Othello (1952 film)
Encyclopedia
Othello is a 1952 drama film
based on the Shakespearean play
, made by Mercury Productions Inc. and Les Films Marceau and distributed by United Artists
(1955). It was directed and produced by Orson Welles
, who also played the title role (in blackface
makeup). The screenplay was adapted by Welles and an uncredited Jean Sacha. The film was shot on location in Morocco
, Venice
, Tuscany
and Rome
and at the Scalera Studios in Rome. Welles trimmed the three-hour Shakespeare play to 91 minutes for the film.
In addition to Orson Welles, the cast consisted of Micheál MacLiammóir
as Iago
, Robert Coote
as Roderigo, Suzanne Cloutier
as Desdemona
, Michael Laurence as Cassio
, Fay Compton
as Emilia and Doris Dowling
as Bianca. Joseph Cotten
and Joan Fontaine
also appear, uncredited.
One of Welles's more complicated shoots, Othello was filmed on and off over a period of three years. The film was hampered by its Italian
backer going bankrupt early in the film. This led to some imaginative solutions; the famous scene in which Roderigo is murdered in a Turkish bath was done because the costumes weren't ready. Shooting began in 1949, but was forced to shut down when money for the production ran out. This led to a stop start production; for example, one of the fight scenes starts in Morocco, but the ending was shot in Rome several months later. Welles used the money from his acting jobs, such as The Third Man
(1949), to finance the film.
This lengthy and complicated shoot is detailed in Micheál MacLiammóir
's book Put Money in Thy Purse.
to acclaim in 1952, the film won the Palme d'Or
at the Cannes Film Festival
, though it was largely ignored in the United States
. It was controversially restored in 1992 with its soundtrack rebuilt in stereo sound (the dialogue was largely the same, though re-mastered, but the score was newly recorded in stereo) and re-released to theatres. The film was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival
. This version was shown to acclaim in the United States, and first appeared on cable television
in 1995.
However, film critic and Welles authority Jonathan Rosenbaum
has been highly critical of the restoration. He has argued that numerous changes were made to Welles' original intent. He has asserted that the restoration was incompetent, using a copy of the American-release prints which originally came with a technically flawed soundtrack that the restoration has been unable to compensate for, and which could have been easily avoided. He has argued that the now-banned and out-of-print 1995 Laserdisc edition of the unrestored film is far closer to Welles' original vision. Most damningly, he states that in her refusing to give permission for her father's version to be shown or released "she’s effectively made her father’s version of the film (as well as, more indirectly, his final feature, Filming Othello), illegal, so that she can make more money on her own version", since she only receives royalties on the version which she restored. In support of this, he cites several instances of Beatrice Welles suing or attempting to sue restorations and rereleases of her father's work (including films such as Touch of Evil
which she does not hold the rights to), unless she is granted a percentage of the profits. Accordingly, he blames her for the unseen status of Welles' final released film, Filming Othello
(which contains many clips from Othello), and his last unreleased film, The Other Side of the Wind
(arguing that her court success over Othello emboldened her to attempt to claim rights over this film, which is mostly owned by Welles' partner Oja Kodar
).
, the 1992 restoration is now out-of-print in the U.S., and can be found only in outlet stores, whilst the original version remains unavailable.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
based on the Shakespearean play
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, made by Mercury Productions Inc. and Les Films Marceau and distributed by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
(1955). It was directed and produced by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, who also played the title role (in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
makeup). The screenplay was adapted by Welles and an uncredited Jean Sacha. The film was shot on location in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and at the Scalera Studios in Rome. Welles trimmed the three-hour Shakespeare play to 91 minutes for the film.
In addition to Orson Welles, the cast consisted of Micheál MacLiammóir
Micheál MacLiammóir
Micheál Mac Liammóir , born Alfred Willmore, was an English-born Irish actor, dramatist, impresario, writer, poet and painter. Mac Liammóir was born to a Protestant family living in the Kensal Green neighbourhood of London....
as Iago
Iago
Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,...
, Robert Coote
Robert Coote
Robert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
as Roderigo, Suzanne Cloutier
Suzanne Cloutier
Suzanne Cloutier was a Canadian film actress.She was born in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1952 she appeared in the film Derby Day as a maid who wins a trip to the Epsom Derby in the company of a famous film star. She appeared as Desdemona in Orson Welles' 1952 film adaptation of Othello...
as Desdemona
Desdemona
Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello.Desdemona may also refer to:People* Desdemona , a soprano role in the 1816 opera Otello by Gioachino Rossini...
, Michael Laurence as Cassio
Michael Cassio
Michael Cassio, or simply Cassio, is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Othello. The source of the character is the 1565 tale "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio; Cassio is unnamed in Cinthio but referred to as "the squadron leader." In the play, Cassio is a young and handsome lieutenant...
, Fay Compton
Fay Compton
Fay Compton was an English actress from a notable acting lineage; her father was actor/manager Edward Compton; her mother, Virginia Bateman, was a distinguished member of the profession, as were her sister, the actress Viola Compton, and her uncles and aunts. Her grandfather was the 19th-century...
as Emilia and Doris Dowling
Doris Dowling
Doris Dowling was an American actress of film, stage and television.After her time as a chorus-girl on Broadway, Detroit-born Doris Dowling followed her elder sister Constance to Hollywood. Her first credited film role was that of Gloria, barfly and drinking companion to fellow alcoholic Ray...
as Bianca. Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
and Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland , known professionally as Joan Fontaine, is a British American actress. She and her elder sister Olivia de Havilland are two of the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s....
also appear, uncredited.
