Othello (1955)

Отелло

Shakespeare's tragedy of love and jealousy, filmed in colour with Sergei Bondarchuk as the Moor.

★ Best Director, Cannes Film Festival 1956

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Year
1955
Director
Sergei Yutkevich
Starring
Sergei Bondarchuk, Andrei Popov, Irina Skobtseva, Vladimir Soshalsky
Genre
Drama, Romance
Running time
1 h 43 min
Based on
The play by William Shakespeare
Language
Russian, English subtitles
Studio
Mosfilm

About the film

Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian senator, secretly marries Othello, the Moorish general who serves Venice. His ensign Iago, full of hatred, decides to destroy their happiness.

With lies, a lost handkerchief and perfect timing, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful.

Filmed in rich colour with music by Aram Khachaturian, Yutkevich's Othello was one of the most acclaimed Soviet films of the 1950s.

Did you know?

  • Sergei Yutkevich won the Best Director prize at Cannes in 1956.
  • Irina Skobtseva, who plays Desdemona, married Sergei Bondarchuk.
  • The music is by Aram Khachaturian.

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