Othello

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Othello

R

Released Dec 15, 1995

2h 4m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

68%

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40 Reviews

64%

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5,000+ Ratings

Heroic general Othello (Laurence Fishburne), the only African in the Venetian army, is carrying on a courtship with white noblewoman Desdemona (Irène Jacob). Their hasty marriage causes some political upheaval, but the military leader is quickly dispatched to halt an invasion on Cyprus. Once there, Othello's lieutenant, Iago (Kenneth Branagh), who believes Othello has wronged him, conceives a plan to get revenge by convincing the new husband that his wife is unfaithful.

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Critics Consensus

Perhaps less than the sum of its parts, Othello is still highly entertaining, and features excellent performances from Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh.

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Anna Smith

Time Out

A highly engaging attempt at Shakespeare's most domestic tragedy.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Mr. Branagh's superb performance...guarantees this film an immediacy that any audience will understand.

May 20, 2003

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The Hollywood Reporter

Davies has done an admirable job of condensing the sprawling action.

Oct 15, 2002

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Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

Laurence Fishburne does one helluva job portraying the famous Moor straight out of the pages of Shakespeare.

May 13, 2022

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Anna Patrick is particularly impressive in the usually overlooked role of Emilia.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 25, 2022

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Quentin Curtis

Independent on Sunday

Like its hero, Oliver Parker's Othello starts mightily -- resplendent and captivating -- before crumpling under the weight of misguided choices and self-delusion.

Dec 7, 2017

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Alec B

90s erotic thriller Shakespeare is a choice . . . and while it doesn't really work on the whole I do like Branagh's Iago. Truly his weirdest performance.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

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Liam B

I'm not generally a fan of movie based on books or plays. Books don't have the luxury of using visuals, so generally the only way story can be delivered in them is via dialogue. This leads to many moments throughout the movie where the visual element can be taken advantage of, putting these movies at an inherent disadvantage compared to completely original movies. For what it's worth though, "Othello" does at least have a semi-engaging plot line. Iago is quite an interesting character. He plays the role of a deceiver, but avoids lying wherever possible. He's a master manipulator, and watching his exploits makes the movie at least somewhat engaging. The movie makes uses a clever metaphor with its irony: it uses post and meta irony respectively to represent when Iago has the other characters right where he wants them compared to when he is on the back foot. Generally, the performances throughout the movie were fine, so no complaints there. None of the other characters did nearly as much as Iago did during the film, which is ironic since Othello is the main character. Overall, it was ok, but I think an re-imagining of Othello made specifically for the big screen would have been more entertaining.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

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Steve D

If you are a fan of the play this is the Othello not to be missed.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Evan M

Solid character performances for a straightforward Shakespeare adaptation.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

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Audience Member

Smoldering closeup version to maximize the charisma of Fishburne, Branagh and Jacob as the lead-centric Othello despite the large number of extras

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

I thought this an ok adaptation. It's not flashy or weighed down by some director's attempt to make it "relevant". If you are studying the play and want a fairly faithful version this is good to go.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Oliver Parker

Director

Laurence Fishburne

Othello

Irène Jacob

Desdemona

Kenneth Branagh

Iago

Nathaniel Parker

Cassio

Michael Maloney

Roderigo

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35%

72%

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91%

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89%

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13%

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Synopsis

Heroic general Othello (Laurence Fishburne), the only African in the Venetian army, is carrying on a courtship with white noblewoman Desdemona (Irène Jacob). Their hasty marriage causes some political upheaval, but the military leader is quickly dispatched to halt an invasion on Cyprus. Once there, Othello's lieutenant, Iago (Kenneth Branagh), who believes Othello has wronged him, conceives a plan to get revenge by convincing the new husband that his wife is unfaithful.

Director: Oliver Parker
Producer: David Barron, Luc Roeg
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Castle Rock, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 9, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround

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