One of Welles's more complicated shoots, Othello was filmed on and off over a period of three years. The film was hampered by its Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
backer going bankrupt early in the film. This led to some imaginative solutions; the famous scene in which Roderigo is murdered in a Turkish bath was done because the costumes weren't ready. Shooting began in 1949, but was forced to shut down when money for the production ran out. This led to a stop start production; for example, one of the fight scenes starts in Morocco, but the ending was shot in Rome several months later. Welles used the money from his acting jobs, such as The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
(1949), to finance the film.
This lengthy and complicated shoot is detailed in Micheál MacLiammóir
Micheál MacLiammóir
Micheál Mac Liammóir , born Alfred Willmore, was an English-born Irish actor, dramatist, impresario, writer, poet and painter. Mac Liammóir was born to a Protestant family living in the Kensal Green neighbourhood of London....
's book Put Money in Thy Purse.
Cast
- Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
- Othello - Micheál MacLiammóirMicheál MacLiammóirMicheál Mac Liammóir , born Alfred Willmore, was an English-born Irish actor, dramatist, impresario, writer, poet and painter. Mac Liammóir was born to a Protestant family living in the Kensal Green neighbourhood of London....
- Iago - Robert CooteRobert CooteRobert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
- Roderigo - Suzanne CloutierSuzanne CloutierSuzanne Cloutier was a Canadian film actress.She was born in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1952 she appeared in the film Derby Day as a maid who wins a trip to the Epsom Derby in the company of a famous film star. She appeared as Desdemona in Orson Welles' 1952 film adaptation of Othello...
- Desdemona - Hilton EdwardsHilton EdwardsHilton Edwards was an English-born Irish actor and theatrical producer. He was the son of Thomas George Cecil Edwards and Emily Edwards ....
- Brabantio - Nicholas Bruce - Lodovico
- Michael Laurence - Michael Cassio
- Fay ComptonFay ComptonFay Compton was an English actress from a notable acting lineage; her father was actor/manager Edward Compton; her mother, Virginia Bateman, was a distinguished member of the profession, as were her sister, the actress Viola Compton, and her uncles and aunts. Her grandfather was the 19th-century...
- Emilia - Doris DowlingDoris DowlingDoris Dowling was an American actress of film, stage and television.After her time as a chorus-girl on Broadway, Detroit-born Doris Dowling followed her elder sister Constance to Hollywood. Her first credited film role was that of Gloria, barfly and drinking companion to fellow alcoholic Ray...
- Bianca
Reception
Released in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to acclaim in 1952, the film won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the Cannes Film Festival
1952 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:The jury at this festival was all French.*Maurice Genevoix *Tony Aubin*Mme. Georges Bidault*Pierre Billon*Chapelain-Midy *Louis Chauvet *A...
, though it was largely ignored in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was controversially restored in 1992 with its soundtrack rebuilt in stereo sound (the dialogue was largely the same, though re-mastered, but the score was newly recorded in stereo) and re-released to theatres. The film was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival
1992 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Gérard Depardieu *John Boorman *Carlo Di Palma *Jamie Lee Curtis *Joële Van Effenterre *Lester James Peries *Nana Djordjadze *Pedro Almodóvar *René Cleitman...
. This version was shown to acclaim in the United States, and first appeared on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
in 1995.
Restoration and Controversy
In 1992, the film underwent a highly controversial restoration. Beatrice Welles-Smith, daughter of Orson Welles, supervised the restoration, which saw over $1 million spent on improving the picture quality, re-synching the audio, adding extra sound effects not present in the original, and completely re-recording the soundtrack in stereo.However, film critic and Welles authority Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum is an American film critic. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for the Chicago Reader from 1987 until 2008, when he retired at the age of 65...
has been highly critical of the restoration. He has argued that numerous changes were made to Welles' original intent. He has asserted that the restoration was incompetent, using a copy of the American-release prints which originally came with a technically flawed soundtrack that the restoration has been unable to compensate for, and which could have been easily avoided. He has argued that the now-banned and out-of-print 1995 Laserdisc edition of the unrestored film is far closer to Welles' original vision. Most damningly, he states that in her refusing to give permission for her father's version to be shown or released "she’s effectively made her father’s version of the film (as well as, more indirectly, his final feature, Filming Othello), illegal, so that she can make more money on her own version", since she only receives royalties on the version which she restored. In support of this, he cites several instances of Beatrice Welles suing or attempting to sue restorations and rereleases of her father's work (including films such as Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
which she does not hold the rights to), unless she is granted a percentage of the profits. Accordingly, he blames her for the unseen status of Welles' final released film, Filming Othello
Filming Othello
Filming Othello is a 1978 documentary film directed by and starring Orson Welles about the making of his award-winning 1952 production Othello. The film, which was produced for West German television, was the last completed feature film directed by Welles.-Plot:Filming Othello begins with Welles...
(which contains many clips from Othello), and his last unreleased film, The Other Side of the Wind
The Other Side of the Wind
The Other Side of the Wind is an unfinished film directed by Orson Welles, shot between 1969 and 1976, and starring John Huston, Bob Random, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg and Oja Kodar.-Summary:...
(arguing that her court success over Othello emboldened her to attempt to claim rights over this film, which is mostly owned by Welles' partner Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar is a Croatian actress, screenwriter and director, best known as the girlfriend of Orson Welles for the last 24 years of his life.-Life:...
).
, the 1992 restoration is now out-of-print in the U.S., and can be found only in outlet stores, whilst the original version remains unavailable.