2001 saw yet another Shakespeare adaptation starring Julia Stiles. Tim Blake Nelson directed Stiles, Mekhi Phifer, and Josh Hartnett in the prep school version of Othello. Tough coaching and the emergence of star Odin James has lead the Hawks to a winning season and led to a season of disappointment for the coaches overshadowed son, Hugo. Isolation takes center stage in this modern-day adaptation of a Shakespeare classic.
Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), star basketball player of the Hawks, is a standout as a black athlete in his predominately white prep school. The world is his oyster as the Hawks keep winning, he is dating the most popular girl in school, Desi (Julia Stiles), the headmaster's daughter, and is being scouted to play professional basketball. to top it all off, Odin is then named M.V.P. of the basketball team. Odin decides to share this honor with Michael (Andrew Keegan). Feeling overshadowed on the honor he feels deserving of; driven by envy at the declaration of love his basketball coach father Coach Duke Goulding (Martin Sheen) expresses for Odin, Hugo (Josh Hartnett) Stages an elaborate scheme to bring about the demise of the star. Creating an elaborate scheme involving the manipulation of everyone around him, Hugo sets out to bring Odin's life crashing down.
The music was a central actor in this film. Playing on the racial divide within the school, the lyrics of the songs used highlight the critical racial issues playing out on-screen. As always, my favorite part of any Shakespeare adaptation is the allusions to the original, or other Shakespeare works in the film. In O, Shakespeare was being taught in literature class, and Hugo was often seen playing chess, as referenced in the play. The acting was pretty well-done considering the young cast, and I found the story engaging and exciting. Overall, I thought this was a great modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's work.
Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), star basketball player of the Hawks, is a standout as a black athlete in his predominately white prep school. The world is his oyster as the Hawks keep winning, he is dating the most popular girl in school, Desi (Julia Stiles), the headmaster's daughter, and is being scouted to play professional basketball. to top it all off, Odin is then named M.V.P. of the basketball team. Odin decides to share this honor with Michael (Andrew Keegan). Feeling overshadowed on the honor he feels deserving of; driven by envy at the declaration of love his basketball coach father Coach Duke Goulding (Martin Sheen) expresses for Odin, Hugo (Josh Hartnett) Stages an elaborate scheme to bring about the demise of the star. Creating an elaborate scheme involving the manipulation of everyone around him, Hugo sets out to bring Odin's life crashing down.
The music was a central actor in this film. Playing on the racial divide within the school, the lyrics of the songs used highlight the critical racial issues playing out on-screen. As always, my favorite part of any Shakespeare adaptation is the allusions to the original, or other Shakespeare works in the film. In O, Shakespeare was being taught in literature class, and Hugo was often seen playing chess, as referenced in the play. The acting was pretty well-done considering the young cast, and I found the story engaging and exciting. Overall, I thought this was a great modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's work.