Othello

Oliver Parker's 1995 adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy centres on Othello, a Moorish commander in the service of Venice, and his secret marriage to Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian nobleman. Iago, Othello's ensign, believes his commander has passed him over for promotion in favour of Cassio, and he sets out to take revenge. By feeding Othello suspicions that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio, Iago turns the general's love into jealousy and sets the couple on a course toward tragedy. The film keeps the play's Venetian and Cypriot settings and follows the original intrigue closely.

The production was a three-country effort involving British, Italian and American companies. It was Parker's first feature as director, and he also wrote the screenplay; later films of his include An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, Dorian Gray and Dad's Army. Laurence Fishburne plays Othello opposite Irène Jacob as Desdemona, with Kenneth Branagh as Iago. Nathaniel Parker, Michael Maloney and Anna Patrick round out the principal roles.

Made for around 11 million dollars, the film returned roughly 3 million dollars at the worldwide box office. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 152 votes, while a film critics' rating stands at 6.3 out of 10 from 41 reviews, placing the two measures close together.