Shakespeare's Othello - end, part 1/2 (Laurence Olivier)

[cgt2816]

I am an Olivier fan, but not of his interpretation of Othello. I understand that he didn't intend to offend anyone, but I can see how his performance could be offensive to some. I'm black and when watch this, I laugh. Olivier's "make up" is overdone and his overacting appears more like a comedy skit gone horribly wrong than an actual tragic moment in someone's life. Is it just me or does he sound like Bill Cosby? Maybe thats why I can't take his interpretation seriously.

[AtLastOnTheGround]

The make-up he had to put on to play this part each night took three hours to apply. He worked for months to lower his speaking voice a full octave. That's craft that we don't see nowadays.

[JamieAmeliaClarisse]

@Shakespeareandmore: Could you please put the whole movie on YouTube? Thanx :)

[psychoreactive]

You know what? If white actors didn't traditionally dress up in blackface and denigrate African Americans with damaging stereotypes that persist to this day. Then maybe I could say "Oh this isn't racist it's just great acting!". But since that's not how it went: blackface is and will continue to be a white supremacist practice.

[KilldozerRocks]

Wow. I should incredibly offended that it's a British guy in blackface, but damn, it's just the power of Sir Laurence I guess.

[alexiscullen1902]

lol its pretty fuckin obvious its emilia at the door banging lolololol i love this movie oh btw do you guys know thats a white guy playing othello

[kirk52891]

that cry is so hilarious when he says "my wife what wife I have no wife" sounded like Goofy hahaha...but still it was a good performance I liked laurence fishburne's interpretation better though

[SurgeCess]

I still love this movie, as another user stated, Olivier played the role with class and dignity, this has absolutely nothing to do with "racism".

[spencergellsworth]

Ugh. This has not aged well and I hope Othello is never played by a white guy ever again.

[pukinowt]

how do you fuck up a lead role? this is laurence olivier, hes widely regarded as the best actor in history

hes a white guy playing a black guy because he was the best person for the role at the time

the performance was brilliant i think and he was an absolute perfectionist, so to claim his accent is terrible is ridiculous

would you rather have the best actor who ever lived or a black guy because its a black person being portrayed

[cornishpastie9]

@pukinowt

Best actor who ever lived? lol. Yeah, black guy any day, since the race of the character is an important aspect of the play. If he just happened to be black, fine, but it is important throughout.

[pukinowt]

@cornishpastie9 Olivier is widely regarded as the greatest stage actor ever. Anyone who holds any clout in the theatre world and they will tell you that. In honesty I would prefer the greatest actor of the time who was a perfectionist about his roles, ensuring that everything was perfect, blacking up to be Othello, than a black actor who was not as good as he. This is echoed by the fact that this is seen as a phenomenal and definitive portrayal of Othello by actors, directors and critics alike.

[cornishpastie9]

@pukinowt

The 'greatest stage actor ever' is a matter of opinion. To me, he's not very good. And, to be honest, the makeup isn't convincing enough not to make the whole thing seem humorous. Plus, since when do you need the greatest actor in the world to fill a role? It's not like having a slightly-worse-in-your-opinion black actor would do the play any harm.

[pukinowt]

@cornishpastie9 Well of course it's a matter of opinion, but all the great directors and major players in theatre will tell you that he is the best stage actor, and I'd guess they know more about their profession than you do. Additionally this was originally a play on stage, and the make-up was convincing and well done at the time, even if it did come off slightly worse on film. Olivier wanted to play Othello, he was nominated for an oscar for his performance, and they wanted the very best.

[bugmusk6]

@pukinowt Maggie is the one who shines in this!!!! Olivier looks like he's trying out for a high school play!!!!

[abhinavjain2197]

This is so lame

[iDiggMGL]

What a horrible cast. How do you fuck up the lead role?

[a123bable]

O... i thought that Desdemona is a beautiful young lady before...

So disappointed T^T

[sandra8538]

Somebody help me. I have to do a research paper on Othello. I am focusing on the feminist perspective of Othello. I have been searching online for sources and haven't been successful. All I've found are essays that you can be purchased. I'm looking for academic, scholarly sources.

[PaintedMaypole26]

I love Dame Maggie smith so much. She's a great actress, and she did really well in this scene. I'm doing Othello this fall with my youth shakespeare theater (uncut!) and I really want to be Desdemona - who is one of my favorite of all Shakespeare's characters, and the death scene is just really powerful.

But yeah, most actresses I've seen had a bad death. I mean, aproduction I saw had the desdemona sitting up and moving her arms in her last lines! NO! But Maggie Smith is gold :D

[GuinnevereB]

Basically, Othello and Iago are the same: conceited and insecure, and vengeful. Othello gave the promotion Iago wanted to Cassio, Iago's little ego couldn't take that, so he planned to destroy them both. And Othello was so insecure, it's like he wanted to believe all of Iago's lies about Desdemona. He made her beg for her life, and killed her anyway. Then he whined about how he "loved not wisely, but too well." NOT! He was self-pitying, cruel and compassionless. (Shakespeare knew everything!)

