4/27/09
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Who best performs the "To be or not to be" soliloquy?
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I liked this movie a lot more than I anticipated. It moved a lot faster than the newer version of the play, which was good and bad. It was good in the sense that it moved quickly, but bad because it left out a lot of dialogue as an effect. However, I enjoyed the movie and picked up on a lot of similarities and differences between the two films.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the movies length and pace was easy to follow, but it also made the plot some what difficult to understand. I think I enjoyed the newer version more with Branagh. The acting was better and the so was the scenery. Although it was more wordy, it was easy to understand what was going on.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Chimes At Midnight, I was actually able to follow this Welles film, yet (like everyone else on here) it definitely wasn't as captivating as Parker's Othello. And that's really not Welles fault. I'm sure back then, this style of film making was advanced, and very moving. But with modern audience, it doesn't quite pack as much of a punch. We're used to color, special effects, and stunning visuals. BUT...me not falling asleep during a black and white film is something not easily accomplished, so therefore I have to give some kudos to Welles. Good job guy ;)
ReplyDeletei think this was a well done version of Othello, yes the other Othello is more modern and in color but i don't think those make a film better. i think a lot of its charm was lost on people because they don't like black and white films and plus the quality of this film wasn't the best so at times it was harder to hear. but over all i enjoyed this film just like i enjoyed the other Othello. they are both great films they were just done in totally different time periods so that is what the movie is reflecting not its caliber.
ReplyDeleteAgain, this stuck more to the shakespearean version of the tale, while a more modern version of the play gets the audience more involved. It still portrayed all the characters in good form, but the color version of this movie helped emphasize certain scenes that didn't make sense in this version.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was a very good movie. But I agree with Javier that the older movie that was in black in white really had more power then I think the one in color. The black and white movie had more of what shakespeare feel and seems like it would be something that Shakespeare would really be proud of.
ReplyDeletei would have to agree with what most people were saying about this movie, it was easier to follow than Chimes at Midnight, but the Laurence Anthony and Kenneth Brannagh version is much more entertaining in my opinion. But then again I think I may be in love with Brannagh!
ReplyDeleteExcuse me I meant to write Laurence Fishbourne not Anthony!
ReplyDeleteIago's portrayal seemed more sinister to me than Branagh's version and you could tell it was a Welles film by casting himself as the main role of Othello, who gives a stern version of the Moor. The fact that Othello's and Desdemona's corpses were being taken through the town while Iago is locked in a cage is very distinguishable compared to Parker's film. It was as if the tragedy starts the mood of the film.
ReplyDeleteThis film is interesting if you wish to keep it a secret...Iago grew in jealousy while Othello, brainwashed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough some of the sound had been lost and remade, I still enjoyed this film for its originality and its ability to show the sinister side of Lago. The black and white added a dramatic effect to the film.
ReplyDeletealthough this movie was made in the 50's it was still a great film. the story was easy to follow and I thought it as good if not better Branaghs version.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting to see both the newer version of the film, and Welles’s black and white version. Instead of following the play word for word, Welles uses a more poetic approach and the constant use of symbols. I think this version focused more on Othello, as opposed to Iago. That shift could be positive or negative, depending on how you perceive the two men. I found it difficult to feel sorry for either of the men, considering they both did completely immoral things which lead to the death of almost all the characters. The camera movements and poetic tones made this version, in my opinion, harder to follow and to concentrate on than Parker’s Othello.
ReplyDeleteAs seen in some of the other comments I also feel the movie went by fast, it did drag on in some parts but for the most parts it went by fast. I enjoyed the black and white aspect to this film as well. I i though it was interesting in our discussion before starting the film to hear what the director had to work with. It was pretty great how he could impervise a scene when they had no costumes on set.
