Othello

"German expressionism" is not so much in the film as it is as on the faces of Emil Jannings (Othello) and Werner Krauss (Iago), in this silent version of "Othello". The production is nicely staged, with everyone finding their marks. Its costumes and sets are very well designed. The adaptation is faithful enough to Shakespeare's envious storyline. But, watching two overly grand old actors is the film's main calling card, presently. Mugging uproariously in a fat-clinging black outfit, Mr. Krauss renders darkly-skinned Mr. Jannings positively subtle, in comparison. The most sensual scene has Krauss delivering Jannings' handkerchief while arranging the pillows for his head.

***** Othello (2/22) Dimitri Buchowetzki ~ Emil Jannings, Werner Krauss, Ica von Lenkeffy

Othello (1922)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

German version of the classic Shakespeare play has Iago (Werner Krauss) making Othello (Emil Jannings) jealous of his wife so that revenge can be played out. Director Dimitri Buchowetzki does a very good job at the film's pacing and keeps the film moving very well. The 80-minute running time comes and goes very quickly, which is always a benefit when we're talking Shakespeare. The sets look very good as well but the big highlight are the performances by Krauss and Jannings. Both men do superb work here, especially Jannings who gives one of the best performances of Othello that I've seen.

My acting teacher, the late great Hayes Gordon, used to say that no acting was too big, as long as it was filled. In other words, if the emotion was real, an actor could chew the scenery and still create empathy from the audience. I have never seen a better example of this than in this superb silent adaptation of Shakespeare's classic.

Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss, probably the two best German actors of their generation, give HUGE performances as Othello and Iago - but both are completely believable, and utterly compelling, because every emotion is felt, not indicated. As a result, this could be the best of all the film "Othellos".

Strikingly shot, on brilliantly realised sets, the director also makes sure that nothing distracts from the magnificent performances of the actors. Every performance in this film is brilliant - but Jannings and Krauss climb to the pinacle of silent film acting.

See this film, and see two of the greatest actors of all time convey the essence of Shakespeare without uttering a single word!

I am not a huge fan of Shakespeare, but I have seen a couple dozen different silent versions of his films and I must say that this film is definitely the best. Unlike some of the earliest versions that only lasted a few minutes (way too short to do any justice to the plays), this one was a lengthy film--allowing for a reasonable treatment. Now you STILL can't compare this to a sound version of the film because since it's a silent, the lyrical quality of the play is missing. Some purists might hate this (after all, they don't recite the play verbatim like many sound versions), but I liked how the play was changed to a pantomime piece with an emphasis on action and characterization.

For someone who doesn't get excited about hearing all the original words of Shakespeare yet loves silent films, this is a wonderful film. The sets for 1922 were exceptional and the acting was fortunately not over the top--which is sometimes a problem with OTHELLO. You do NOT see a crazed caricature of a man, as Emil Jannings plays the lead role very well--with humanity and not relying too much on gesticulations or campiness. He was an amazing silent actor--hence his winning the first Oscar for Best Actor just a few years later. Unfortunately, he was also a devoted Nazi and wasted his talent from the mid-1930s onward!

Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss are both almost unrecognisable in this enjoyable breeze through Shakespeare's play. Jannings is fairly restrained and cuts an impressive figure in the title role; but a portly, moon-faced Krauss (looking like Zero Mostel wearing an earring and a silly little moustache) remains overshadowed by Micheal Macliammoir's poisonously definitive Iago in Orson Welles's version thirty years later.