OTHELLO
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros
(Columbia) Directed by Oliver Parker Written by Oliver Parker, from the play by William Shakespeare Cast Laurence Fishburn, Irene Jacob, Kenneth Branagh MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for sex, violence, and nudity) Running Time 124 minutes Reviewed at The Rialto, Raleigh, NC (18JAN96)
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Moor is less in this new adaptation of the "Bill" Shakespeare classic. Veteran stage actor Oliver Parker, who's making his feature film debut, is aiming for mass appeal. He's excised almost half of the original text, included plenty of sex and violence, and recorded the whole thing in big, booming stereo sound. For the leads, he's cast a few good faces: Laurence Fishburne as the Big Guy, French actress Irene Jacob (RED) as Desdemona, and Kenneth Branagh as Iago. It all sounds good on paper, and, for the first few scenes, it almost works.
The biggest problem is Fishburne, who's flat. He has the look and can deliver the lines, but he never burns with the fire that the role requires. Jacob, a lovely presence, stumbles a bit through her Eliz- abethan English, while Branagh has a jolly olde time talking to and winking at the camera. The artist formerly known as Mr. Emma Thompson is clearly in his element, even if he has about twelve too many asides. (Parker's loose direction doesn't help, especially when we can't tell if Branagh is talking to himself, to us, or to someone off-screen.) If you really want to brush up your Shakespeare, go rent Orson Welles' superior 1952 version.
Grade: C
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Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC
legeros@nando.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w)
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