Director
Orson Welles
Leading Actors/Actresses
Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Suzanne Cloutier, Robert Coote
Genre
Drama, History, Romance
Language
English
Awards
Won Grand Prize of the Festival at the Cannes Film Festival
Date of Release
1951
Producer
Orson Welles
Setting and Context
Venice, Italy
Narrator and Point of View
POV is that of Iago and Othello
Tone and Mood
Serious, Dramatic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Othello. Antagonist is Iago.
Major Conflict
Iago has set in motion a plan to ensure Othello believes his wife, Desdemona is sleeping with Cassio when she is not.
Climax
Othello kills Desdemona, believing that she has committed adultery. Emilia then confesses that Iago had taken Desdemona's handkerchief which causes Othello to know he has killed his innocent wife; he then stabs himself which leads to his death, and Iago is captured.
Foreshadowing
The beginning of the film foreshadows Othello and Desdemona's death as we see their funeral procession.
Understatement
It is understated that Emilia will confess to knowing her husband has betrayed Othello.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
The film is an allusion to how vital it is for people in power to be counseled by those they trust, and that finding ones we truly can rely on is most necessary for one's life.
Paradox
Emilia knows that giving Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago means trouble. Paradoxically, she says nothing of it until Desdemona has been murdered by Othello.
Parallelism
The opening funeral procession parallels the same funeral procession in the closing scene.
