Thank God... - Othello (1996) Discussion

[–] drella666 20 years ago

Othello is hardly ever played by a white actor these days, on stage or screen. The last time this happened, as far as I know, was when Anthony Hopkins played the part in 1981.

Incidentally, does this mean that you wouldn't want to see a black actor playing a "white" Shakespearean role? The black British actor Adrian Lester has played Hamlet and Henry V to great acclaim on the London stage in recent years, and was also in Kenneth Branagh's version of Love's Labours Lost. Is this OK? If so, why is it bad for a white man to play Othello?

I agree, btw, Larry Fishburne was fantastic.

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] smilesandsuch 20 years ago

Othello is a racial play, and the characters in it react, partially, to Othello based on his race. This is not to say that other Shakespeare cannot be done without racial casting, but when a play deals with racism, it's kind of an essentail part to have. And, yes, Fishbourne was amazing, as was Branaugh (which goes, indeed, without saying).

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[–] austinharper 18 years ago

The last well-known actor, as far as I know, to play Othello was Patrick Stewart. He was in the Jude Kelly directed production by the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC in 1997 and 1998. He was the only white actor, surounded by an otherwise black cast. I haven't seen it myself; the only copy available is a single VHS tape in Washington, DC.

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[–] the_pirate_queen 20 years ago

I don't think it would have really made sense if someone like Tom Hanks played Othello. The fact that Othello is African is a conflict in the actual play, so you wouldn't be able to really see that conflict in the movie if a white guy played the part.

"Take what you can!"
"Give nothing back!"
*RUMRUNNER*

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[–] drella666 20 years ago

Well, Al Pacino is playing Shylock in a new version of The Merchant Of Venice. Shylock is Jewish, a fact that's crucial to the play, but Pacino isn't. Will that be a problem?

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[–] bellamystic21 19 years ago

I think there's a difference between the two. Othello is supposed to be the other, black and you would easily be able to tell that a white person playing the role isn't black. You might not necessarily be able to tell if a non Jewish person is playing a Jewish person. It's not really noticeable because they're white while Othello is black.

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[–] Casey-the-Fox 13 years ago

for some reason I just can't buy Pacino in a role of a Jew, even though I think his character was in Dog Day afternoon, but you think they could have found a Jewish actor to play this part.

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[–] the_pirate_queen 20 years ago

We watched the Fishburne/ Branagh version in my english class. The acting was teriffic (though Desdemona's french accent bothered me, but I suppose she can't help that). We actually watched the Anthony Hopkins (he plays Othello)version when we couldn't find the other tape, and that was not a pretty picture. If you are going to watch an Othello movie, definitely choose the Branagh. I've heard "O" is good as well though.

"Take what you can!"
"Give nothing back!"
*RUMRUNNER*

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[–] epicknight7 19 years ago

I guess back then with white actors playing as Othello, the audience were not comfortable seeing a black guy kiss a white woman.

simple as that.

btw, how are interracial relationships viewed today?

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[–] drella666 19 years ago

Back then (early 17th century) all the female parts would have been played by boys. So the audiences presumably coped with men kissing boys.

Can't think having a black actor would have added much to that. Maybe the fact that there were only a few hundred black people in the British Isles had something to do with it...

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[–] wrshpshakespeare 19 years ago

Actually, up until recently, Othello was played in Black face because blacks weren't allowed to act. Laurence Olivier actually played Othello once.

But I definetly prefer black Othellos because there are many references in the text that talk about how Othello is treated differently because he is black.

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[–] drella666 19 years ago

When exactly was it that "blacks weren't allowed to act"? Paul Robeson (who was black) played Othello well before the Olivier movie.

Also, Shylock makes numerous references to being treated differently because he is Jewish. Does that mean only Jews can play Shylock?

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[–] wrshpshakespeare 19 years ago

Blacks weren't allowed to perform on most American stages until post civil rights movement. EngIand is a different story

And the reason that Othello can't be played very well by someone who is white is because race is a physical thing. It's something that blacks empathize with moreso than whites.

And anybody can play Shylock, but Jews empathize more with his treatment.

Even though I'm a girl and I could never play Shylock, I am also Jewish and I could play Shylock better than a Christian because I have experienced anti-semitism and I know first hand what that feels like.

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[–] drella666 19 years ago

"race is a physical thing. It's something that blacks empathize with moreso than whites."

So being white/Caucasian is not a racial thing? Interesting - please clarify.

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[–] wrshpshakespeare 19 years ago

I'm talking about empathy. A black actor has usually experienced racism before. Therefore, they are able to identify with the character of Othello far better than one who is not black. Empathy is a vital tool in creating a truly honest performance in an actor. I do not believe that a white person can empathize with a black person experiencing racism. However, that is the only thing I think that whites and blacks cannot connect on. And I am in no way a racist. It's just an acting belief.

