Review of Filming Othello (1979) by Art S — 16 Jan 2018

Orson Welles' final film to be released to the public (at least until the soon-to-be-completed The Other Side of the Wind) was a "conversation" about the making of his version of Shakespeare's Othello, which he shot nearly 30 years earlier.

An essay film in the mould of his excellent F for Fake (1973), it mixes found footage with new material and a great deal of Welles speaking directly to the camera in front of his old moviola (presaging a heartfelt ode to the role of editing in the cinema).

Welles is a charismatic raconteur and a bit of a charlatan and his stories and anecdotes about the past production, itself a miracle of shoe-string budget magic and amazing visual design, held this viewer's attention rapt.

(Indeed, I actually saw this on the big screen about 15 years ago and despite its central focus on talking heads, it was worth it). The film breaks neatly into three parts: 1) Welles' introduction to Othello and his stories about it (shot originally as a preface for a German TV showing of the film); 2) a recording of a luncheon with Michael MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards, two stars of the film and Welles' mentors at Dublin's Gate Theatre, where they talk about the production; and 3) Welles' vigorous readings of several of the key speeches from the play.

Sounds straightforward but Welles could not help but engage in a little of the trickery that enabled him to make Othello such a success despite being filmed across several years in disparate locations with and without actors and their costumes: apparently, he filmed his contributions to the luncheon with his friends a number of months later and inserted himself into the footage.

Best shot: when he breaks out the wine and they all drink a toast!