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Othello

Play trailer Poster for Othello R 1995 2h 4m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 37 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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Othello

Othello

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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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Critics Reviews

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Anna Smith Time Out Jan 26, 2006
A highly engaging attempt at Shakespeare's most domestic tragedy. Go to Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times May 20, 2003
Mr. Branagh's superb performance...guarantees this film an immediacy that any audience will understand. Go to Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times Feb 13, 2001
Parker has shown how involving and moving Shakespeare can still be on the screen. Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot Feb 25, 2022
3/4
Anna Patrick is particularly impressive in the usually overlooked role of Emilia. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Oct 27, 2026 Othello is a 3.5 star Movie why would anyone give this a *5* star rating! See more 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 See more Stephen C @bob25009 May 31, 2025 Success in 2 hours and 4 minutes. See more 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. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Feb 18, 2023 If you are a fan of the play this is the Othello not to be missed. See more 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 See more Read all reviews
Othello

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Cast & Crew

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Oliver Parker

Director

Laurence Fishburne

Othello

Irène Jacob

Desdemona

Kenneth Branagh

Iago

Nathaniel Parker

Cassio

Michael Maloney

Roderigo

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Othello

Othello (1995) Othello (1995) Othello (1995) View more photos

Movie Info

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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