Oliver Parker's Adaptation of 'Othello' - Review
Since watching Oliver Parker’s adaptation of ‘Othello’, I have decided to give you my view on Parker’s take on the original play, which I found somewhat disappointing. The film was left shortened and many parts of the original play were omitted, which I think makes it hard for your typical, everyday person to understand. It may be much easier for purist Shakespeare followers to understand, but if you do not know the ins and outs of the book, then getting a grasp on Parker’s adaptation may be confusing, and therefore less enjoyable. Ultimately, I think this was the outcome – less enjoyable, than the original play, for the most of us.
I disagree with Jenessa Casey's online review and many of the points that she raised. She claims that Oliver Parker ‘cut many parts of the play's scenes to shorten the film while adding a few to provide a more cinematic and box office-oriented production’. Although this may have been the desired effect, I do not feel that it has truly worked. Instead of making it a better box office production, it actually made it difficult to follow because of all the key, interlinking dialogue that was missed. This can easily sway our opinion on the characters themselves, and after watching the film, it made me view many of the characters very differently because of the way Parker had portrayed them.
A vital part which was missed out was the exchange of words between Othello and Desdemona (Act 3 Scene 3). In the film, Desdemona pleads to Othello to take Cassio back. Although Parker may feel that the text was unnecessary, it does not give us a sense of why Desdemona wants Othello to give Cassio another chance. This is very confusing for the audience because it raises suspicions of an affair between Desdemona and Cassio – Why does Desdemona want Cassio back so desperately without explanation? This would make it even more confusing for an audience that has never read the play before. I also feel that throughout the film, the camera was not on Desdemona often enough, which meant that the audience disconnected with her thoughts and feelings. This made it hard to empathise with Desdemona.
In Parker’s ‘Othello’, Kenneth Branagh played the character of Iago. Branagh sets the scene for a box-office hit. However, I do not think his character worked particularly well for the role the played. Kenneth Branagh is a highly regarded, respected actor. I think that this is not ideal for Iago’s character because we immediately begin to warm to him, even though Iago is the villain. We like Branagh, so we don’t tend to dislike Iago throughout the film. This is no fault of his own however: Branagh played his role well, but I would argue that he shouldn’t have been cast for the role of ‘Honest Iago’.