Trivia / Othello (1995)

• Acclaimed Flop: The film was an unfortunate flop when in theaters, despite generally receiving favorable reviews from critics.
• All-Star Cast:
  • Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Nathaniel Parker. Retroactively for Michael Sheen, who debuted in this film, but is much better known these days. At the time Irene Jacob was still riding high from the momentum of Three Colors Red.
  • The Japanese dub likewise features a number of high-profile voice actors: Tesshō Genda as Othello, Akio Ōtsuka as Cassio ^note Akio's real-life father, Chikao Ohtsuka, also had a role as the duke, though their characters don't interact, Masashi Ebara as Lodovico and Norio Wakamoto as Montano.
• Box Office Bomb: Only grossed $2.8 million against an $11 million budget. However, this was less the movie's fault as it was that of the studio.
• Directed by Cast Member: Averted. Kenneth Branagh's only appearance in a Shakespeare film that he did not direct.
• Fake Nationality:
  • The American Laurence Fishburne gives the eponymous character a hint of an African accent that suggests Othello has tried to lose his native accent to sound more upper class.
  • While Venetian, Desdemona and her father are both played by French actors. This pretty much goes for the entire Venetian cast.
• Playing Against Type: Laurence Fishburne had never done Shakespeare before, making this a very different role for him.
• Real-Life Relative: Nathaniel Parker (Cassio) is the brother of director Oliver Parker, and is married to Anna Patrick, who plays Iago's wife Emilia.
• Screwed by the Network: In addition to being run against Jumanji, the movie had a highly limited release, shown in only two theaters on opening weekend and less than three hundred at its widest.

---