IAGO ON FILM: The Perspectives of Orson Welles and Oliver Parker

Abstract

Many film versions of William Shakespeare's Othello have been produced since the early twentieth century. Two of the most significant are Orson Welles' 1952 version and Oliver Parker's 1995 film. One can immediately notice the stark difference between the two films, especially in the way each director interprets Iago. Welles chooses to present Iago as a dark, ominous character, who has very little interaction with Othello, whereas, Parker depicts Iago as initially charming and then slowly allows his evil nature to become apparent to the viewer. The primary focus of this paper will be why the directors choose to depict Iago so differently and what effect the directors' interpretations have on the character of Othello and on the overall play.