The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952)

Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Micheal MacLiammoir, Robert Coote

Synopsis:
A Moorish general in Venice is made to suspect his wife's fidelity by a treacherous advisor.

Impressions:
I'll admit that my original reason for seeing this wasn't terribly mature. I just wanted to see if Orson Welles was actually going to be playing Othello in blackface and if so, how outrageous it was going to be. It's not nearly as crazy as Laurence Olivier's makeup job in his film adaptation in '65. This was a rather troubled production and the story behind it is rather interesting, but I'll leave that to your own research if you're interested. Welles brings a lot of intensity to the title role and Michael MacLiammoir is a sufficiently slimy and scheming Iago. Given what an uphill battle it was to get this made, it does fairly well. If you're a fan of Orson Welles, it's worth a watch.

Rating:
Watch It