Othello [Criterion Collection] [2 Discs]

Director: Orson Welles

Overview

Othello - The Lost Masterpiece is a careful restoration of Orson Welles' acclaimed screen adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. Welles drastically abridged the Bard's text while infusing the story with his own unique vision, resulting in an exciting, fast-paced version of the classic tragedy of the Moorish general whose love for his wife is distorted into pernicious jealousy by the lies of an envious junior officer. Welles' movie was an artistic tour de force, but the technical quality was generally uneven, and in particular the film suffered from an out-of-sync soundtrack. The movie won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1952, but it failed miserably at the box office, and all high-quality prints soon disappeared. The film was rarely seen for four decades, but then a diligent search spearheaded by Welles' daughter uncovered a master negative, along with the soundtrack, in a New Jersey warehouse. Although the visual images required only relatively minor work, the soundtrack posed major difficulties, which were finally overcome by isolating the dialogue and resyncing it, while separately re-creating the music and sound effects. This restoration makes available Welles' masterpiece, with somewhat improved sound quality, to the kind of audience it always deserved.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/23/2017
UPC:	0715515197915
Original Release:	1952
Rating:	NR
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	3:04:00
Sales rank:	29,452

Special Features

New, restored 4K digital transfers of two versions of the film, the 1952 European one and the 1955 U.S. and UK one; Audio commentary from 1995 featuring filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and Orson Welles scholar Myron Meisel; Filmming "Othello," Welle's last completed film, a 1979 essay-documentary; Return to Glennascaul, a 1953 short film made by actors Miche?l MacLiamm?ir and Hilton Edwards during a hiatus from shooting Othello; New interview with Welles biographer Simon Callow; Souvenirs d'"Othello," a 1995 documentary about actor Suzanne Cloutier by Fran?ois Thomas on the two versions; New interview with Ayanna Thompson, author of Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America; Interview from 2014 with scholar Joseph McBride

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Orson Welles	Othello
Suzanne Cloutier	Desdemona
Michael MacLiammoir	Iago
Robert Coote	Roderigo
Hilton Edwards	Brabantio
Fay Compton	Emilia
Nicholas Bruce	Lodovico
Jean Davis	Montano
Doris Dowling	Bianca
Joseph Cotten	Senator
Joan Fontaine	Page
Miche?l MacLiamm?ir	Iago
Michael Lawrence	Cassio
Willy Ferrero	Conductor
Angelo Lavagnino	Composer
Alberto Barberis	Composer

Technical Credits

Orson Welles

Donald Liebsker	Executive Producer
Edward Stone	Executive Producer
James Trainor	Executive Producer
Orson Welles	Producer,Screenwriter

