Learning on ScreenOthello
- Alternative title
- BBC Radio Collection: William Shakespeare’s Othello
- Synopsis
- Shakespeare’s Othello adapted for radio and directed by Jeremy Mortimer, with Ray Fearon as Othello and Anastasia Hille as Desdemona. Set in the-mid 20th century, jazz sets the tone, ranging from the 78rpm gramophone record that Othello plays to Desdemona when they arrive in Cyprus (their safe arrival is broadcast on Radio Cyprus), to the apparently uncontrolled singing (Jazz singer Julie Tippetts) that is heard just before Iago sets out to "kill men i’ the dark" (5.1.). With an introduction by Richard Eyre. Music by Dominic Fitzgerald.
- Series
- Sunday Play
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Audio; Radio
- Transmission details
- 30 Sep 2001 at 18:30 (Channel: BBC Radio 3)
- Duration
- 180 mins
- Availability
- Sale
Credits
- Director
- Jeremy Mortimer
- Producer
- Jeremy Mortimer
- Writer
- William Shakespeare
- Music
- Dominic Fitzgerald
- Contributor
- Richard Eyre
- Cast
Additional Details
- Production type
- Television and Radio Drama
- Historical period
- 1950s
- Plays
- Othello
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- Notes
- In Jeremy Mortimer’s own words, his intention with this production was "to create an impression of an enclosed, claustrophobic and decadent world - sparsely populated, and ruled by a tight-knit group" (BBC Press Information, Week 40, 29 September - 5 October 2001, p. 11).
Commercially released as part of the BBC Radio collection series in 2001, cassettes and CDs of the production that include an introduction by Richard Eyre and an essay by director Jeremy Mortimer are available for sale from the BBC Shop (www.bbcshop.com) or through retail outlets. - General
- According to BBC Press Information, this is the first Othello to be broadcast on Radio 3 since the 1972 production with Paul Scofield.
- History
- Broadcast as part of the BBC’s Shakespeare for the New Millennium season on Radio 3, in which the BBC mounted 17 new productions of Shakespeare in the space of four years. The emphasis of the productions is on a contemporary, innovative approach. The project was done in collaboration with BBC Worldwide, who were also responsible for the commerical release.
- Documentation
- Accompanying booklet including scene-by-scene analysis, brief biographies of the leading actors and Shakespeare, as well as an essay from the producer on the interpretation of the play.
- Reviews
- Reviewed by Michael P. Jensen in ‘Entries Play by Play’, in Richard Burt (ed)., Shakespeares After Shakespeares: an Encyclopedia of the Bard in Mass Media and Popular Culture, Vol. 2 (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006), p 553. Entry 2447.
Production Company
- Name
BBC
- Notes
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Distributor
- Name
BBC Radio Collection, c/o Choices UK, 19-24 Manasty Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6UP, tel 01733 236800, fax 01733 230618, www.choicesdirect.co.uk
- enquiries@choicesuk.com
- Web
- http://www.choicesuk.com External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 01733 236800
- Fax
- 01733 230618
- Address
- c/o Choices UK
19-24 Manasty Road
Orton Southgate
Peterborough
PE2 6UP
Distributor (Sale)
- Name
Retail outlets
Record Stats
This record has been viewed 1100 times.
