Otello - Placido Domingo - Film by Zeffirelli, 1986DVD5 - PAL - 16:9 - All regions - 118min. - Italian - Dolby Digital 2.0 -
Subtitles: English, German, French, Italian, Castellano, Netherlands
Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Díaz, Petra Malakova, Urbano Barberini
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Legendary Italian director Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet) and renowned tenor Placido Domingo unite their mighty talents for this lavish production of composer Giuseppe Verdi's classic opera based on Shakespeare's timeless, tragic masterpiece Othello. Victorious general Otello (Domingo) returns in triumph to his adopted city of Venice after vanquishing its foes at sea. But noteveryone is poised to give him a hero's welcome. Even as his beautiful wife Desdemona (Katia Ricciarelli) lavishes him with affection, Iago (Justino Diaz), a disgruntled ensign, plots his downfall. And when Iago uses Otello's own jealous nature against him, he drives a wedge between husband and wife with devastating consequences!
This is not strictly Verdi's Otello; it is a fast-moving, hard-hitting film adaptation of the opera that omits some of the music (most notably the "Willow Song") to enhance the dramatic pace. With brilliant camera work, the "you-are-there" impact of film vs. a videotaped stage production, and outstanding performances from all the principals, it is also the Otello that you may find yourself replaying most frequently.
Director Franco Zeffirelli has been criticized for altering Verdi--in effect, for adapting the libretto (the best one Verdi ever had) to a medium that Verdi never imagined. But he is only giving to Verdi the same kind of treatment that Verdi gave to Shakespeare and Shakespeare gave to his Italian sources. It's a daring treatment, but it works brilliantly. Placido Domingo stands out in his generation as an interpreter of Otello, vocally powerful and dramatically convincing. He is well supported by Katia Ricciarelli as Desdemona and Justino Diaz as Iago.
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