This greatest of actors was acting and made - up in the accepted way of his time.
He gave the greatest performance of Othello ever know at the time - and after many of the performances the audience waked out in silence, so powerful and life changing was Olivier's acting. Please don't judge his performance by what we accept now - he was at the time the greatest stage actor in the world and so we see it here.
no black actor has ever lived that can play the part so well as olivier - and very few white ones - since shakespeare wrote the part - for a white man to play. all black actors in the part have failed miserably and have been violently upstaged by iago.
I have never read Othello, but is he supposed to be a black man? If so, the makeup is very unconvincing.. he looks like he's a Victorian chimney sweeper.
I wish I could find some footage of that reverse Othello Patrick Stewart was in, where he played Othello and the rest of the cast was black. Anyone seen any of that?
@Jacobias Well here's the thing, is this blackface? Blackface is about mocking and degrading black people, Olivier is not degrading them in this performance. He's very much Shakespearean to the point where, this role could have been either a black or white man. Obviously Downey also wasn't doing it to degrade black people, he was mocking self important actors. You'll notice that his "black guy" is a satire of the "70s drill sergeant/Shaft-esque" black portrayal. A parody in itself.
This is so bad! Listen to the production recorded in the 1970's (I think) in which Othello is played by Richard Johnson, Iago by Ian Holm and Desdemona by Anna Calder Marshall...truly sublime.
It seems that some cannot distinguish between Sambo-style blackface and that donned by non-black actors and singers who perform Othello or (according to Verdi) Otello. The greatest Verdi Otello in my experience was the Caucasian Canadian dramatic tenor Jon Vickers. You can find his renditions on YouTube. The second greatest was the Hispanic Placido Domingo; ditto re. YouTube --
What brilliant black actors were available to Britain's National Theatre in 1964? And why shouldn't a Caucasian actor take on this role? Those who've done so include Richard Burbridge, Edwin Booth, John Gielgud, Walter Huston, Tomasso Silvani, Stanislavski, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Burton -- that's off the top of my head -- plus the Hispanic Raul Julia -- Caucasian tenors have been singing Verdi's "Otello" since it premiered more than 100 years ago. Do you object to that?
@marbeque Well, you have to remember that this was 1965, only one year after the Civil rights Act was signed into law. Up to then Othello had been played mostly by white actors in blackface. John Gielgud (!) and Ralph Richardon (!) played him in blackface, and Placido Domingo sings the operatic Otello in blackface.
You sound more racist for saying Olivier was not allowed to play the part because he was white.
Othello is a PART, he happens to be black, so chill out.
Not everything is so political.
If you think this is racist, then let's not have people translate shakespeare anymore; or let's not have a gay person (ian mckellen for instance) play Lear. Let's not have a bald Macbeth, like Stewart's.
Geez, people get so worked up. It's a PART. For ANY actor.
You sound more racist for saying Olivier was not allowed to play the part because he was white.
Othello is a PART, he happens to be black, so chill out.
Not everything is so political.
If you think this is racist, then let's not have people translate shakespeare anymore; or let's not have a gay person (ian mckellen for instance) play Lear. Let's not have a bald Macbeth, like Stweart's.
Geez, people get so worked up. It's a PART. For ANY actor.
Minerva McGonagall was hot back then. LOL
fatdaddyb28 3 months ago in playlist more movie quotes
Is it odd that the first thing I google video after drinking a bottle of wine is this??? I must be feeling sorry for myself lol
emma41093 5 months ago
This greatest of actors was acting and made - up in the accepted way of his time.
He gave the greatest performance of Othello ever know at the time - and after many of the performances the audience waked out in silence, so powerful and life changing was Olivier's acting. Please don't judge his performance by what we accept now - he was at the time the greatest stage actor in the world and so we see it here.
alydon2 5 months ago
@dianarrig: Can you put the whole movie on YouTube? After this I really want to see it.
