Othello
- Alternative title
- Death of Othello
- Synopsis
- A film depicting a scene from Verdi’s Otello, using the experimental synchronisation process known as the Biophon developed in 1903 by Oskar Messter. Ball (op cit, p. 33) describes how a camera turned while a record played. An illustration in Henny Porten’s autobiography shows Henny (as Desdemona) lying on a draped bed. Her father Franz (as Othello) stands at the end of a draped bed about to stab himself. Supernumeraries raise their hands in horror. Rosa (Henny’s sister) is possibly Emilia seated in front of them. Ball notes that the direction was usually handled by Franz Porten.
- Country
- Germany
- Medium
- Film
- Technical information
- Black-and-white / Sound
- Year of release
- 1909
- Availability
- Presumed a lost film.
Credits
- Director
- Franz Porten
- Producer
- Oskar Messter
- Music
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Cast
Franz Porten Othello Henny Porten Desdemona Rosa Porten Emilia
Additional Details
- Production type
- Operas and Musicals
- Plays
- Othello
- Subjects
- Drama; Music
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- General
- There is much debate about the date of production, details outlined by Ball p. 307.
- Reviews
- Ball, Robert Hamilton. Shakespeare on Silent Film: A Strange Eventful History. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1968 (p32-3, 287, 307).
Production Company
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Othello". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av69004 (Accessed 26 Nov 2024)