Othello (DVD)

Gloriously cinematic despite its tiny budget, Orson Welless "Othello" is a testament to the filmmakers stubborn willingness to pursue his vision to the ends of the earth. Unmatched in his passionate identification with Shakespeares imagination, Welles brings his inventive visual approach to this enduring tragedy of jealousy, bigotry, and rage, and also gives a towering performance as the Moor of Venice, alongside Suzanne Cloutier as the innocent Desdemona, and Michel MacLiammir as the scheming Iago. Shot over the course of three years in Italy and Morocco and plagued by many logistical problems, this fiercely independent film joins "Macbeth" and "Chimes at Midnight" in making the case for Welles as the cinemas most audacious interpreter of the Bard.