Othello

Alternative title: Moor, The
Synopsis: A version of the play, based on both Cinthio’s original tale and Shakespeare’s play, with echoes of Reinhardt and Expressionism. Emil Jannings is Othello.
Country: Germany
Medium: Film
Technical information: Black-and-white / Silent
Year of release: 1922
Duration: 8,731 feet

Director

Dimitri Buchowetzki

Producer

Paul Blumenthal

Cinematographer

Friedrich Paulmann; Karl Hasselmann

Writer

William Shakespeare

Screenplay

Carl Hagen; Dimitri Buchowetzki

Art Direction

Fritz Kraencke; Karl Machus

Cast

Notes: Available on DVD region 1 only. DVD extras include four silent Shakespeare films: Four silent Shakespearean shorts: DUEL SCENE FROM MACBETH (1905), THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (1908), ROMEO TURNS BANDIT (1910) and DESDEMONA (1911); Essay by Douglas Brode.
History: Released in the US in 1923 by Export & Import Film Co.
Textual information: The BFI National Archive copy is the American version, produced by Ben Blumenthal and David P. Howells, and edited by Don Bartlett. This 16mm print with English titles, is 2,341ft (65 minutes). The original German release length was 2,662m (8,731ft 35mm).
Reviews: Ball, Robert Hamilton. Shakespeare on Silent Film: A Strange Eventful History. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1968 (pp279-84, 376-377), Ball, who heavily criticises the film "the production was tasteless and unimaginative", and "the acting in general is incredibly bad", details each reel.

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