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Post by shaxper on Apr 18, 2002 18:13:58 GMT -5
Just caught a glimpse of it at Blockbuster yesterday (Yes, I rent from the Evil Empire. All the other rental places went out of business ). I was curious as to how close this film was to Othello. Is it simply a modern day interpretation with modernized lines, or did it get the "Ten Things I Hate About You" treatment? I thoroughly enjoyed Ten Things, but there was nothing Shakespearean about it aside from the initial dillema.
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Post by nolablue on Apr 22, 2002 9:07:28 GMT -5
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Post by shaxper on Apr 22, 2002 11:12:31 GMT -5
I finally saw it the other night. I found it very interesting; definately worth the $4. It seemed closer to the play than "10 Things", but (as you said) it didn't use the original language, and it did change a lot of things. On the one hand, I was sorry to see that Iago (Hugo) actually had a reason for hating Othello (Oden). I really enjoyed watching him try to convince himself that he had a reason (even though he didn't seem to) throughout the play. Still, it worked on many levels. The acting was superb, the directing and camera work was strong, the interpretation was fascinating (Hugo ends up as the main character that you really care about, and there's something very contemptable about Oden and Cassio), and I didn't really mind the public service messages they not-so-carefully inserted (i.e. don't take drugs and no means no).
Most of all, I like the idea that this was a very intelligent film targeted at an audience that's usually only given pretty mindless films to go see. I hope that some kid goes to see this because it's got basketball players and teen acting stars in it and ends up thinking and feeling on a very profound level. Maybe they'll ultimately become inspired to even check out Shakespeare one day?? I just think it's sad how the media expects teens to be pretty dumb. "O" gives them more respect, and may even open some new windows for them.
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