version of the Play is an excellent taster if you have but a small appetite
Part 2:
If you consider that reciting or performing Shakespeare requires a stiff, posh, upper class, drama-school British accent, think again.
Prof David Crystal demonstrates 'authentic' Original Pronunciation
Part 3:
Essential viewing for advanced students is a classic production from the BBC, directed by Jonathan Miller.
This is a Claustrophobic and Complete version which is highly recommended. This made-for-TV production features Anthony Hopkins as Othello, with Bob Hoskins as the treacherous, jealousy-ridden soldier Iago. 3 hrs 23 mins. Available here.
Classic film (1952). 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 versions of the Bard's work to the silver screen, though the studios resisted the idea. Without studio funding, Welles struggled for three years to make "Othello" with his own money.
The film won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and critical acclaim but was rarely seen for many years. Over $1 million dollars in restoration work was spent, including re recording the score and re creating the sound effects, as well as updating the audio to digital. "Othello" remains a testament to Welles' legendary genius.
Film (1995). Director: Oliver Parker. Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Irène Jacob. Takes some liberties but haunting and effective none the less.
Short excerpt from Laurence Olivier's 1965 film version
Othello's final speech. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Actors include Ian McKellen, Imogen Stubbs and Willard White. 1989
Another Production: The 'Complete Play' in performance. 1 hr 38 mins
International Productions:
A play by Indu Art Theatre & Film Society. Director: Yasin Khan. Dramatic tension and atmospheric production with strong acting.
Highly recommended AUDIO only selections:
Paul Robeson's Broadway Othello, directed by Margaret Webster, ran from 1943 to 1945. It presented a black actor in the title role for the first time in the 20th century. It remains the longest running Shakespeare play ever staged in the United States. This audio taping was recorded in studio during the summer of 1944 and is available in its entirety from Pearl Plays & Poets (Pavilion Records). Act V, Scene 2. Here. Othello - Paul Robeson Desdemona - Uta Hagen Iago - Jose Ferrer Emilia - Edith King Cassio - Alexander Scourby. Available here.
Also highly recommended for clarity and excellent production values is this Complete Audio production from the Donmar Warehouse, London, UK, 2008:
AUDIO Essays
Sadly these might be available solely for British-resident students to listen in:
As part of the Shakespeare Unlocked season on the BBC, writers from Sierra Leone, Brazil, India, Iran and China explain why a playwright from sixteenth century Stratford resonates so powerfully in their own countries. With Eldred Jones, Aimara Resende, Poonam Trivedi, Narguess Farzad and Yong Li Lan. In this third essay Professor Eldred Jones explains that Shakespeare took from Africa as much as Africa has taken from him. These essays explore Shakespeare's place on the global stage; with writers and scholars from around the world explaining his importance within their own culture. There are references to Hamlet and Othello in Iranian literature for example - as well as in African and Chinese works. Othello was first translated into Persian 170 years ago by a Persian prince because the themes of jealousy and honour struck a chord with the Iranian psyche. Authors the world over have recognised a profound affinity between Shakespeare's themes and their own traditional culture, be in it Chinese, Indian or African. Link.
Web Resources
Video SparkNotes: Shakespeare's Othello summary. 9 mins 14 sec
Cliffs Notes. 7 mins 45 sec
This Short Animated Version of the Play is an excellent taster if you have but a small appetite
Part 2:
If you consider that reciting or performing Shakespeare requires a stiff, posh, upper class, drama-school British accent, think again.
Prof David Crystal demonstrates 'authentic' Original Pronunciation
Part 3:
Essential viewing for advanced students is a classic production from the BBC, directed by Jonathan Miller.
This is a Claustrophobic and Complete version which is highly recommended. This made-for-TV production features Anthony Hopkins as Othello, with Bob Hoskins as the treacherous, jealousy-ridden soldier Iago. 3 hrs 23 mins. Available here.
Classic film (1952). 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 versions of the Bard's work to the silver screen, though the studios resisted the idea. Without studio funding, Welles struggled for three years to make "Othello" with his own money.
The film won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and critical acclaim but was rarely seen for many years. Over $1 million dollars in restoration work was spent, including re recording the score and re creating the sound effects, as well as updating the audio to digital. "Othello" remains a testament to Welles' legendary genius.
Film (1995). Director: Oliver Parker. Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Irène Jacob. Takes some liberties but haunting and effective none the less.
Short excerpt from Laurence Olivier's 1965 film version
Othello's final speech. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Actors include Ian McKellen, Imogen Stubbs and Willard White. 1989
Another Production: The 'Complete Play' in performance. 1 hr 38 mins
International Productions:
A play by Indu Art Theatre & Film Society. Director: Yasin Khan. Dramatic tension and atmospheric production with strong acting.
