Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Orson Welles' Othello Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 2, 2014

Winner of Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Orson Welles' "Othello" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the release include a trailer for the recent restoration of the film; new video program featuring film historian and author Joseph McBride; Hilton Edwards' short film "Return to Glennascaul" (1953); archival interview with the American director from 1975; and more. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Othello

Orson Welles' Othello is available individually and as part of a four-disc box set, which also includes the reconstructed Macbeth. Pictures of the box set are included with this review as well as with our review of Macbeth, which can be accessed here.

Orson Welles’ adaptation of William Shakespeare’s legendary Othello retains the core of the classic play, but it introduces the viewer to its characters and the reality in which they exist in a rather unusual fashion. Indeed, the film opens up with a funeral procession which reveals how it would end -- the bodies of Othello (Welles) and his bride (Suzanne Cloutier) are carried away, while the evil Iago (Micheal MacLiammoir) is placed in a giant cage. Welles then sends the viewer back in time and reassembles the events preceding the deaths of Othello and Desdemona.

The manner in which these events are presented is also unusual. The camera frequently follows Othello, but it is Iago that emerges as the more compelling character. The intensity of his manipulations and presence quickly overshadow Othello’s gradual descent into madness. As a result, there are large parts of the film where the dynamics of the relationships between Othello, Desdemona, and Iago certainly surprise.

The film’s visual design is arguably its biggest strength. (Opinions of course vary, but this reviewer certainly sides with those who believe that as far as Othello is concerned Welles is better as a director than he is as an actor). For example, the camera is not a casual observer but a curious entity which seems to exist amongst the main characters -- there are very unique angles/peeks, tracking shots, and different zooms that greatly enhance the film’s special atmosphere. The balance between light and shadow also supports the spirit of the play, but it gives the film a noir-esque edge the feels strikingly original.

Welles shot Othello over a long period of time and at different locations (Morocco and Italy). Because of budget limitations, different actors were also considered for different roles. For example, before choosing Cloutier for the role of Desdemona, Welles worked with Italian icon Lea Padovani and Betsy Blair. Unsurprisingly, at times the final version of the film could look somewhat uneven. It certainly could sound somewhat uneven as well -- parts of the dialogue could be too thin or muffled -- though one could probably easily argue that its production limitations are actually an integral part of the film’s charm.

The theatrical and home video markets have seen different versions of Othello. In an outstanding new featurette produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory, American film historian and writer Joseph McBride (Orson Welles; What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Career) mentions four different versions of the film: an Italian dubbed version from 1951 with another director doing the dubbing and other actors doing the different parts; the official premiere version screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952 (which is typically considered to be the original version); the American version of the film which was reedited by Welles and released in 1955; and the restored version of the film from 1992, which features different soundtrack modifications and audio adjustments and was approved by Beatrice Welles-Smith, the American director’s third daughter.

Carlotta Films’ Blu-ray release of Othello features a new 2K restoration of the 1992 version which was completed in 2014.

Orson Welles' Othello Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Orson Welles' Othello arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.

Carlotta Films' new 2K restoration of Othello is lovely. What immediately impresses is how notably healthy the film looks now -- there are no large scratches, debris, cuts, stains, or damage marks, and overall image stability is excellent. Depth and clarity are very good. While there are some areas of the film where minor density fluctuations are noticeable -- and some of the unevenness is definitely inherited as the film was shot over a long period of time and at various locations -- fluidity is consistently pleasing. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Compromising sharpening adjustments also have not been applied. Color saturation and stability are very good. All of these factors contribute to an overall very satisfying organic appearance (with many of the darker sequences revealing many of the most dramatic improvements). Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a very beautiful restoration of Othello which is guaranteed to please fans of the film and Orson Welles' work. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Orson Welles' Othello Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature.

Because Othello was shot over a long period of time -- with different parts of it also shot at different locations -- and because there are some minor native balance issues, portions of the dialog could be somewhat difficult to follow. The most obvious fluctuations are in terms of density, but some minor clarity fluctuations also remain. This being said, it is very easy to tell that the audio has been restored and rebalanced -- though it should be said that the synchronization adjustments and a number of other corrections were made when the 1992 restoration of the film was completed -- as there is no background hiss, crackle, or distortions.

Orson Welles' Othello Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray

• Bande-annonce 2014 - new trailer for the 2K restoration of Othello. In English, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Perspectives sur "Othello" - in this new featurette, film historian and author Joseph McBride (Orson Welles; What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Career) deconstructs Othello, highlights some of its unique qualities, and discusses its difficult production history. Joseph McBride also discusses the different versions of the film, as well as the new 2K restoration completed by Carlotta Films. The featurette was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, with optional French subtitles. (46 min).

• Return to Glennascaul (1953) - presented here is Hilton Edwards' short film, which is also known as Orson Welles' Ghost Story. Orson Welles stars in it and narrates it. Actor Micheal MacLiammoir (Iago) was one of its producers. Also included with the film is an archival introduction by Peter Bogdanovich. In English, with optional French subtitles. (27 min).

• Partie BD-ROM - 115-page reproduction of the original script for the film; photos; stills; posters; visual analysis of the film; and a lot more.

DVD

• Shakespeare and Orson Welles - presented here is a long archival interview with Orson Welles conducted by Richard Marienstras and produced by Isidro Romero in 1975. Orson Welles discusses a wide range of topics, including some of the unique dilemmas directors face when adapting Shakespeare's plays, the adaptation and premiere of Macbeth, the political overtones in Julius Caesar (play), etc. In English and portions of French, with imposed French subtitles where necessary. (54 min).

• DVD-ROM -

Orson Welles' Othello Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In an ideal world we would have new restorations of the 1955 and the 1992 versions of Orson Welles' Othello, but I am still very pleased to have this new 2K restoration of the 1992 version available on Blu-ray. The film really does look wonderful now. Carlotta Films' upcoming release also comes with some excellent supplemental features. Hopefully, when the new restoration is released on Blu-ray in North America, Fiction Factory's new featurette with film historian and author Joseph McBride will be included with it. It is fantastic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.