Customer Reviews
In spite of the gaps, very enjoyable - By: E. WOOLSTON, 03 Aug 2010 
Starting with the negatives which knocked off 1 star: I don't bewail the 'Willow Song' as much as the cuts that deprived us of subtle the way Iago manipulated Othello from noble lover to jealous brute. Instead we had 2 random dance scenes inserted which wouldn't have been missed at all. But if you can surmount that, this will be a video you'll be watching over & over & certainly the one which might sway an anti-opera viewer to change his mind. Domingo's performance sparkled under excellent directing while Ricciarelli showed all the sweetness but none of the lazy diction that she brought into her rendition of Turandotin the DG von Karajan CD.
Justino Diaz as Iago was a show stopper with totally believable charm & villany & a voice that ensured that 'io credo' didn't drag or descend into melodrama. The glorious voice of Ezio Di Cesare combined with the stunning good looks & fine acting of Urbano Barberini lit up each scene where he/they appeared. In the final scenein particular, instead of being superfluous, he gave reality to the tragedy making you feel the waste of life. Iago's wife Emilia (Petra Malakova) became a real person rather than a 'prop' to the plot. The settings put youin Italy with many scenes being sungin historical buildings (probably immediately recognizable to travellers) which provided unique acoustics as well as atmosphere.
The action was (apart from those regrettable cuts/insertions) fast paced & realistic, the direction expert.
This is not a DVD to be omitted and, at its current price, can be bought alongside a more 'correct' version of the Opera but may be watched even more often
Otello, Oh dear - By: PeterInTheUK, 13 Apr 2010 
Verdi: Otello
As a DVD this is OK except for the subtitles which are the worst I have ever seen.I switched to French & they were just as bad. The movie is over-elaborate & cut badly with little or no continuity. The singing is excellent & is reproduced well, but as a combination of sound & vision it just does not work. The DVD is very low price but still not worth the purchase price
Otello the Zeferelli movie - By: Bennie Bookworm, 06 Apr 2010 This was a stunning movie at the time & still holds its own with the music, the settings & direction. The singing of Placido Domingo & Katia Riciarelli is just superb. Justino Diaz's interpretation of Iago is evil personified, wonderfully sung. Such a good movie (setting aside the impossible plot), but perhaps better viewed on the 'big screen'.
Very fine Opera - By: Mr. Christopher Lansdowne, 16 Nov 2009 Excellent production of one of the most famous operas. Can not believe that anyone would not enjoy it.
Otello - By: Mr Kiplin, 04 Jul 2009 this is a great opera, strong characters, superb music & wonderful voices. Placido Domingo is notin my opinion the best of the modern tenors, but he is probably the best actor. He plays the lead role with passion & I think this is one of his best performances. The rest of the cast are also top notch & the whole thing works as it should. this is not a stage production, but a film version & that may or may not be your choice. I would give it a go anyway, because it is good.
