Othello

1965
Unrated
2h 45m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

1.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 1 win & 10 nominations total

Photos55

+ 50

More like this

6.8

7.0

7.5

7.3

7.6

7.0

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

6.3

7.3

6.2

7.4

6.3

6.5

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
This is the only Shakespearean movie in which all four leading actors and actresses (Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay, and Joyce Redman) were nominated for Oscars.

Goofs
Desdemona's chest is still going up and down (like she's breathing) after she dies.

Quotes
Iago: O beware my lord,of jealousy! It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.

Alternate versions
The film's U.S. DVD release restores the Warner Bros. logo backed by a red curtain and fanfare music to the opening credits, and the "Intermission" title card about ninety minutes into the film. These have not been seen since the film's original U.S. release; they were not featured on the videocassette edition. The long-deleted "intermission break" occurs immediately after Othello says to Iago, "Now art thou my lieutenant" and Iago answers "I am your own forever".

Connections
Featured in The Ed Sullivan Show: Dinah Shore, Jose Feliciano, Jim Nabors, Jackie Vernon, Dick Capri, The Four Tops, Barry Sadler (1966)

Soundtracks
Fanfares
(uncredited)
Music by Jack Trombey
De Wolfe Music Ltd

User reviews26

Review

Featured review

7/10

stagy but very successful

The National Theatre production of 'Othello' was legendary - one of Laurence Olivier's iconic roles from the era when white actors still blacked up to play the lead part.

But is it really any good on the screen? It is essentially filmed theatre with an overpowering performance from Olivier, which is perhaps too large for viewing away from the stage - but it does benefit from three key parts of excellence in support (Frank Finlay as Iago, in Shakespeare's longest role as far as numbers of lines is concerned; Maggie Smith as a delicate Desdemona; and a very young Derek Jacobi as Cassio, resplendent in fine clothes and groomed hair).

Trimmed slightly from the full play, it nevertheless keeps the main characters and the sense of the story, and plays at nearly two and a half hours. Tight direction, good diction, and - as far as filmed theatre can be - adequate sets give this Othello an edge which means it is still relevant today.