Review on the 1995 Screen Adaptation of "Othello"

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Read the review of Oliver Parker’s film version of “Othello” (1995) from The Washington Post. Write a letter in response to the editor~

Dear Sir / Madam,

Desson Howe’s review on Oliver Parker’s 1995 screen adaptation of “Othello” gave me a feeling of dissatisfaction. The credibility of Othello’s character, played by Laurence Fishburne seems quite questionable, according to Howe. However, I beg to differ. Laurence Fishburne portrays the character of “Othello” true to its form. His portrayal of the protagonist was quite methodical (although certain scenes from the original play were excluded) ; leading to the audience, be it of 1995 or 2013, being able to appreciate the plot whether they were fine tuned in a literary sense or not. Also, Desson Howe had doubts of how one could “bring modern audiences to a finer understanding of Iago”. Iago is a complex character due to his manipulation and expertise. Nevertheless, even an inexperienced audience unfamiliar with the plot of “Othello”, would easily gauge Iago’s character – clearly, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In my opinion, the actors portrayed the characters rather effectively. Just as Othello’s calmness was presented in the play, “Keep up you're bright swords, for the dew will rust them” – these specific lines were depicted with an equal amount of composure in the film. The portrayal of Desdemona too, suited Irene Jacobs as she had both the qualities and aura “of spirit so still, and quiet, that her motion blush’d at herself”.
Since Desson Howe states “how they look marks how effective they are”, I would say Iago matched upto this description flawlessly. The soliloquies in the play including “I am not what I am”, was represented quite artistically, where Kenneth Branagh’s (Iago) face was fully focused on; during each soliloquy. This mechanism was executed in such a way that it almost seemed as if he was

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