Highly recommended AUDIO only selections:
Paul Robeson's Broadway Othello, directed by Margaret Webster, ran from 1943 to 1945. It presented a black actor in the title role for the first time in the 20th century. It remains the longest running Shakespeare play ever staged in the United States. This audio taping was recorded in studio during the summer of 1944 and is available in its entirety from Pearl Plays & Poets (Pavilion Records). Act V, Scene 2. Here. Othello - Paul Robeson Desdemona - Uta Hagen Iago - Jose Ferrer Emilia - Edith King Cassio - Alexander Scourby. Available here.
Also highly recommended for clarity and excellent production values is this Complete Audio production from the Donmar Warehouse, London, UK, 2008:
AUDIO Essays
Sadly these might be available solely for British-resident students to listen in:
As part of the Shakespeare Unlocked season on the BBC, writers from Sierra Leone, Brazil, India, Iran and China explain why a playwright from sixteenth century Stratford resonates so powerfully in their own countries. With Eldred Jones, Aimara Resende, Poonam Trivedi, Narguess Farzad and Yong Li Lan. In this third essay Professor Eldred Jones explains that Shakespeare took from Africa as much as Africa has taken from him. These essays explore Shakespeare's place on the global stage; with writers and scholars from around the world explaining his importance within their own culture. There are references to Hamlet and Othello in Iranian literature for example - as well as in African and Chinese works. Othello was first translated into Persian 170 years ago by a Persian prince because the themes of jealousy and honour struck a chord with the Iranian psyche. Authors the world over have recognised a profound affinity between Shakespeare's themes and their own traditional culture, be in it Chinese, Indian or African. Link.
Web Resources
Web English teacher: William Shakespeare, Othello. Lesson plans and other teaching resources. Here.
Universal Teacher. Quality online resources. Here.
Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition. A 17-page pdf file. Here.
More Academic Resources. Here.
Wikipedia Entry:
Film
Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh as Othello and Iago respectively, in a scene from the 1995 version of Othello.
Shot between 1948 and 1952, Orson Welles directed The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952), produced as a black-and-white film noir. The film stars Welles as Othello and Suzanne Cloutier as Desdemona. The troubled production was filmed over the course of three years as Welles' time and money permitted, in Mogador,
Morocco and Venice. Lack of funds (and costumes) forced Roderigo's
death scene to be shot in a Turkish bath with performers wearing only
large, ragged towels. The film won the Palme D'Or at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Rather than focusing on racial mis-matching, the film plays on a
difference between Desdemona and Othello in age, size and personal
attractiveness. The film noir colouring of the picture minimised any
commentary on Othello's blackness, to the point that the critic F. R. Leavis wrote that the film made no reference to Othello's colour.
Unlike Welles's film, Laurence Olivier's Othello (1965), based on John Dexter's National Theatre Company's production, brings issues of race to the fore, with Olivier putting on an 'African accent' and entering in a large 'ethnic' necklace and a dressing gown. He commented, however, that he did "not dare to play the Moor as a full-blooded negro". One contemporary critic found the coloration too much, commenting that Olivier was "blacker than black, almost blue" .
Trevor Nunn's 1989 version filmed at Stratford, cast black opera singer Willard White in the leading role, opposite Ian McKellen's Iago.
The first major screen production casting a black actor as Othello would not come until 1995 with Laurence Fishburne opposite Kenneth Branagh's Iago (not that there have been many major screen productions of Othello, most film versions to date have been filmed stage productions). It was made during the O. J. Simpson trial and commentators such as Cartmell draw parallels between the two whodunit murder stories, and wonder if the film's release was not a little to do with the publicity surrounding the film star's drama.
Malayalam film Kaliyattam is an adapted version of Othello against the backdrop of the Hindu Theyyam performance. In 1998, Suresh Gopi received the National Film Award for Best Actor, and Jayaraj the award for Best Director for their work on the film.
Omkara is a version in Hindi set in Uttar Pradesh, starring Ajay Devgan as Omkara (Othello), Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi (Iago), Kareena Kapoor as Dolly (Desdemona), Vivek Oberoi as Kesu (Cassio), Bipasha Basu as Billo (Bianca) and Konkona Sen Sharma as Indu (Emilia). The film was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj who earlier adapted Shakespeare's Macbeth as Maqbool. All characters in the film share the same letter or sound in their first name as in the original Shakespeare classic. It is one of the few mainstream Indian movies to contain uncensored profanity.
In January 2009, a manga adaptation was published in the United Kingdom, with art by Ryuta Osada. It is part of the Manga Shakespeare series by Richard Appiganesi, and is set in Venice in carnival season.
Unlike Welles's film, Laurence Olivier's Othello (1965), based on John Dexter's National Theatre Company's production, brings issues of race to the fore, with Olivier putting on an 'African accent' and entering in a large 'ethnic' necklace and a dressing gown. He commented, however, that he did "not dare to play the Moor as a full-blooded negro". One contemporary critic found the coloration too much, commenting that Olivier was "blacker than black, almost blue" .
Trevor Nunn's 1989 version filmed at Stratford, cast black opera singer Willard White in the leading role, opposite Ian McKellen's Iago.