ReplyDeleteI thought this film was easier to understand vs the previous one we saw. I was more confused on the previous one and had to rely more on the text to fully understand it, whereas in this film the dialogue was much easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteThe film is not excellent, but good. I was delighted to see a movie version. The actors are good, especially Iago, and little Desdemona is very sweet but I had always thought that she should have dark hair. Orson Welles expresses Othello's fury and jealousy especially well, but I think Desdemona should always speak in a very delicate voice in this movie she may even shout. And I couldn't understand why she didn't cry when Othello said she had no more lifetime left after all, she is little Desdemona. However, the film is quite good, especially the beginning in which the men carry the dead Othello and Iago sees it from the cage.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really enjoyed about Welles’ Othello is that the action is followed through out the film with a clear specific intention. I never felt that the ball was dropped or that I didn’t understand what they were talking about and doing. Welles is a fine actor and magnificent film maker. His films we have seen have been very provocative and intense.
ReplyDeleteThe filming is good for this movie and I think that Macliammoir's performance as Iago is amazing. However, this movie is a little bit old and I didn’t get as much out of it as some of the newer films. I think that the stripped down set works well for the film but I like some of Welles other films much better.
ReplyDeleteI thought this film was just as good as the modern version of Othello. I thought that the modern version displayed the plot better, however some scenes were more dramatic in Welles' version. Such as the bedroom scene where Othello kills Desdemona. He kisses her as he's killing her. I thought that for the time period in which the film was made that that scene was very dark and ahead of its time.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the low budget that Welles had did NOT take away from this film. And although short he portrayed the story better than Parker did. The fact that it was probably more costly to add more clothes and to make the decision to have a spa like scene where everyone just wore towells is genius and gives the film a more personal feel. Welles idea of Othello is a bit different than Parkers as well. Othello to Welles, became more of a love sick puppy, more concerned with his lover than his friend. His friend, Iago just playing a snake and not so much a lead character. I believe i enjoyed the ending better in this film because the sense of the bars restricting every character in each of there cameos made me better understand the behind meaning of it all.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with the above post. I did not enjoy this movie as much as I have enjoyed a lot of the others. Welles puts a very different spin on his Othello, then Parker does. Well Parkers Othello is portrayed as strong and determined, Wells is more weak and easily manipulated. I thought this movie didn't grab my attention as quickly as Parkers, so in the end I was just comparing the two.
ReplyDeleteEven though Welles's version of Othello was similar to Parker's, there were many things that Welles did differently. One of the major differences was the ending and how it Othello already had the dagger and killed himself. Also, Othello killed his wife by placing a sheet over her mouth and kissing her to death. The movie was shorter and Iago was not killed at the end. Instead, he was put in a cage and hung in the air.
ReplyDeleteI liked the beginning more because Iago is more punished. In the modern film Iago suffers a quick death and isn't made as aware of what he did. Also, another thing was that roderigo seems more wimpy in this film. He is more easier to fool and he does not have the same passion for Desdemona as the Roderigo in the modern film. Also, I didn't like the quick pace of the movie it made it very hard for me to follow along.
ReplyDeleteIago makes Othello feel abandoned and friendless with no soldiers with him. Iago decided to take advantage of Othollo while he is in this state of restlessness. Iago makes Othollo very angry when he states that he is now useless to their society and is no longer a suiting man, Othollo has been used to being a respected soldier now he’s just nothing.
ReplyDeleteKelli Kirchhof
Lago disobeyed and tried to destroy Othello's reputation. He tried to make him lose all his soldiers and tried to take advantage of him when he was unable to make any kind of moves. Othello is not used to that because of the fact that he was a well and respected soldier.
