| | | Trust. Seduction. Betrayal. Everything comes full circle...
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby, Digital Audio, English, Spanish
Hot young stars, a hip, driving soundtrack, plus a provocative tale of jealousy and betrayal combine to create this controversial modern-day version of Shakespeare's classic Othello. O is Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), the school's star basketball player and future NBA hopeful. Even though he's the only black student at the elite Palmetto Grove Academy, he has the adoration of all, including the team's coach (Martin Sheen) and the Dean's beautiful daughter, Desi (Julia Stiles). Odin's troubled friend Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the coach's son, is deeply resentful of his father's preference for Odin on and off the court. When Hugo plots a diabolical scheme to sow the seeds of mistrust between O and Desi, it sets in motion a disturbing chain of events which erupts into a firestorm of breathtaking intensity. "O" is a stunning tale that will stay with you long after its final, powerful frame. Also included: an additional DVD containing the original classic film Othello with a new score and commentary.
"The most controversial movie of the year." Esquire
Editor's Note
Director Tim Blake Nelson sets Shakespeare's OTHELLO in a modern day private high school and the result is a dark, somber teen tragedy. Mekhi Phifer (CLOCKERS) stars as Odin James, an African American star basketball player at the otherwise all-white school. The coach of the team (Martin Sheen) loves Odin like a son, which causes real son Hugo (Josh Hartnett) to squirm with jealousy and plan an elaborate revenge. Julia Stiles (a modern dress Shakespeare regular, having also co-starred in HAMLET and TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU) is Desi, the virginal daughter of the dean, with whom Odin is in love. The ensuing outburst of tragic teen violence is a shocking denouement that elevates the already dangerous mood of the film to full-fledged terror. Because of the intense violence in the film, it was shelved for years by a nervous Miramax in the wake of the real-life Columbine high school massacre. Finally, it was picked up by Lion's Gate Films. Upon viewing the film, such worry seems needless, as the film does nothing to glorify the violence it depicts. It explores themes of class, race, and all-consuming jealousy. Shakespeare's original dialogue is abandoned in favor of hip-hop-flavored modern language, but the tale's timeless relevance remains unaltered.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Deleted Scenes | | Cast & Crew Interviews | | The Classic Film Othello With A New Score And Commentary | | Music-Only Track | | Theatrical Trailer | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | WIdescreen & Full Screen Versions | | Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digtal | | Commentary By Director Tim Blake Nelson, Cinematographer Russell Lee Fine And Actor Julia Stiles |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Trimark |
| Release Date: 5/23/2006 |
| Running Time: 94 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 7982-D | | UPC: 00031398825524 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Seattle Film Festival (2001) |  | Tim Blake Nelson, Winner, Best Director |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...A film that displays some good visual instincts and talent with actors..." 06/11/2001 p.18-22Hollywood Reporter
"...A lean, mean high school tragedy....O comes across as a potent drama, extremely well-acted by its lads....Phifer and Stiles are splendid young actors and give off plenty of heat..." 07/03/2001 p.13 Box Office
"...An affecting heart-breaker....[Odin displays] charm and natural ability....Kaaya and Blake Nelson remain remarkably faithful to Shakespeare's oft-told tale..." 08/01/2001 p.57 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...The central themes of OTHELLO translate thrillingly to a contemporary setting....Powerful....This is a stunning portrait of evil that makes it clear Hartnett is a real actor and not just another pretty face..." 09/01/2001 p.35-6 Los Angeles Times
"...O does understand and successfully trade on the undeniable power of its celebrated innocence-destroyed plotline....[Essential] is Hartnett's low-key, charismatic performance -- cool, withholding, compelling..." 08/31/2001 p.1 USA Today
"...Artful and emotionally compelling....O is disturbing, but in all the right ways....O responsibly examines the origins and repercussions of deceit and brutality..." 08/31/2001 p.6E Sight and Sound
"...[Nelson] displays a confident eye, sometimes rigorously formal, sometimes almost abstract..." 02/01/2002 p.56-7 Total Film
"...The leads are uniformly strong, Phifer genuinely outstanding, and the dynamic court scenes will exhilarate regardless of your feelings towards basketball..." 10/01/2002 p.121 Los Angeles Times 8 of 10
...[the movie's] strength is the power of Shakespeare's plot. Even shorn of the elevating original language, it's fascinating to see Othello's dynamics being worked out in another environment, to notice the equivalents the film has come up with for the original's plot elements... Also helping "O" is how well-cast it is... Essential to the success it manages is Hartnett's low-key, charismatic performance-cool, withholding, compelling. The triumph of his insinuating Hugo/Iago is how plausible he is, how he manages to convincingly inject poison in so many minds without seeming to be trying. - Kenneth Turan
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