Othello

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Alec B Despite a certain, well let's say, glaring issue (that really stands out on this one), it's a very good if very stagey production of the play. As is typical to Olivier's Shakespeare films, the strength is found in embracing the language. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/24 Full Review Enzo G blackface is bad bro Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/16/22 Full Review Audience Member Be patient. This is a long movie, a shade under three hours. Stuart Burge has captured the original John Dexter National Theatre production without many directorial flourishes: and the dividends are a clarity and emphasis on performance, which - barring a few dodgy wigs and the occasional misjudged vocal flourish from Olivier - serves the play well, particularly in the second more dramatic half. The acting is terrific - particularly Frank Finlay's wry and subtle Iago and Joyce Redman's pitifully wronged Emilia. Olivier is mesmerising and is to be applauded for the courage and physical and vocal bravura of his Othello. It's a performance that has divided audiences for almost sixty years - very theatrical, almost camp at times, but gloriously its own beast. I love it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review jordan m Disregarding the obvious problems that Olivier's use of blackface presents (particularly a year after the Civil Rights Act was passed) as a relic of the times, I appreciated this mostly for being so accurate an adaptation of the play that I'll never have to wonder what Othello was about for the rest of my life. This was the first time I saw Olivier act and I did find him intriguingly talented, carrying the movie on his shoulders in a way that made me question how anyone else had their performances recognized with Oscar nominations. However, this movie also opened my eyes to how absolutely overblown and unnecessary Shakespearean acting is - I'm sure it helps the actor get better in an overall sense, but this sort of dogged determination to nail the poetic diction knowing full well that people never actually spoke like that and that Shakespeare was a poet with the benefit of premeditation on his dialogue is the pinnacle of folly to me. Learning how to act by mastering Shakespearean verse is like learning how to get from point A to point B by traveling on a unicycle while juggling - it's impressive when done correctly, but it's otherwise just absolutely unnecessary. It makes sense that Olivier & his Shakespearean peers are seen as among the greatest actors of all time because they did it with this asinine handicap of maintaining strong actual performances to go with so tedious a form of dialogue that the audience, without training of their own, literally cannot follow along with every word. The words form analogies and descriptive images but are positively sprinted through in an effort to display mastery and literal emotion, thereby ruining their effect. I followed this movie in a general sense at best and gave up catching every word within the first 20 minutes. What a shame. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d some huge problems by today's standard but it is really well done for its time. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a fine Shakespeare adaptation that might feel too stagey for the screen but the actors elevate it. Looking through 2015 eyes, it was hard to take Lawrence Olivier seriously in head to toe really poorly done black face that just made the movie seem like a joke but what of Olivier is under that make up shines out of it. Maggie Smith and Joyce Redman steal the show and some of the men are great as well. The costumes are excellent and the production design is great but the story is kind of boring Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Othello

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