Othello

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Othello

R

1995

2h 4m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Heroic general Othello (Laurence Fishburne), the only African in the Venetian army, is carrying on a courtship with white noblewoman Desdemona (Irène Jacob). Their hasty marriage causes some political upheaval, but the military leader is quickly dispatched to halt an invasion on Cyprus. Once there, Othello's lieutenant, Iago (Kenneth Branagh), who believes Othello has wronged him, conceives a plan to get revenge by convincing the new husband that his wife is unfaithful.

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Critics Consensus

Perhaps less than the sum of its parts, Othello is still highly entertaining, and features excellent performances from Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh.

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Anna Smith

Time Out

Jan 26, 2006

A highly engaging attempt at Shakespeare's most domestic tragedy.

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

May 20, 2003

Mr. Branagh's superb performance...guarantees this film an immediacy that any audience will understand.

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The Hollywood Reporter

Oct 15, 2002

Davies has done an admirable job of condensing the sprawling action.

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Randall King

Winnipeg Sun

Feb 25, 2026

3.5/5

Parker must be praised, not only for eliciting uniformly strong performances from his cast, but for staying faithful to the play.

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Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

May 13, 2022

Laurence Fishburne does one helluva job portraying the famous Moor straight out of the pages of Shakespeare.

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Feb 25, 2022

3/4

Anna Patrick is particularly impressive in the usually overlooked role of Emilia.

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Glafira Regina O

@Glafira_Regina Jun 21, 2026

The actors, the costumes, the emotions, the beauty of the epoque - even the most pernickety critic will not find the slightest reason to complain

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Stephen C

@bob25009 May 31, 2025

Success in 2 hours and 4 minutes.

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Alec B

@Alec97 Feb 27, 2024

90s erotic thriller Shakespeare is a choice . . . and while it doesn't really work on the whole I do like Branagh's Iago. Truly his weirdest performance.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Feb 18, 2023

If you are a fan of the play this is the Othello not to be missed.

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Jan 3, 2021

Smoldering closeup version to maximize the charisma of Fishburne, Branagh and Jacob as the lead-centric Othello despite the large number of extras

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Jon T

@jon_talbot56 Apr 17, 2019

I thought this an ok adaptation. It's not flashy or weighed down by some director's attempt to make it "relevant". If you are studying the play and want a fairly faithful version this is good to go.

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Oliver Parker

Director

Laurence Fishburne

Othello

Irène Jacob

Desdemona

Kenneth Branagh

Iago

Nathaniel Parker

Cassio

Michael Maloney

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Synopsis

Heroic general Othello (Laurence Fishburne), the only African in the Venetian army, is carrying on a courtship with white noblewoman Desdemona (Irène Jacob). Their hasty marriage causes some political upheaval, but the military leader is quickly dispatched to halt an invasion on Cyprus. Once there, Othello's lieutenant, Iago (Kenneth Branagh), who believes Othello has wronged him, conceives a plan to get revenge by convincing the new husband that his wife is unfaithful.

Director: Oliver Parker
Producer: David Barron, Luc Roeg
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Castle Rock, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 9, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround

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