The first major screen production casting a black actor as Othello would not come until 1995 with Laurence Fishburne opposite Kenneth Branagh's Iago (not that there have been many major screen productions of Othello, most film versions to date have been filmed stage productions). It was made during the O. J. Simpson trial and commentators such as Cartmell draw parallels between the two whodunit murder stories, and wonder if the film's release was not a little to do with the publicity surrounding the film star's drama.
Malayalam film Kaliyattam is an adapted version of Othello against the backdrop of the Hindu Theyyam performance. In 1998, Suresh Gopi received the National Film Award for Best Actor, and Jayaraj the award for Best Director for their work on the film.
Omkara is a version in Hindi set in Uttar Pradesh, starring Ajay Devgan as Omkara (Othello), Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi (Iago), Kareena Kapoor as Dolly (Desdemona), Vivek Oberoi as Kesu (Cassio), Bipasha Basu as Billo (Bianca) and Konkona Sen Sharma as Indu (Emilia). The film was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj who earlier adapted Shakespeare's Macbeth as Maqbool. All characters in the film share the same letter or sound in their first name as in the original Shakespeare classic. It is one of the few mainstream Indian movies to contain uncensored profanity.
Other film adaptations
- 1909 silent film shot in Venice
- 1909 German directed by, and stars, Franz Porten as Othello, Henny Porten as Desdemona, and Rosa Porten as Emilia.
- 1914 silent film shot in Venice
- 1922 German, starring Emil Jannings as Othello, Werner Krauss as Iago, and Ica von Lenkeffy as Desdemona
- 1952 Othello, United States, directed by, and stars, Orson Welles as Othello, also starring Micheál MacLiammóir as Iago, Robert Coote as Roderigo, Suzanne Cloutier as Desdemona, Michael Laurence as Cassio, Fay Compton as Emilia and Doris Dowling as Bianca.
- 1955 Othello, USSR, starring Sergei Bondarchuk, Irina Skobtseva, Andrei Popov. Directed by Sergei Yutkevich.
- 1962 All Night Long (British) Othello is Rex, a jazz bandleader. Dave Brubeck and other jazz musicians.
- 1965 Othello with Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay, and Joyce Redman
- 1974 Catch My Soul adapted from Jack Good's rock musical, directed by Patrick McGoohan and starring Richie Havens, Lance LeGault, Season Hubley and Tony Joe White.
- 1982 Othello, the Black Commando written by and starring Max H. Boulois with Tony Curtis as Colonel Iago and Joanna Pettet as Desdemona
- 1995 Othello with Kenneth Branagh, Laurence Fishburne, and Irene Jacob. Directed by Oliver Parker.
- 1997 Kaliyattam in Malayalam, a modern update, set in Kerala, starring Suresh Gopi as Othello, which won him the national award for best actor, Lal as Iago, Manju Warrier as Desdemona, directed by Jayaraaj.
- 2001 O, a modern update, set in an American high school. Stars Mekhi Phifer as Odin (Othello), Julia Stiles as Desi (Desdemona), and Josh Hartnett as Hugo (Iago).
- 2002 Eloise a modern update, set in Sydney, Australia.
- 2006 Omkara, a Hindi film adaptation of Othello directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
- 2008 Jarum Halus a modern updated Malaysian version, in English and Malay by Mark Tan.
- 2012 Otel·lo, a free adaptation directed by Hammudi Al-Rahmoun Font.
Television
- 1955 Othello, aired on BBC Television, with Gordon Heath as Othello. A telerecording of the broadcast still exists
- 1981 Othello, part of the BBC's complete works Shakespeare. Starring Anthony Hopkins and Bob Hoskins.
- 1990 Othello (1990) A videotaped version of the last Royal Shakespeare Company production at The Other Place starring Willard White, Ian McKellen, Clive Swift, Michael Grandage, Sean Baker, and Imogen Stubbs. Directed by Trevor Nunn.
- 2001 Othello. British made-for-TV film. A modern-day adaptation in modern English, in which Othello is the first black Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. Made for ITV by LWT. Scripted by Andrew Davies. Directed by Geoffrey Sax. Starring Eamonn Walker, Christopher Eccleston and Keeley Hawes.
- 2008 Othello, The Tragedy of The Moor. A two hour television adaptation starring Carlo Rota in the title role. Director Zaib Shaikh maintains the theatrical feel of the play, while shooting in a studio controlled environment. Also starring Matthew Deslippe as Iago, Christine Horne as Desdemona, Graham Abbey as Cassio. The adaptation was co-written by Zaib Shaikh and Matthew Edison.
Graphic novels
Othello, an adaptation by Oscar Zarate, Oval Projects Ltd (1985). It was reprinted in 2005 by Can of Worms Press and includes the complete text of the play.In January 2009, a manga adaptation was published in the United Kingdom, with art by Ryuta Osada. It is part of the Manga Shakespeare series by Richard Appiganesi, and is set in Venice in carnival season.
Drop me a line to tell which audiovisual resources on Shakespeare have been most effective in your teaching or learning about Shakespeare. Dr Ian McCormick.
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