I am also morally opposed to people using black face. It is reminiscent of those awful minstrel shows and, to me, is a symbol of discrimination and racism. It really should not be done anymore.

Brevity is the soul of wit ~ Hamlet

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[–] TheMasterMind201 17 years ago

You're assuming though, that the audience would be aware that the character is white during the play, and that the other characters would be aware of this. When I watch Laurence Olivier play Othello, I don't think of him as a white guy because his face is blacked. It's called suspension of disbelief. I'm all for black guys playing Othello, of course, but I think it's an interesting challenge for a white person. I woulkdn't try to pull this with Fences or Gem of the Ocean, of course, but Shakespeare's play aren't locked into any mould other than the language.

"Don't take life so seriously, nobody makes it out alive anyways!"

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[–] wrshpshakespeare 17 years ago

I've seen the Olivier and the Orson Welles Othello's and as performances, they were good. But I just don't think that suspension of disbelief works on film. Film is so intimate and usually more realist, whereas on the stage, its far easier to suspend belief because you're rarely watching performances up close. I felt a little uncomfortable watching Olivier and Wells. It just seemed so fake, so plastic to me. Laurence Fishburne was just so damn good.

Then again, there is the actual debate as to what "race" a Moor actually is. Ben Kingsley played Othello as a Persian or and Indian, like himself, and he didn't wear any black face at all. I don't know how accurate this is, but it worked for me.

"He who saves one man saves the world entire."~ The Talmud

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[–] TheMasterMind201 17 years ago

Good point, bringing up the argument of film v.s stage. If I remember correctly, Olivier relied heavily on medium long shots in his film rather than getting up close and personal, just for that reason. You're right. On film, it's harder to except the difference.

And that's interesting. I've always assumed a moor was african. Hmm.

"Don't take life so seriously, nobody makes it out alive anyways!"

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[–] PKBitchGirl 16 years ago

And that's interesting. I've always assumed a moor was african. Hmm
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Moors were from North Africa and there were both black Moors and Moors of a more Middle Eastern look.

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[–] PKBitchGirl 16 years ago

Even though I'm a girl and I could never play Shylock, I am also Jewish and I could play Shylock better than a Christian because I have experienced anti-semitism and I know first hand what that feels like
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You are aware that women have and continue to play male Shakespearean characters on stage?

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[–] PKBitchGirl 16 years ago

Even though I'm a girl and I could never play Shylock, I am also Jewish and I could play Shylock better than a Christian because I have experienced anti-semitism and I know first hand what that feels like
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You are aware that women have and continue to play male Shakespearean characters on stage?

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[–] wrshpshakespeare 16 years ago

Yeah I am, and that was a naive comment I made. I've actually played several male Shakseperean roles myself (most recently, King Lear.) I've never seen a female Shylock, though. I'm sure their have been and I'd love to see one.

"He who saves one man saves the world entire."~ The Talmud

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[–] PKBitchGirl 16 years ago

Can't think having a black actor would have added much to that. Maybe the fact that there were only a few hundred black people in the British Isles had something to do with it...
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Any many of them would have been diplomats from foreign countries or at court and acting was considered beneath a lot of noble people

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[–] Apiary 19 years ago

Laurence Fishburne does a magnificent job in this work. Being black is nowhere near as important as the quality of his performance, which was brilliant and moving. I enjoyed this rendition of Othello immensely.

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[–] wrshpshakespeare 19 years ago

I adore Laurence Fishburn. Othello is a character that doesn't really make sense to me. Why in god's name does he do what he does? It makes no sense. But what made Fishburn's performance so great was that it obvioulsy made sense to him. I still can't figure it out, but Fishburn was beliveable and that's all I care about now.

But I don't think any actor, black and especiall white, could have done it like him.

Brevity is the soul of wit ~ Hamlet

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[–] Countess_Jewella 19 years ago

Really? You find Othello a little difficult to figure out? I always thought that Othello deeply loved Desdemona. Then, when he finds out that he lost his sweet, innocent wife to one of his officers, it drives him mad. If a person completely gives their heart away to someone, even commits to that person, and then that person crushs their heart in the dirt, how do you expect that person to act? The pain is probably unbearable. I'm not justifying that it was right of him to murder her, but BELEIVING that his wife was cheating on him must have been excruciating. It's almost that mind set of "If I can't have her, nobody can!"

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[–] The_Earl_Of_Kent 19 years ago

This is all daft. The best Othello's I have seen have been white men blacked up. Especially Hopkins and Olivier.

Why should Political Correctness even get a foot in the door when it comes to great art like this? Othello is perhaps the most majestic, most noble, and for certain the most poetic of all of Shakespeare's characters in all of his plays. It's a far cry from the Black & White Minstrel Show or Birth Of A Nation!

Let a white actor put boot polish on his face if he wants to play the part.

