Othello is a 1995 film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. It was directed by Oliver Parker and stars Laurence Fishburne as Othello, Irène Jacob as Desdemona, and Kenneth Branagh as Iago. This is the first cinematic reproduction of the play released by a major studio that casts an African American actor to play the role of Othello, although low-budget independent films of the play starring Ted Lange and Yaphet Kotto predated it. The film, shot in Italy, follows the story of the play closely, but cuts many lines. In addition it adds scenes not in the play, including a... sex scene between Othello and Desdemona, dreams in which Othello imagines Desdemona's supposed affair with Cassio, a scene in which Desdemona dances for Othello and a final scene in which the bodies of those killed are buried at sea. The film was not a financial success, grossing only $2.1 million in the United States on its $11 million budget . It received largely positive reviews, especially for Branagh's Iago. Janet Maslin wrote in the New York Times "Mr.
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| Release date: | December 15, 1995 |
| Directed by: | Oliver Parker |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 123 Minutes |
| Producer: | David Barron |
| Editor: | Tony Lawson |
| Cinematography: | David Johnson |
| Estimated budget: | $11,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | Othello |