[PaintedMaypole26]

@GuinnevereB While I respect your opinion, I completely disagree. Yes, Othello was probably insecure, but that wasn't random. No matter how high ranking he was he was still facing constant racial slurs. Iago may have been pissed for not getting the lieutenancy, but that wasn't his only reason. In fact, his reason was never truly revealed, all were just excuses.

[PaintedMaypole26]

@GuinnevereB Also: Iago and Othello are completely different positions. Iago, if you carefully read the play, is truly emotionless. He feels no true love, any real reaction he has in the play is a farce to make himself seem innocent, and not the cause of all of this. He plays with peoples emotions, and enjoyed it. The play portrays Iago as the puppeteer, everyone else as his puppets.

[PaintedMaypole26]

@PaintedMaypole26 There isn't one person he didn't use in this play: Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio, Bianca, Brabrantio, etc. All used by him. Othello wasn't compassionless - Iago was. Othello loved Desdemona, loved her even as he killed her, but was bound by rage and jealousy that he lost his mind (on that note: you can't be jealous and loving without compassion). THAT is what Shakespeare was known for: delving into the very darkest depths of human nature.

[mxrty78]

his whimpers remind me of kelsey grammers portrayal of frasier

[theone111830]

Horrible makeup. What color is he supposed to be? Gray with a hint of brown?

[LowJackKoJack]

...blackface...!

[dawngoth20]

cool

[painlessissuicide]

Desdemonda was just smothered -- HOW was she able to breath those last words??

[SuperDeedee11]

6:50, No Snitching!!

[Lunyx]

i think Laurence Fishburne is in the same league as this performance. i LOVED fishburn's interpretation!

[98slbrookes98]

Thanks. Do you have Act 3 Scene 3 of this version?

[gabriellemccarey]

Wow

[jhole221]

no................

[stevevandien]

Olivier worked with a voice teacher to deepen his natural tenor/high-baritone voice, because he believed, based upon prior actors' interpretations, that Othello should be a bass. "Moorish" had nothing to do with it. If you shout until you're hoarse and keep doing so, you will only hurt your voice, perhaps beyond repair. Olivier was then in his prime as a classical actor. He understood his voice (and other resources) very well, and would never have risked damaging them --

[stevevandien]

The logic of your argument: Information on Wikipedia is sacrosanct, beyond question, so everything on Wikipedia is absolutely true. Doesn't matter that "anybody," whether a genius, a moron or anything in between, can edit this online encyclopedia. After all, if "it says on wikipedia," it must be true.

[stevevandien]

Ah, your comment isn't complete; should have been "Some guy on youtube says that analytical philosophers maintain," etc.:). Be that as it may, I apologize for being being so cranky. Best and (I hope) no hard feelings,  Steve

[leadoffeohippus]

Hey Steve, I recognize your username from your comments on opera videos. What you're saying sounds about right. Olivier did mention in an interview when he was doing Lear that he performed in front of the cows, but that was to work his breath support, not to change the structure of his vocal cords. Do you know what he did with the teacher? Breathing/support exercises probably? I doubt he tried to physically change his folds, because any singer or actor knows how dangerous that can turn out...

[stevevandien]

Hi buddy, Ran out of room here so I posted my response on your channel:). Best, Steve

[leadoffeohippus]

Thanks for the response...my guess is that extra breath support he got from weight training and exercise helped him attain lower pitches.

[stevevandien]

Quite possible. Increased support in my experience can extend one's range both ways:) --

[suckmyass713]

LMAO the way he pushed her face after she died hahaha HILARIOUS!

[stevevandien]

Why is it hilarious?

[suckmyass713]

because its just is -_-

[stevevandien]

@suckmyass713 : Why?

[babylotion964]

love how they painted their bodies in black shoe polish bk then...beautiful....(sarcasm)

[DrinkWater22]

How else can you make a white actor black?

[babylotion964]

they used sum time of face oil wayy wayy back in that time

[HXCpr0n]

Emilia's voice is SOOOOO annoying. Like...... shut up and die.

[Lynn15]

Maggie Smith ftw

[Silvermoth2]

what does ftw mean?

[THAISON1993]

for the win

[angelpetite91]

omg we're reading about this play at school

[alicetheactress]

so are thousands of other secondary students around the world...what's the OMG for?

[themasterplan88]

why the fuck are you commentin on somethin that happen 2 months ago. it was obvious that they saw it 2 months ago you dumb bitch.

[angelpetite91]

well that was my first time readin about othello obviously. i never saw the movie before until now. omg cant even state an opinion on here now.

[kirkwanglers32]

I like Olivers version of Othelo,

[stevevandien]

We can quibble with various aspects of Olivier's Othello, but it remains overwhelming.