JamieAmeliaClarisse 7 months ago
Great acting... It's kind of odd seeing Maggie so young. I love it!!
goseniors1 7 months ago
no black actor has ever lived that can play the part so well as olivier - and very few white ones - since shakespeare wrote the part - for a white man to play. all black actors in the part have failed miserably and have been violently upstaged by iago.
uclrichard 1 year ago
I'm the dude playing the dude, disguised as another dude!
BeemerLanding 1 year ago 16
I have never read Othello, but is he supposed to be a black man? If so, the makeup is very unconvincing.. he looks like he's a Victorian chimney sweeper.
icaughtfire93 1 year ago 5
@icaughtfire93 LMAO!!!!
AFRICA4AFRICANS 10 months ago
Wow! Its amazing to see Maggie smith so young! :P
Great stuff! Merci! X
Poppy0109 1 year ago 2
thats crazy that hes a white dude it looks like he has an afro too awesome job!
staceyyah22 1 year ago
awesome!!!!!
staceyyah22 1 year ago
I wish I could find some footage of that reverse Othello Patrick Stewart was in, where he played Othello and the rest of the cast was black. Anyone seen any of that?
handsomechuck1 1 year ago
The still of this video scared me so much.. I had to find out who dat was.. and OMG its Laurence Olivier ..
BlackFace is totally wrong..
(If ur not robert downey jr. and look better as a black man than u did as a white man.. that is)
Jacobias 1 year ago
@Jacobias Well here's the thing, is this blackface? Blackface is about mocking and degrading black people, Olivier is not degrading them in this performance. He's very much Shakespearean to the point where, this role could have been either a black or white man. Obviously Downey also wasn't doing it to degrade black people, he was mocking self important actors. You'll notice that his "black guy" is a satire of the "70s drill sergeant/Shaft-esque" black portrayal. A parody in itself.
Sshelly34213 1 year ago 3
Once You go black,You'll never go back.
phononut 1 year ago
This is so bad! Listen to the production recorded in the 1970's (I think) in which Othello is played by Richard Johnson, Iago by Ian Holm and Desdemona by Anna Calder Marshall...truly sublime.
priapus56 2 years ago
It seems that some cannot distinguish between Sambo-style blackface and that donned by non-black actors and singers who perform Othello or (according to Verdi) Otello. The greatest Verdi Otello in my experience was the Caucasian Canadian dramatic tenor Jon Vickers. You can find his renditions on YouTube. The second greatest was the Hispanic Placido Domingo; ditto re. YouTube --
stevevandien 2 years ago
"Pretty Miggie"? What's that all about? Jeez this is sad. I love Maggie.
RosemaryWeir 2 years ago 2
Oh my goddddddddd.
This is Lawrence Olivier, he was one of the most famous actors of the 20th Century, and YES he is 'blacked up' and it looks awful.
Personally I think Willard White was amazing as Othello.
Yes, Paul Robeson is the first recorded man to have played Othello, but Ira Aldrige was the first black person ever to play Othello.
DressUpAndKillTheTV 2 years ago
this guy looks like a painted white guy....weird
exmiranda 2 years ago
@exmiranda That "painted white guy' is Laurence Olivier, who received rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for his portrayal.
al1936ful 1 year ago
Is this REALLY Maggie Smith?? My my...
KitKatMeow666 3 years ago
Die you blackface actor!
Steadno 3 years ago
is that a white man painted black? lol
teflonproduction 3 years ago 13
Its Sir Laurence Olivier
jontibloom 3 years ago
no that's your momma.
blade767 3 years ago
hes such a milf
dilli0n 2 years ago
@teflonproduction Yep- Lawrence Olivier in blackface. Better blackface than usual, though.
