Much discussion surrounding Shakespeare's fascinating play Othello revolves around the amount of culpability the reader should place on the title character's shoulders, and how much should be placed on his so-called friend, Iago's, shoulders. Iago plants a seed of doubt into Othello's mind as to the fidelity of his wife, and from there, Othello kills her as a result of his overwhelming, all-consuming jealousy. Many would argue it is Othello's choice, his free will, that is solely to blame and to pin any culpability on Iago is to deny Shakespeare's model of the tragic character. Certainly, it was Othello who takes the final, decisive tragic actions himself, but I have always favoured the lesser accepted stance: were it not for Iago's incessant meddling and cunning, Othello would never have turned jealous -- ever.
See, Richard III had that killer instinct in him, and so did Macbeth. It was always inside them, just waiting to erupt. Othello is presented by Iago with (seeming) proof upon proof that his own wife is disloyal, but this is not something that has lingered in the back of his mind until it is placed there. And because I have always believed Iago's part to hold the greater weight of responsibility for the tragedy, I appreciate Oliver Parker's 1995 version of Othello all the more.
Kenneth Branagh is pivotal in the motion picture as Iago; he stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast. Iago is practically the main character here, even though Branagh gets third billing in the credits. His Iago is hateful, sly and ambiguous, and moreover an uncanny interpretation of how I'd always envisioned the character. Laurence Fishburne plays Othello with studied intensity. He's bound only by some of the creative choices, such as presenting the possible angle that the character suffers from epilepsy, and Parker's inclusion of several dialogue-less sex scenes to keep the viewer's attention. Certainly, casting the beautiful Irene Jacob (Red) doesn't hurt; she looks radiant, despite intermittent intensity when it comes to delivering the text itself.
For those unfamiliar with the play or weary of having to watch Shakespeare, this adaptation wisely filters out the superfluous subplots, only awarding brief screen time to characters such as Cassio (Nathaniel Parker), Roderigo (Michael Maloney), and Emilia (Anna Patrick). I find that far too frequently, the secondary storylines in a tragedy tend to interrupt the thrust of the main ideas. So that would be another point of argument for Shakespeare purists, I suppose. Yes, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, and Orson Welles have all played the title character, and I'm sure all of those films are insightful, thorough and well-made, but I really enjoyed Parker's version and perhaps all of the naysayers are merely "jealous" of this marvellous accomplishment.
