Othello (1951) on Netflix
Iago resents that Othello promoted Cassio to lieutenant over him. He complains to Roderigo that he was not told of Othello's marriage to Desdemona, and the two tell Brabantio of it.
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Trailer
Plot summary
Othello, a Moorish general, has married Desdemona, and Iago, his ensign, learns of the marriage only after the fact. Iago was passed over when Othello made Cassio lieutenant, and he is jealous. He complains to Roderigo, who is thinking of killing himself, and answers that he would sooner change his humanity with a baboon than drown himself over a woman. Iago tells Roderigo to put money in his purse, to sell his lands, and to give him the money, saying he will spend it to persuade Desdemona to have sex. Iago and Roderigo then tell Desdemona's father, Brabantio, about the marriage. Brabantio is furious and says Othello used sorcery on his daughter. Othello answers that it was not witchcraft but his tragic tales that won her.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Othello (1951)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While acting in the 1950 film The Black Rose, Welles insisted his character Bayan's coat be lined with mink even though it would not be visible; the producers agreed, the coat then disappeared, and it turned up in Othello with the fur lining exposed on screen.
SPOILER
Welles shot the scene of Roderigo being murdered in a Turkish bath in that form because the original costumes had been impounded, and delaying to use replacements was not an option.- Suzanne Cloutier's entire performance as Desdemona was dubbed by Gudrun Ure, who had already played Desdemona opposite Welles in a 1951 stage production of Othello staged to raise money to finish the film.
- The 1992 restoration, supervised by Welles's daughter Beatrice Welles, has been the only version available on VHS and DVD since the mid-1990s, because her legal action blocked either version released by Orson Welles from being sold.
- The 1992 restoration's picture was taken from a fine-grain master positive found in a New Jersey storage facility, while its audio came from a distribution print that the team resynchronized virtually syllable by syllable to match that master.
