Product Description Performed for the first time at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, with it's racing concentrated plot and intense dramatic detail, Othello is one of Shakespeare's most exciting, atmospheric and heartbreaking plays. This is a tale of uncontrollable jealousy, deception and murder driven by one of theatre's greatest villains. Starring Eamonn Walker and Tim McInnerny and performed at the Globe Theatre, this stage-bound production captures all the jealousy, deception and murder of William Shakespeare's classic play. Review This DVD from Kultur captures a production at the historic Globe Theatre where all of Shakespeare's plays originated. Othello is presented in this version on simplistic terms without a set but with plenty of traditional period costuming. The Globe is an outdoor venue, and there is little lighting design required or able to be used. This is as primitive and elemental as you can get, without any of the flashy technical arts of the theatre to fall back on. The production hinges on the performances to keep an audience glued for over three hours.Luckily, the cast is up to the challenge of performing this well-known known tragedy, and that is the most compelling reason to sit down with Kultur's DVD edition, which presents a previously televised presentation. Eamonn Walker (Duma) has played the role of Othello a number of times, and his performance is fiery and competent. The actor brings dignity, grace, and the perfect energy to make you believe in the Moor's dilemma, which forces him into a murderous, jealous rage. Character actor Tim McInnerny (The Black Adder) makes Iago appropriately evil and maniacal. Zoe Tapper (The Last Van Helsing) is visually stunning as well as earnest as the doomed Desdemona. The actors make the verses move quickly, and they all have a nice intense energy that suits this staging.It's nice to see Othello performed without any gimmicks or stunt casting. Theatre fans and Shakespeare aficionados will be satisfied and pleased with this primal staging at a historic location. Anyone hoping for spectacle or reinvention won't find any of that in director Wilson Milam's traditional interpretation. You can see the audience reacting to the production thanks to the three-quarter thrust nature of the Globe's stage, and you feel as if you are in Stratford right along with the ticket buyers. Othello contains a strong cast performing a classic tragedy, and for those reasons, it's a fine DVD to connect with the Bard's work --DVD Verdict, Judge Brett CullumKultur is dedicated to bringing great performances of international opera, ballet, and theater to DVD and only a churl would ask them to ever cease doing just that. I will always remember with great affection the countless hours of pleasure they have given not only me, but so many of my friends and acquaintances as well. Anyone seeking a bit of culture in their living room as a relief from nothing but movies embraces Kultur's passion. If one doesn't hold a special place in his or her heart for this vast display of artistic achievement, then one should. --Harvey Perr, Stage and CinemaRecorded for television on 4 May 2007 at the live production from The Globe, this particular production of Othello translates well to its DVD format with crisp, warm color and camera angles that capture stage action and reaction along with appropriately timed close-ups. While Eamonn Walker's portrayal of Othello is mesmerizing, Tim McInnerny's Iago is the maliciously merry ringleader of the production's antics. Innerny s Iago impresses the point that the villain of the piece is as equally important to the play as its title character, a sharp contrast to Walker's Othello. Both actors take command of the stage when they re on it, complimenting one another's characterization greatly. Innerny (best known for his role in television s Black Adder) seems to relish Iago's interaction with the audience, casting sneering glances and smirking at those in attendance as he lets them in on his dastardly plots and schemes. He makes Shakespeare's soulless opportunist loathsomely likeable, particularly in his scenes manipulating the foolish Roderigo (Sam Crane, who plays the role with a foppish flair). When Iago tells Roderigo to 'put money in thy purse', his speech manages to combine comedy with a malicious underlying intent. Similarly, he's a hoot when mocking Cassio (Nick Barber)'s vaguely narcissistic mannerisms. Innerny's Iago revels in his remorselessness, making it clear to the audience that he sees nothing wrong with affecting the lives of others to twist the situation to his advantage. On the flipside, Eamonn Walker delivers no less of an outstanding performance as Othello. The Globe Theatre production of Othello isn't the first time Walker has stepped into the role, having played a modernized version of the character in an ITV1 film.Walker's Othello is both regal and physically imposing. The actor's raspy voice lends itself to the Moor's initially calm and eloquent manner, holding his ground with dignity, genuine emotion, and grace in the face of Brabantio (John Stahl)'s rage. Although it's a small part, Stahl's characterization of Desdemona's father is memorable. Transforming the character from its typical interpretation as a sad, old man into an outraged if not double-standard bearing racist father at odds with his daughter. Brabantio, and others, seem to lead the charge in the process of dehumanizing Othello, finding it hard to believe him capable of kindness. Walker's interaction as Othello with Zoƫ Tapper's stellar portrayal of a strong, yet sweet natured Desdemona as a pair of blissful newlyweds proves this otherwise, the actors showcasing believable tenderness in their scenes together. Milam's interpretation of Othello, although more than relevant to the unspoken racial tensions of the present day, manages to pull off an authentic replication of 16th century Venice and Cypress with costuming that while not terribly elaborate, is no less beautiful and true to the period. His direction makes use of the massive pillars of the Globe theatre's stage set up to punctuate the dialogue. A sparse catalogue of props: a table, two benches, one stool, and one bed adequately keeps the focus on the top notch acting of the cast. An effort of pure passion by the director and cast, during the readings, various quartos and folios were used to create this interpretation seen here. Each cast member enjoyed different readings and rallied to get theirs incorporated into the final interpretation seen here. --Pop-Matters.com
J**K
Would it have killed you folks to offer captions???