Hurrah and Huzzah!

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[–] oyason 18 years ago

Ira Aldridge was one of the first black actors to play Othello, and he rarely gets a mention. This was back in the nineteenth century. Paul Robeson played Othello opposite Uta Hagen as Desdemona fifty years ago, and James Earl Jones played the part on broadway not so very long ago.

I think the point is that there are many black actors capable of playing Othello, and it is ridiculous to have a white actor play him in the modern era, since the part was written about a man of Moorish lineage. Obviously racism played a role in casting in previous eras, surely it's not just a matter of being "politically correct" to ask for authenticity. I have no more patience with arguments against "politically correct" then I do with the idea that Hamlet can be played out as a nationalist drama, which one local black company attempted here in Seattle not so long ago. It went down in flames, and it should have, because the piece wasn't a piece about national struggles.

Finally, Othello isn't just about race, it's about blood and honor. It has many layers. It is an editorial on the intrigues of courts. But just because white men have always played the part in burnt cork, there's no reason to maintain the tradition.

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[–] The_Earl_Of_Kent 18 years ago

Nobody is talking about maintaining a "tradition". All I am saying is why should a white actor feel as though he should not be able to play one of the great roles of world drama because now it is deemed un-PC to "black up". It's a load of bull.

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[–] tintinkg 18 years ago

hi guys
i just wanted to add one thing.i am a bengali from india in our one movie there is a part where there was othello was staged in the part of the movie where just the last scene is acted where the hero plays Othello and herione plays Desdemona and after the scene end and the play is over they start realizing their feeling for each other.
so the part where the hero is going to kill desdemona and after her death the acting and the oration was so good that laurence fishburne would have asked tutorials from the hero on how othello is supposed to played and desdemonas pleas would have even melted the heart of stone.
if there is any bengali here he will know the movie i am talking about.

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[–] aswallom 18 years ago

It really shouldn't matter whether Othello is played by a 'white' or a 'black' man, because he is technically neither; he is an Iberian Moor, the descendant of North Africans who settled in Spain. Ethnically, there are considered to be 2 types of Moors, light-skinned and dark-skinned, but these terms mainly denote the intensity, or swarthiness, of Moorish olive skin. Imagine a man from the Middle East with a black grandmother and a white grandfather, and you probably have a good idea as to what the real life Othello would have looked like had he existed: very dark olive skin and a hint of both European and African features. In both Shakespeare's text and the original production, Othello's 'blackness' is exaggerated, through both the dialogue and the use of blackface; this is done to accentuate the drama on both literal and figurative levels. Othello is very much a 'stranger in a strange land'; he is ethnically different from the people around him, comes from a society with a very different culture, fights for and (apparently) believes in Christianity when all of his relatives would have been Muslims and constantly at odds with the Christians around them. The most important thing to look for in the casting of Othello is NOT race, but the ability to bring out all of the complexity of the role. However, blackface on a Caucasian actor just looks idiotic and offensive on film, so I am all for picking actors with naturally dark skin (whether African, Middle-Eastern, Indian, Samoan, even some Mediterranean Europeans, whatever) when making a movie adaptation of Othello.

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[–] tintinkg 18 years ago

hey aswallom
I meant the skill not the race of the actor

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[–] armydude 17 years ago

Othello would not work unless Othello was played by a black man. Too much of the story depends on this. It was because he was black that Brabantio was angry in the first place. This is true because when someone tried to make him feel better they said that othello was far more white than black. Therefore to have othello played by a white man would be ridiculus. after all the play is called Othello the moor of venice - so u would have 2 change the name of the play if othello was white. i hope you understand that im not being racist im just telling it like it is.

'You are the worst pirate I've ever heard of'
'but you have heard of me'

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[–] Nantithus 17 years ago

Why does any of this really matter? I prefer to see a black person in the role of Othello, but that don't mean that other races should be stopped from having a go at the role. This doesn't mean they have to black up, as the Patrick Stewart version illustrates.

And to the whingie liberal that earlier said only a black person could play Othello, because they have "probably endured racism" sometimes in their lives is ridiculous.

Why have these modern liberals twisted liberalism out of all shape and form?

Against all Gods

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] PKBitchGirl 16 years ago

Patrick Stewart played Othello once, the rest of the cast was black

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[–] KongKongAGAIN 16 years ago

Laurence Olivier's performance as Othello, I felt, was very good. It does feel more authentic to see a black actor play a black role, a white play a white, an Asian an Asian, but that's really only because of the way it "looks" to the audience: it's wrong to imagine that a white actor will somehow be inferior as Othello because he hasn't experienced "black racism." Now, if we switch things around, as they were switched in the version of "Othello" in which Patrick Stewart played the titular part, it still works, and if we move the whole thing to another setting (say, Japan), other alterations can be made to keep things believable.

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