Otello (1986): the story of a perverse man harassing a vulnerable one man from a literary, musical and cinematographic perspective

The film recreates Shakespeare’s masterly play set to music 280 years later by Guiuseppe Verdi after an adaptation for the musical theatre by Arrigo Boito. Otello forms the “third way” of Verdi in which the sung word reaches a summit in doing justice to the written text, anticipating what would later be refined by “verism”. The struggle between the falsified infidelity and the amorous sentiments of the Moor of Venice provide elements that are summarised in eloquent lyricism and profound musical emotion. Zeffirelli’s Otello is a lofty concatenation of talents that affords the poetic essence and drama of the story a focused significance. Melodic nobility, singing, scenery, complemented by a constant flow of ideas, nuances, effects and hues are all there.