ReplyDeleteCorey Gilbert
Did anyone else get the feeling that something was off about Iago's character in the sense that his motives didn't fit his character archetype. His cold calculated plotting seems to fit in with Richard III, the problem is he seems to be motivated by revenge and anger two emotions which seem too heated for the cold calculating character he is.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Othello just wanted to be with Desdemona, his jealously defiantly got in the way of everything. This film was one of my favorites as well, the scene where they all die is very dramatic. In the film Othello was a great actor and the whole story line was clear and easy to follow
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this film was the jealously, revenge, and hatred aspect. I was captivated by the actors notion of betrayal and feel that it gave it a definite edge. I agree with several posts above, one in particular saying that the film was a bit old and that the newer ones seemed more realistic. I do have to say though, it was indeed a very intense film in which kept you guessing as to the conclusion.
ReplyDeleteIn Othello it is about how Othello becomes married to Desdemona and how her father is upset about this. Lagos does not want his hatred for Othello to be known so he leaves and does not stay for now. Barbizon’s goes to the senate and council and attempts to destroy Othello and his new marriage, however this backfires and they become sympathetic to Othello. There becomes a scare when Othello’s ship does not make it back when it’s supposed to after the battle with the Turk’s. Once though his ship is spotted the people are relieved and he portrays his dedication to his wife. Then Casio gets in a fight and is blamed for the fight and removed from his rank as a lieutenant in the military. I enjoyed this reading of Shakespeare it showed the love and anguish people could have. I also enjoyed the amount of effort Shakespeare put into the play and how it seemed as though he choose his words very carefully. When reading it though I would have to go back and re-read it sometimes due to the fact I would become so enveloped in one of the longer lines I would forget what had just happened. Overall this is a good piece by Shakespeare and I enjoyed reading it, if it was longer it may have been a lot harder to follow but since it was clearly dialoged it was easier for me to follow. The movie was alright but did not portray the same amount of detail as the written version
ReplyDeleteBecause this film contained an unbarring amount of jealously, hatred, betrayal, and greed, i found it a lot to bear while watching it. Although I am a fan of a darker more complicated theme, I do not like negativity and so it was less enjoyable to watch than the other film on Othello.
ReplyDeleteThis movie's plot was one of Shakespeare's more interesting. Although there were some parts in the movie that confused me, like why Barbizon wanted to destroy Othello's marriage, it kept my mind working. One thing about this movie that I did not like was how long it was. The length of the movie made it hard to pay attention well at the end. Comparing the movie to the reading show that the movie follows Shakespeare's original text pretty closely.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Orsen Welles' rendition of Othello was easier to understand than the other Othello that we watched, partly due to the pace and sequence of events being easy to follow. The bedroom scene of this film when Othello kills Desdemona, while kissing her was the best one in my opinion, not because of the dark nature of it, but because I thought it was the most powerful and symbolic scene. Overall, I liked how the story line was clear and direct for the most part.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Williams
This film wasn’t as good as Parker’s version, but it was still easy to follow which is key while watching anything dealing with Shakespeare. The newer version of the film was better.
ReplyDeleteIn this movie I was really interested in the character of Lago who is one of the most heinous villains in the Shakespeare era. Lago had a tack to causing trouble for real no particular reason or motive. He hated Othello from the beginning and he really no real reason to have any hatred towards him.Lago also seems to have a general hatred for women throughout the film and takes his anger out on them several times throughout the film, which is shown when he kills Emilia, his wife. It is Lago’s talent for understanding and manipulating the desires of those around him that makes him both a powerful and a compelling figure
ReplyDeleteAlthough Othello’s race hurts him in most situations it actually sometimes helps help out. Desdemona, Brabanzio and most ladies see him as almost exotic and are very drawn to him. It also allows him to capture the attention of others and show of his charisma. Sometimes throughout the play even Othello himself will refer to himself as an outsider. Maybe Othello sees his difference as strength or perhaps his is just stating the obvious. This is the first Shakespeare play that the protagonist’s race so directly affects the plot and characters of the play.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one because of the characters Iago and Othello. Iago was a very clever villain but I could not figure out why he had such a hatred for Othello. For the most part this movie was easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteI liked how there are to versions to this film, you may like one more than the other it is totally subjective. This movie had a lot of death in it, and as for the two main charecters, it was had to feel any sympathy for them because what they did was not right.
