Easily the steamiest film adaptation of Shakespeare's work -- and that of his steamiest play, no less -- Oliver Parker's Othello holds a place among my favorite Bard adaptations. The story concerns Iago (Shakespeare's most diabolical villain), ensign to the Venetian general Othello "the Moor", and architect of the latter's destruction. Deceiving Othello into believing that his new wife Desdemona cuckolds him, Iago's schemes result in chaos and death as he preys upon and exploits everyone around him.
Director Parker looks to this material with an eye for textures and colors. Turning what can easily become sultry and sentimental into a vivid, sensational tale, Parker actively pays attention to the sensual details of Cyprus island and its inhabitants. Elaborate, exotic costumes and heavily decorated sets furbish the material, and close-up camerawork bring the film's intimacy and textile tangibility into sharp focus. This kind of attention proves appropriate, because Parker turns this story of lust, love, deception, betrayal, and madness into a surprisingly virile and erotic film.
Around half of Shakespeare's language is cut from the script (adapted by Oliver Parker); though I could wish for more of it, Parker brilliantly and rightly understands that film is different from theatre, and that in the former showing can be better than telling. Rather than alienating audiences that may be unfamiliar with the Bard, Parker's film minimalizes the dialogue. Left with only the script's foundations and his impressions of Shakespeare's thematic interests, Parker adds a number of scenes to bolster to the film's atmosphere and aesthetic. These include sex scenes (or pseudo-sex scenes) between Othello and Desdemona and Iago and Emilia, among others, and Othello's visions of Desdemona making love to Cassio.
Laurence Fishburne plays a remarkable Othello. His erotic confidence and sexually hypnotic presence onscreen is intoxicating and effectively serves as a manifest representation of Parker's aesthetic interests. His epileptic fits, so difficult for actors to play realistically and sensitively, are successful, though his efforts in speaking the dialogue sometimes seem forced. Kenneth Branagh is the hero of the film, however, as he injects Iago with sparkling wit and haunting emotional weight. Some critics (and I) have said that his performance of Iago is homosexual, and though Iago is an unquestionably more-or-less-queer character, Branagh has stated that he never intended it to be homosexual but rather a platonic, loving affection. Either way, there is no questioning his fluid sexuality in this picture, nor the impact of his erotic energy on the entire film.
IMDb: Othello
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