Laurence Olivier's film version of Shakespeare's "Othello" stands out as one of his greatest and most controversial performances.Having resisted playing the role until 1964 (onstage),Olivier was not content to simply put on blackface makeup and act the role sounding like his real self,as all previous white actors had done.He assumed the role only after Kenneth Tynan said he would not assume co-directorship of the National Theatre of Great Britain unless Olivier played Othello, a role he had always resisted partly because he felt it was Shakespeare's most difficult character,and partly because he felt the character himself was a "loser" who gave way too easily to jealousy.
But Olivier reconciled himself to the challenge and played Othello so convincingly that every actor since then,white or black,has had to measure up to his performance. Always searching for a different way to play a role, he took voice lessons to deepen his voice to a rich bass. He also adopted a foreign accent somewhere between Jamaican,regular British,and South African. He developed an unusual way of walking, much like the jungle dwellers. Of course,he risked incredible controversy in choosing to play his Othello like this. Nevertheless,his performance garnered rave reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor when it was filmed. The film was released in 1965,and played at reserved seat showings for only a few days.Unlike other Olivier Shakespeare films,this one was shot on a very low budget,due to unwillingness on the part of movie studios (Olivier's previous Shakespeare producers had all passed away by 1965) to put up the money. Thus,the movie is virtually a duplicate of the stage production,with no real locations and obviously phony lightning and thunder. The sets and props,although duplicated,have been greatly enlarged to soundstage size,and the production has been filmed as if the camera were actually onstage,so that extreme closeups and unusual camera angles are possible.
In an article in his book "Profiles",Kenneth Tynan explains how stage director John Dexter,influenced by a famous Shakespearean essay, deliberately chose to have Othello played somewhat unsympathetically as a warrior overly pleased with himself and his marriage to Desdemona,yet prone to displays of hysterical self-dramatization when he becomes jealous. If this is true,he didn't count on Olivier's amazing ability to create a character who is proud,yet so vulnerable,and so heart-rending in his collapse,that we never lose our sympathy for him,even when we see how easily he is duped by Iago (Frank Finlay). His pride,rather than seeming obnoxious,is rather comical,like a teen-ager who has snagged a date with the most beautiful girl in his class,and makes Othello rather lovable. Frank Finlay,who onstage and on the vinyl LP made from this production was swamped by Olivier's portrayal,comes across magnificently on film. His performance,unlike Olivier,has been filmed with numerous close-ups which emphasize his subtle facial expressions,most of which wouldn't be easily visible in a live performance. His Iago is the most convincing I have seen--he is the only actor who can make Iago seem like a "nice guy"to those around him. His friendliness to Cassio (Derek Jacobi) is entirely believable,and yet he can switch from giving concerned advice to showing utter contempt in an instant. A very young Maggie Smith is sweet and touching as Desdemona,Othello's bewildered wife,and Joyce Redman is amusingly cynical yet tragic as Iago's wife and unknowing accomplice.
This "Othello" may be controversial nowadays, because of the influence of "political correctness",and the fact that black actors such as James Earl Jones have been acclaimed in the role. But audiences who pass it up will miss one of the greatest portrayals of the twentieth centuty.
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