Othello (1995) - Parker's fascinating Shakespeare adaptation debut

♥♥♥♥

 

An intimate dramatic trio is promised on this dark and sensual poster for Oliver Parker's Othello

In renaissance Venice, a power struggle breaks out from jealousy from the mighty Iago towards the dark Othello - concerning a woman and other matters.

Othello is written and directed by debuting Oliver Parker (St. Trinian's (2007)), adapting the same-titled 1603-04 play by William Shakespeare (King John (1596)).

It is honestly difficult to comprehend the plot of Othello for this Shakespeare novice, due to the beautiful dialog, which is presumable kept from the play. But this luckily doesn't destroy the experience of watching it. Parker is obviously fully immersed in the play, which is presented cinematically here, not least thanks to the seething performances of Laurence Fishburne (Bobby Z (2007)) and Kenneth Branagh (Celebrity (1998)). The two fascinate here, even when the narrative connections get fuzzy.

 

Related post:

 

Oliver Parker: Johnny English Reborn/Johnny English Returns (2011) - Atkinson will make you laugh till your belly aches

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 11 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 2.8 mil. $ (North America only)

= Uncertain but likely a big flop (projected return of 0.54 times its cost)

[Othello was released 15 December (North America) and runs 123 minutes. Shooting took place from June - August 1995 in Italy, including in Rome. The film opened #14 to a 29k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it grossed 2.8 mil. $. The international gross numbers have regrettably not been made public. Projecting a final world gross of 6 mil. $, the film would rank as a big flop. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, translating to 2 notches under this one. Parker returned with An Ideal Husband (1999)). Fishburne returned in Fled (1996); Branagh in Hamlet (1996); and Irène Jacob (Rio Sex Comedy (2010)) in Victory (1996). Othello is fresh at 68 % with a 6.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Othello?

Hamlet (1948) - Olivier's overrated drama prince

♥♥♥

 

Laurence Olivier's name almost looms larger than the title on this old-fashioned, classical poster for Laurence Olivier's Hamlet

The prince of Denmark sees the ghost of his late father and is obsessed with the urge to find the one guilty of his murder in order to exact revenge.

 

Hamlet is written, produced and directed by English master filmmaker Laurence Olivier (Henry V (1944)), who also stars as the title character and whose 2nd film it was as a filmmaker. It is, of course, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's (Othello (1603)) same-titled 1599/1601 play.

Though widely celebrated, I find Olivier stiff and affected in Hamlet in a theatrical and dated version of the great play, which also has a problematic Gertrud, the queen and Hamlet's mother, as Eileen Herlie (Freud (1962)) was 11 years younger than Olivier. Though often criticized for its omissions, the film is still long, and I think overlong - and too wordy. 

Still, Olivier's Hamlet is without reservations a handsomely produced and pictorially well composed picture, (cinematography by Desmond Dickinson (Cairo (1963))). As a film, however, Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 version with Mel Gibson is far superior.

 

Related posts:

 

Laurence Olivier: Dracula (1979) - Badham's sensuous, exceptional adaptation (actor)

The Boys From Brazil (1978) or, The Last Nazi Command (co-star)

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 527k £, approximately 662k $

Box office: 3.25 mil. $ (North American rentals alone); projected gross of 8-10 mil. $

= Uncertain, but likely a mega-hit (projected return between 12.08-15.1 times the cost)

[Hamlet premiered 6 May (London) and runs 155 minutes. Olivier was paid 50k £ for his work on the film. Shooting took place from April - November 1947 in England. The film's gross details are regrettably not found online; only small snippets such as that it reportedly made 779k £ in profits in the UK alone, which would mean that it was a tremendous hit there, and 3.25 mil. $ in North American rentals, which is also very impressive. The global final gross seems likely to have gone as high as 8-10 mil. $. The film was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning 4: Best Picture (the first non-American film to do so), Actor (Olivier), Art Direction-Set Decoration B/W and Costumes B/W. It lost Best Supporting Actress (Jean Simmons (The Dawning (1988))) to Claire Trevor for Key Largo, Director to John Huston for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Score - Drama/Comedy (William Walton (As You Like It (1936))) to Brian Easdale for The Red Shoes. It also won 1/2 BAFTA nominations, 2 Golden Globes, a National Board of Review award and many other honors. Olivier returned with Richard III (1955) as a filmmaker and in The Magic Box (1951) as an actor. Hamlet is certified fresh at 95 % with an 8.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Hamlet? 

Henry V (1989) - Conviction hits home in Branagh's Shakespearean debut

♥♥♥♥

 

Several men celebrate their king before a fiery inferno on this poster for Kenneth Branagh's Henry V

In the days of King Henry V, a disdainful letter is received from the king of France, and soon the grand European powers are at the cusp of war.