ReplyDeleteI too agree that this version of Othello was easy to understand and a great version of Shakespeare's play. I think Iago was a great villain in this movie and exacted revenge in an understandable and easily followed way throughout the whole entire movie.
ReplyDeleteThe director, Welles, I thought did an excellent job in putting together this film even with a very low budget to work with. I definitely prefer this version of Othello much more than the other one. I think the small budget added in creative simple tricks for filming this movie.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Othello was a strong character in this movie. He seemed very imposing. This helped make Iago's anger toward him more believable.
ReplyDeleteI really do enjoy Orson Welles' films, and this one is no exception. However, I found it difficult at times to accept Welles playing a famous black character. It's not that I found it offensive in any way (as a theatre student, I have studied the history of "black face" theatre an dit really is quite fascinating). However, I feel like it detracted from the film somewhat. All I could keep thinking is this is Orson Welles playing a black man (maybe I'm alone in this). The cuts to the script were also interesting, but after reading some background info on the filming of this movie, I now understand why they made certain cuts.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this film. I thought that wells use of contrast of light and dark in the film was neat. The missing scenes from the film made the movie confusing at times. Even with the missing scenes the movie was still very good.
ReplyDeleteI feel the fact that this film was created 60 years ago, and is still just as interesting and exciting as the ones made in the last twenty years is astonishing. Orson Welles did a fantastic job making Othello really feel like a man thrown into an uncontrollable situation, and who was also not patient to see the truth. Desdemona's actress was also very good in acting out the scenes and reciting the lines. I thought the scene in which she was killed, you could really feel her sadness in knowing Othello was wrong, but she was still willing to stick by her husband til the end.
ReplyDeleteI thought the constrast between the physical appearances between the actors playing Othello and Iago very interesting. Orson Welles had a very large physical presence and Iago was very small and scrawny, yet he had so much power and influence over the larger Welles. I loved that he walked around and extinguished all the candles before he killed Desdemona. It really added to the creepy and omnious feel to the scene and I loved the contrast between Othello and Desdemona's faces when he is looking at her while she is laying down, I just really loved that shot.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this film was considerably shorter and less in depth compared to Parker and Shakespeares versions. I did not like how the film started off at Othello and Desdemona's funeral because it started me off confused about what was going on. But the use of light and dark was interesting and made the film seem more serious and scary. The movie had an overall creepy feel but I enjoyed it and was able to understand the tone from it.
ReplyDeleteI loved this story but the other version was definitely better in my opinion any movie that's more modern is better in my opinion good film
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I do not like black and white films so that immediately turned me off to this version. This version was also shorter and obviously had a much lower budget. Welle's obviously did the best he could, however it didn't impress me.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this version though not as much as the recent version. i do not believe Welles played a believable enough Othello. Iago I believed was a bad casting. His character just oozed evil and for that reason I do not see why Othello trusted him.
ReplyDeleteI did not enjoy Orson Welles’ rendition of Othello as much as I enjoyed Oliver Parker’s, but I think that they both portrayed Shakespeare’s plot well.
ReplyDeleteI found Parker's Othello a much better rendition of the play. The color and the masterful acting of Kenneth Brannagh made that film significantly better.
ReplyDeleteI thought this film was significantly less moving than Parker's rendition of the Othello. It is understandable that the budget and limitations of his time made the movie not quite up to par with todays standards of movies, but there were several aspects of the play that could have been improved upon. The acting seemed wooden at times, and I don't think they managed to truly convey the creepiness of the murder scene or the downfall of Othello as the play went on. Definitely not one of the better films we have watched so far
ReplyDeletethis is a much older version and the film shows it. many scenes are not even finished and the actors words are not herd by the audience. i guess the budget was really low for the film although i liked alot of the architechture and scenes
ReplyDelete