[Hertzenuni]

Wow! This lady happens to be the very Desdemona I visioned when reading the book!

I really want the whole film.

[54spiritedwill54]

OMG They killed Maggie

[dinasztie]

I think Maggie Smith is the best. But Laurence Olivier is outstanding though.

[maggiesmithfan]

I haven't seen the full preformances of this yet but maggie smith dies (well kind of) which is quite sad.haha..this preformance looks very good so I shall watch the whole thing.

[Rubyjuke719]

Yes, this is Laurence Olivier. Yes, he's acting incarnate. But if you take any class where they teach Othello, you will understand that the black-faced white actor is quite racist. And when they first cast a black actor to play Othello, viewers were even more enticed by the horror of the idea of a Moor with a pure white woman.

Fun trivia: Patrick Stewart portrayed Othello, also, but he would only do it if everyone else was black to validate the true theme - "others".

[fabrizzzio48]

For Olivier, playing Othello is his acting Mecca, as one of Shakespeare's most difficult roles. Othello could have been, Mongolian, Skimo, Chinese, French, Norwegian, or PuertoRican, in the play the role is a moor.

So, Olivier, needs make up.

That racism existed and exists in the world's theater and film communities, is one thing, but the work of Olivier, is another.

He did not just put blackface, he portrayed a complex Othello with dignity and respect, honoring thus, the character's race.

[Rubyjuke719]

Not to take away from what you're saying, but it doesn't make it any different just because Olivier was the greatest actor of all times. That's pretty much favoritism.

I honestly haven't liked any of the different actors playing Othello that I've seen. I did like Olivier as Hamlet, though.

[fabrizzzio48]

I don' think he was the greatest actor of all time.

He was a hard working actor, and achieved excellence in his craft.

Othello is a veeery difficult character, even if the actor happens to be of the same race.

Othello is a warrior and a jealous lover. Who can be that nowadays. Who is a mighty warrior, physically? Who can give that in performance? The second, even if jealousy is readily available nowadays, but who can be jealous on the depth and magnitude of Othello? Only Othello.

[Rubyjuke719]

Well, what I get out of that is that no one can play Othello, and I don't think that's true. I just don't they've found the perfect person to portray him.

I wonder if Shakespeare intended for this argument (not in terms of fighting) to always surface about this play. I think he did. He may have been progressive enough.

[11october1893]

He was the greatest actor of all time - This is a truly great performance - the only downside is that its filmed and that exposes some of Oliviers technique and loses some of the energy of Oliviers performance - its great on film but it would have been truly inspiring on stage. Read what the critics said at the time (such as Tynans review) or ask someone who saw it - thats the only way to understand

- still all the main cast Smith, Finlay and of course Olivier were nominated for Oscars

[getoveritgoddamit]

i love this : )

[xXxZachAttacKxXx]

NAH, your wrong I'm right, this is obviously racist, we're not in the 1500's anymore yo, unlike you we believe now that african people can play in theatre too... Don't act like your a higher person then us please and please don't call me darling...

[grai]

so do you think Richard III should only be played by an actor who is genuinely hunchbacked and has a big nose?

[xXxZachAttacKxXx]

holy shit is that a white actor playing Othello but just painted black??? WTF??????

[rfcbeilfuss]

You cleary don't know anything about theatre eh?

It's Laurence Olivier darling, playing Othello in 63. THE Olivier, in what is considered to be the Best performance of the last century.

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 a gay person(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.

[ShakespeareHamlet]

I agree. Sir Laurence Olivier's performance is a masterpiece. At the time Shakespeare wrote, female roles were played by males who had been castrated (yecch) and blacks were played by white actors wearing black makeup. Fishburne was okay in the 1995 film, but Olivier was MUCH BETTER. And it was 1965 when this theatre production was filmed.

[rfcbeilfuss]

You cleary don't know anything about theatre eh?

It's Laurence Olivier darling, playing Othello in 63. THE Olivier, in what is considered to be the Best performance of the last century.

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 a gay person(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.

[jessybessywasabear]

This is awful

[cutie2448]

Pardon my mistake.

[lienka22]

murder!!! :D yes, Laurence is the best!!! :P

[ahmed2567890]

Hello, I need this movie badly, can someone kindly tell me how I can get it?

[116656781]

!!!!OMG HE KILLED PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL!!!

What a beast! A ugly black-painted beast!

[cutie2448]

hey, i wonder what you would had called othello if he's been white. maybe ugly white painted beast. i think, what it's is- in general men are evil. remove men, women wont cry anymore

[bs1982]

...That wouldn't be such a solution coz' it would disappear the human kind...

anyway, i don't believe you've caught the point...

[AddyHat]

OMG!!! he killed her =O =(

[gothiclolitaguy]

He doesn't use his body enough =(

[MostHauntedCharmedG]

OMG They killed Maggie