Othello

My acting teacher, the late great Hayes Gordon, used to say that no acting was too big, as long as it was filled. In other words, if the emotion was real, an actor could chew the scenery and still create empathy from the audience. I have never seen a better example of this than in this superb silent adaptation of Shakespeare's classic.

Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss, probably the two best German actors of their generation, give HUGE performances as Othello and Iago - but both are completely believable, and utterly compelling, because every emotion is felt, not indicated. As a result, this could be the best of all the film "Othellos".

Strikingly shot, on brilliantly realised sets, the director also makes sure that nothing distracts from the magnificent performances of the actors. Every performance in this film is brilliant - but Jannings and Krauss climb to the pinacle of silent film acting.

See this film, and see two of the greatest actors of all time convey the essence of Shakespeare without uttering a single word!

I was looking forward to this release of OTHELLO with the same sort of anticipation that I had reserved for Kino's RICHARD III. Therefore I must confess that I found this DVD something of a disappointment which has nothing to do with the film itself but rather with the presentation. My biggest complaint is with the piano score written to accompany the film. It's not a bad score but it seems inadequate for the story and for the visuals especially after hearing Ennio Morricone's score for RICHARD III. An orchestral or chamber music score would have been more appropriate. There's also a considerable lack of information about the main feature. Where are the credits?

Having said that I found the film itself a delight. While not a literal adaptation of OTHELLO, it conveys the psychological essence of the play quite well. This is after all a German silent with the appropriate visual look and stylised performances that are to be expected with such a film. The performances of Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss are simply marvelous especially Krauss whose Iago resembles the Mephistopheles that Jannings would portray in FAUST two years later. His remarkable resemblance to Terry Jones of MONTY PYTHON adds a little something extra for today's audience. It's interesting but not surprising that Lya De Putti as Emilia receives higher billing than Ica von Lenkeffy as Desdemona. Her relationship with Iago is far more interesting than that of Othello and Desdemona. Hungarian actress De Putti appeared in a number of important German silents including THE INDIAN TOMB and VARIETY. Ica von Lenkeffy, another Hungarian actress, has little to do except stand around and look pretty which is often the case with Desdemona on film.

Director Dmitri Buchowetzki mixes potent visuals, close ups, and large scale crowd scenes to great effect. The print is less than perfect but is probably the best available and is still very fine. The supplements are a definite plus and here the piano accompaniment fits quite nicely. The 1911 DESDEMONA takes the top honors. The resemblance of Ronald Colman's A DOUBLE LIFE to it did not go unnoticed. Check out Biograph's 1908 TAMING OF THE SHREW for a rare glimpse of Florence Lawrence, the original Biograph Girl, who portrays Katherine. There is also early Max Linder in ROMEO TURNS BANDIT and interesting costumes in DUEL SCENE FROM MACBETH. All in all a valuable release and a must for silent film fans. It's really good but it could have been even better...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

I am not a huge fan of Shakespeare, but I have seen a couple dozen different silent versions of his films and I must say that this film is definitely the best. Unlike some of the earliest versions that only lasted a few minutes (way too short to do any justice to the plays), this one was a lengthy film--allowing for a reasonable treatment. Now you STILL can't compare this to a sound version of the film because since it's a silent, the lyrical quality of the play is missing. Some purists might hate this (after all, they don't recite the play verbatim like many sound versions), but I liked how the play was changed to a pantomime piece with an emphasis on action and characterization.

For someone who doesn't get excited about hearing all the original words of Shakespeare yet loves silent films, this is a wonderful film. The sets for 1922 were exceptional and the acting was fortunately not over the top--which is sometimes a problem with OTHELLO. You do NOT see a crazed caricature of a man, as Emil Jannings plays the lead role very well--with humanity and not relying too much on gesticulations or campiness. He was an amazing silent actor--hence his winning the first Oscar for Best Actor just a few years later. Unfortunately, he was also a devoted Nazi and wasted his talent from the mid-1930s onward!

"German expressionism" is not so much in the film as it is as on the faces of Emil Jannings (Othello) and Werner Krauss (Iago), in this silent version of "Othello". The production is nicely staged, with everyone finding their marks. Its costumes and sets are very well designed. The adaptation is faithful enough to Shakespeare's envious storyline. But, watching two overly grand old actors is the film's main calling card, presently. Mugging uproariously in a fat-clinging black outfit, Mr. Krauss renders darkly-skinned Mr. Jannings positively subtle, in comparison. The most sensual scene has Krauss delivering Jannings' handkerchief while arranging the pillows for his head.

***** Othello (2/22) Dimitri Buchowetzki ~ Emil Jannings, Werner Krauss, Ica von Lenkeffy

Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss are both almost unrecognisable in this enjoyable breeze through Shakespeare's play. Jannings is fairly restrained and cuts an impressive figure in the title role; but a portly, moon-faced Krauss (looking like Zero Mostel wearing an earring and a silly little moustache) remains overshadowed by Micheal Macliammoir's poisonously definitive Iago in Orson Welles's version thirty years later.