I see before me a "divided duty". As a performance, I would give this production five stars: the globe theatre is amazing, the costumes and staging is authentic, and the performances are riveting. Unfortunately, I purchased this dvd set precisely for use in the classroom, and there's the rub. Technically, I cannot use this dvd set in my classroom because it's in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act due to the fact that Kurtur (the publisher) does not provide closed captions for the performance. For those who are not in a teaching environment, this may not seem like a big deal, but the lack of captions means that I literally cannot even put this disc on reserve at my library. If it is not equally accessible to all students, regardless of ability or handicap, it is a violation of federal law to use it. I consider this a massive oversight on the part of Kultur and Shakespeare's Globe and a self-imposed injury. I give the 2-disk set 5 stars for the performance, and 1 star for its value as an educational resource, and that's tragic.
H**I
Othello at the Globe!
The main attraction here is the recreated Globe Theater itself. And this production makes good use of this marvelous stage. Nice camera work -- sometimes, briefly, the camera moves to the back of the stage -- and we see the actors from above and behind, and we see audience reactions. Eamonn Walker is a fine, powerful Othello, if a bit too young. Tim McInnery's Iago is perhaps the weakest part of the production. With all his boisterousness and shouting, he doesn't really convey the subtle evil the role requires. The Desdemona is fine -- and the Emelia's feisty performance surprised me -- but it works very well.
J**H
Audience all but ruins this production
The play is pretty good, but the audience interaction is overwhelmingly distracting. People coming and going is annoying enough, but the wildly inappropriate laughter smattered throughout ruins scenes that are rather well acted and, of course, brilliantly written.
J**N
Savage and heartbreaking
I had the chance to see this performance live, and it is just as compelling on video. Iago is charming and repugnant. Othello is tender, jealous, and brutal. There is a bewildering mix of humor and tragedy that is simply impossible to capture in a movie. If you can find a copy, buy it.
A**N
Excellent production, No subtitles
I bought this for my high school classroom because I wasn't sure about other versions/adaptations. It is tremendously well-acted and students loved seeing what they had read. Scenes are individually accessible via the Table of Contents, which helped with student comprehension if one of the scenes were particularly difficult to envision.Unfortunately, there aren't subtitles but that's the only downside.
C**N
Great production that needed more special features
Eamonn Walker is a magnificent Othello. Powerfully built with the strong, masculine presence that the character of Othello requires, Walker also has a beautifully emotive face, and eyes that give away so much of the character's heart. Really, the best Othello I've seen.Other reviewers have problems with things that did not bother me at all - When Iago is not the center of the action, McInnerny will sometimes give a dull, slack-jawed look. My interpretation of this is that any time Iago speaks, any time a character looks at him, he is performing. But this face - the dull, empty, calculating face - is his true one. It's an interesting choice, I think. Some reviewers complained that the director had turned the play into a comedy, but Shakespeare's work always contains comedic elements, comedy or no. It's just the way he wrote, and is a technique still used by filmmakers and playwrights today - you build tension, then you break tension (which is where the comedy comes in), so that you can build it again. The lines are Shakespeare's, this is just a different interpretation than we've previously seen, and a successful one, I think.Some things I did have a problem with - the actress who plays Desdemona makes one terrible misstep early in the production (a long slow look around the room). These moments of really bad acting (or directing, although none of us can tell whose fault it is) serve to remind the audience - this is not Desdemona, this is a woman who is being paid to pretend she's Desdemona for a couple hours, and then she'll go home and put on her yoga pants and have some tea. Not a great way to suck your audience into a story. She otherwise gave a lovely and delightful performance, but it took a little while to recover from that initial bobble.And the biggest problem - and I feel like such a jerk for saying this - the two black actresses. It's not about them, it's about the story. All choices the director makes should be to serve the story. These two ladies were both really good actors, and I would love to see them in something else, but these roles need to be filled by white actors, not black. If there are other mixed-race marriages in this play, then why is it such a big deal when Othello and Desdemona marry? If there are other black characters in this city, then why is Othello himself considered such an exotic character? To complain about these lovely and talented women is not to make a racist statement. It's to complain that the story was not served.All this leads to my request for more special features. In the brief "documentary," the director talks about what he wanted in doing the production, and he talks about how some of the stars were cast, and... that's it. I wanted to know more about Eamonn Walker, to fulfill my slight movie star crush, but mostly I wanted to know why he chose the two black lady actors - what his intention was in making that decision. Alas. Alackaday.
A**R
Seeing a live performance adds more excitement and immediacy. ...
Seeing a live performance adds more excitement and immediacy. The viewer is forced to deal with the realities of live theatre. There aren't any studio microphones, so the actors really need to project their voices. I find that with repeated viewings I absorb and understand more and more of the text.I don't have any negative comments. Shakespeare's Othello really offers a keen insight into racist and sexist attitudes in 16th century Britain.
J**.
So great for the classroom!
As a high school English teacher I found this DVD to be a wonderful teaching tool. Telling the kids how Shakespearean plays are staged does not make the same impact as actually seeing it--not to mention it improves comprehension when they see/hear the play (especially on the Globe stage) instead of just reading it off the paper.Having said that... this play is great for nerds like me, but if you're looking for Hollywood fluff for entertainment value, look elsewhere (I recommend the Lawrence Fishborne version). This is the whole play and nothing but the play.There are other reviews who criticized the acting/specific actors--to them I say this is a wonderful SHAKESPEAREAN performance, in all its pomp and circumstance; overacting comes with the territory.
S**N
Five Stars
A beautifully executed performance. Very moving.
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