CrawdaddyJoe 7 months ago
@teflonproduction yes. yes it is
grandmafrank1983 5 months ago
this foo looks fuckn' psycho
Slash85350 3 years ago
i have to memorize 3:00 to 6:00 for a play tomorrow. i feel wierd cuz im not black yet playing othello.
dabrik951 3 years ago
i hve 2 act this out 2day nd im freaking out
invertxkroz 3 years ago
I have to perform this in about an hour. =]
HAZARDxxx777 3 years ago
Yeah, it is kind of sad that Laurence Fishburne (in 1995!) was the first actual black actor to play this amazing black role.
botticelligal 3 years ago
Actually, Paul Robeson played the role with great success, decades before Fishburne.
JLI1976 3 years ago 4
Robeson's Othello was one of the best. He had a kind of dignity and power that few other actors possess.
phantom4087 2 years ago
@JLI1976 Yes, but he played it onstage. A black man would not have been able to play it on film in 1943.
al1936ful 1 year ago
Yes, please. You can even view an interview of Paul Robeson about his part - and being the first Black actor to play Othello right here on YOUTUBE!
Joodtube 3 years ago
No he wasnt Paul Robeson played Othello
waterbug21 3 years ago
no he wasnt. first black actor in a film.
emanresusirk 3 years ago
While it's ridiculous to say that Olivier is racist, it is just as ridiculous that they wouldn't just get a brilliant black actor to do this.
marbeque 3 years ago
What brilliant black actors were available to Britain's National Theatre in 1964? And why shouldn't a Caucasian actor take on this role? Those who've done so include Richard Burbridge, Edwin Booth, John Gielgud, Walter Huston, Tomasso Silvani, Stanislavski, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Burton -- that's off the top of my head -- plus the Hispanic Raul Julia -- Caucasian tenors have been singing Verdi's "Otello" since it premiered more than 100 years ago. Do you object to that?
stevevandien 2 years ago 2
Does it really matter in this day and age?
TheWilliegreene 2 years ago
@marbeque Well, you have to remember that this was 1965, only one year after the Civil rights Act was signed into law. Up to then Othello had been played mostly by white actors in blackface. John Gielgud (!) and Ralph Richardon (!) played him in blackface, and Placido Domingo sings the operatic Otello in blackface.
al1936ful 5 months ago
You sound more racist for saying Olivier was not allowed to play the part because he was white.
Othello is a PART, he happens to be black, so chill out.
Not everything is so political.
If you think this is racist, then let's not have people translate shakespeare anymore; or let's not have a gay person (ian mckellen for instance) play Lear. Let's not have a bald Macbeth, like Stewart's.
Geez, people get so worked up. It's a PART. For ANY actor.
rfcbeilfuss 3 years ago
God i feel like an idiot asking this..but is Sir Ian McKellan gay? Had no idea!
dimdre 3 years ago
Couldn't agree with you more, people get so hung up on such trivial things rather than looking beyond the superficial.
yumyumwhatzohai 2 years ago
a white man painted in black-face...pathetic! (but historic nonetheless)
2BIG4myBRITCHEZ 3 years ago
tell me about it - RACISIM
WatchHomeandAway 3 years ago
how is it racist? he was the best actor for the part, so they gave it to him, despite his "wrong" skin color
x4812k 3 years ago
You sound more racist for saying Olivier was not allowed to play the part because he was white.
Othello is a PART, he happens to be black, so chill out.
Not everything is so political.
If you think this is racist, then let's not have people translate shakespeare anymore; or let's not have a gay person (ian mckellen for instance) play Lear. Let's not have a bald Macbeth, like Stweart's.
Geez, people get so worked up. It's a PART. For ANY actor.
rfcbeilfuss 3 years ago 2
Hello, I need this movie badly, can someone kindly tell me how I can get it?
ahmed2567890 4 years ago
OMG this scene is sooo sad. I love this play. It's so heartbreaking.
shmoogle14 4 years ago 2
Who is that actor? Is it Paul Robeson? and where did you find this video?
AppleIV 4 years ago
It's Laurence Olivier and it's from the film starring Olivier and Maggie Smith.
dianarigg 4 years ago
Dang! Simply Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nozar7 4 years ago 2