 

Henry V is written and directed by Irish master filmmaker, debuting Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet (1996)), who also co-stars in it as the titular king. It is an adaptation of the same-titled 1599 play by William Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595/96)).

Henry V is not among the bard's best in my book; the king is a sleek and pompous guy, and the story is so overly dense with words. Branagh nevertheless overcomes this with enthusiasm and magnetic conviction.

So despite there being no real wisdom to be gained from Henry V, which is a chronicle of war and hardly more, there are dashing scenes, - especially during and after the battle, - and belief in the film.

 

Related posts:

Kenneth Branagh: Belfast (2021) - Fond childhood memories become a fabulous film

Tenet (2020) - Nolan blows smoke up your ass (actor)

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) - Branagh's star-studded Christie match is auspicious (director/co-star)

2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Dunkirk (2017) - Nolan champions cinema with masterful war movie (actor)
My Week with Marilyn (2011) or, The Prince, the Showgirl and Me (actor)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Potter and Co. return for handsome if overlong first sequel (co-star)
Celebrity (1998) or, Stars in New York (actor) 

 

 

Branagh gives a longer interview about the making of the film here

 

Cost: 9 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 10.9 mil. $ (North America and the UK only); projected 15-20 mil. $ world gross

= Uncertain but likely a big flop or a flop (projected return of 1.66 - 2.22 times its cost)

[Henry V premiered 6 October (London) and runs 137 minutes. Shooting took place from October - December 1988 in England. The film opened #19 to a 64k $ first weekend in 3 theaters in North America, where it grossed 10.1 mil. $. It reportedly made 652k £, approximately 812k $, in the UK, but numbers from its many other markets are regrettably not public online. A final gross in the area of 15-20 mil. $, (which is likely setting it high), would rank the film as either a 'big flop' or a 'flop' with a return of 1.66-2.22 times its cost. The film was nominated for 3 Oscars, winning 1, for Best Costumes. It lost Best Director to Oliver Stone for Born of the Fourth of July and Actor (also Branagh) to Daniel Day-Lewis for My Left Foot. It also won 1/6 BAFTA nominations, won 2 European Film awards and 2 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Branagh returned with Dead Again (1991) as a director and in Look Back in Anger (1989, TV movie) first as an actor, before also co-starring in Dead Again. Henry V is certified fresh at 100 % with an 8.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Henry V?

Hamlet (1990) - Stars shine in Zeffirelli's compelling adaptation

♥♥♥♥♥

 

A fine ensemble is lined up in stark, desaturated tones on this poster for Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet

Prince Hamlet of Denmark's father dies a mysterious death, and the prince's near madness in the castle in Elsinore, including his conferences with the ghost of his father, brings intrigues and murder to bear.

 

Hamlet is written by Christopher De Vore (The Elephant Man (1980)) and great Italian co-writer/director Franco Zeffirelli (Camping (1958)), adapting the same-titled 1603 play by William Shakespeare (Coriolanus (1605-08)).

Shakespeare's celebrated text gets room to shine in this excellent adaptation. Some minor flaws, - among them Helena Bonham Carter's (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)) over-acting of madness, - don't much damage the film's success, in large part thanks to the honest, human portrait of the title character by Mel Gibson (Air America (1990)), and Glenn Close's (The Stepford Wives (2004)) equally intense performance.

Ennio Morricone's (Good News (1979)) music is elegant and well played. Zeffirelli's is a sober, handsome Hamlet.

 

 

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 12.6 mil. £, approximately 16.89 mil. $

Box office: 20.7 mil. $ (North America alone)

= Uncertain - but probably a big flop (seemingly returned 1.32 times its cost)

[Hamlet was released 19 December (Toronto, Los Angeles, New York) and runs 134 minutes. Shooting took place from April - June 1990 in Scotland, France and England. The film opened #18 to a 116k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #9 and in 624 theaters (different weeks), grossing 20.7 mil. $. The-Numbers.com allege that the film had an international gross of just 1.7 mil. $, - which would be incredibly little, - but if true the film was a big flop. It was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, lost to Dick Tracy, and Costumes, lost to Cyrano de Bergerac. It was also nominated for a BAFTA, won 1/2 David di Donatello award nominations and a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Zeffirelli returned with The King of Ads (1991, segment), Don Carlo (1992, TV movie) and theatrically with Sparrow (1993). Gibson returned in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992); Close in Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991, TV movie) and theatrically in Meeting Venus (1991). Hamlet is fresh at 76 % with a 6.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Hamlet?