"Confining the running time within a lean 90 minutes, Welles trims the play down to its kernel. Othello (Welles in blackface, whose gradation varies constantly) is a Moorish military commander of the Venetian Army, fighting against Ottoman Turks in defense of Cyprus. His miscegenation with Desdemona (a doe-eyed Cloutier exemplifies a wronged beaut subjugated to heartrending resignation) triggers displeasure and envy (or more overtly, racism) from his ensign Iago (Liammóir, impeccable locution aside, he is monotonously threatening and rebarbative), who plants the seed of distrust in Othello through a single handkerchief, fabricating a tryst between Desdemona and Cassio (Laurence), Othello's loyal captain. Riled by cuckoldry, Othello soon gives in to his murderous rage and all hell is let loose."
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