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1952 Version
1. Funeral [4:31]
2. Opening Credits [2:09]
3. "True, I Have married Her" [9:53]
4. "My Desdemona Must I Leave With Thee" [2:43]
5. "With As Little A Web As This..." [3:08]
6. "Courtesy? Lechery!" [4:17]
7. "Do Not Think, Gentleman, I Am Drunk" [5:07]
8. "Reputation, Reputation, Reputation!" [4:06]
9. "I'll See Before I Doubt" [8:03]
10. "Have You Not Sometimes Seen A Hankerchief ...?" [4:42]
11. "This Is A Minx's Token!" [6:22]
12. "Dost Thou Mock Me?" [5:43]
13. "I Do But Say What She Is" [2:33]
14. "Would Thou Hadst Ne'er Been Born!" [3:18]
15. "Good, Good, The Justice Of It Pleases" [3:34]
16. "I Protest I Have Dealt Most Directly In Thy Affair" [5:29]
17. "Let Husbands Know Their Wives Have Sense Like Them" [2:33]
18. "Talk You Of Killing?" [5:47]
19. "Villainy, Villainy, Villainy!" [5:21]
20. "When You Shall These Unlucky Deeds Relate ..." [3:57]
Disc #2 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1955 Version
1. Funeral [4:28]
2. "There Was Once In Venice A Moor" [:58]
3. "True, I Have married Her" [8:03]
4. "My Desdemona Must I Leave With Thee" [2:43]
5. "With As Little A Web As This..." [3:08]
6. "Courtesy? Lechery!" [4:17]
7. "Do Not Think, Gentleman, I Am Drunk" [5:07]
8. "Reputation, Reputation, Reputation!" [4:07]
9. "I'll See Before I Doubt" [8:02]
10. "Have You Not Sometimes Seen A Hankerchief ...?" [4:42]
11. "This Is A Minx's Token!" [6:23]
12. "Dost Thou Mock Me?" [5:42]
13. "I Do But Say What She Is" [2:35]
14. "Would Thou Hadst Ne'er Been Born!" [3:13]
15. "Good, Good, The Justice Of It Pleases" [3:37]
16. "I Protest I Have Dealt Most Directly In Thy Affair" [5:26]
17. "Let Husbands Know Their Wives Have Sense Like Them" [2:33]
18. "Talk You Of Killing?" [5:29]
19. "Villainy, Villainy, Villainy!" [5:21]
20. "When You Shall These Unlucky Deeds Relate ..." [3:46]
21. End Credits [1:05]
1. "Like Breathing Pure Oxygen" [4:28]
2. Welles's Othello [:58]
3. The Effect Of Entrances [8:03]
4. Postsync Sound [2:43]
5. John Ford's Influence [3:08]
6. Welles's Setups And Blocking [4:17]
7. Shooting Without Sound [5:07]
8. The Editing Of Othello [4:07]
9. The Longest Take In The Film [8:02]
10. "Iago The Impotent" [4:42]
11. "A Post-Eichmann Iago" [6:23]
12. Othello's Imperfections [5:42]
13. Orson's Openess [2:35]
14. A King Of Silent Film [3:13]
15. Iago As Director [3:37]
16. Orson's Costumes [5:26]
17. Fay Compton [2:33]
18. Allusions To Sacraments [5:29]
19. Pity For Othello [5:21]
20. Othello Vs. Kane [3:46]
21. "Keep On Shooting" [1:05]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1952 Version
Play The Movie
Chapters
Supplements
Simon Callow - In This Interview, Filmmed By The Criterion Collection In 2017, Simon Callow, Actor And Author of The Multivolume Biography Orson Welles, Discusses The Production Of Othello, Especially Welle's Relationship With Actors Miche?l MacLiamm?ir And Hilton Edwards
Ayanna Thompson - The Question Of Race Is Central To Othello. In This Interview, Filmed By The Criterion Collection In 2017, George Washington University Professor Ayanna Thompson, Author Of Passing Strange: Sheakespeare, Race And Contemporary America, Discusses The Complicated History Of White Actors Portraying Othello The Moor.
Joseph McBride - This 2014 Interview Features Joseph McBride, Author Of What Ever Happened To Orson Welles?
Fran?ois Thomas - In This Interview, Recorded By The Criterion Collection In 2017, Film Scholar Fran?ois Thomas, Coauthor Of Orson Welles At Work, Discusses The Different Versions Of Welles's Othello.
Disc #2 -- Othello (Criterion Collection) - 1955 Version
Play The Movie
Chapters
Commentary - Recorded For The Criterion Collection In 1994, This Commentary Features Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich And Orson Welles Scholar Myron Meisel.
Commentary: Off
Commentary: On
Index
Supplements
Return To Glennascaul - This 1951 Short Film Featuring Orson Welles Was Made By Actors Miche?l MacLiamm?ir And Hilton Edwards While On A Brief Hiatus From The Production Of Othello.
Souvenirs D'Othello" - This 1995 Canadian Documentary Features An Extensive Interview, In English And French, With Actor Suzanne Cloutier (Desdemona) About The Making Of Othello.

Editorial Reviews

Beset by financial problems, Orson Welles' 1952 production of Shakespeare's play took nearly four years to complete. Unable to afford adequate sound equipment, Welles was forced to post-synchronize the dialogue (as he had with Macbeth), but the dubbing is disconcertingly haphazard. Many of the actors were unavailable to dub their parts, so Welles himself voiced their characters. An ever-changing cast (many could not commit to the on again/off again production) further inhibited Welles' ability to pull together a cohesive and coherent film. Lastly, by omitting reams of material, inserting scenes of his own (such as the funeral procession that bookends the film), and rearranging several others, the 91-minute film has an assertively Wellesian stamp on it. Somehow, despite these problems, Welles put together a visually exciting accompaniment to the aural delight of Shakespeare's words. The black-and-white cinematography is sterling, while the aggressively angular shots keep the audience a little off-balance throughout. By dwelling on ceremony and procession, Welles accentuates the conflicts that bedevil Othello, a character who feels socially inferior and unworthy of Desdemona's love. Welles is a capable Shakespearean actor, though his penchant for grand theatrical gestures is occasionally misplaced in the more intimate medium of film. Othello won the Palme d'Or at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.