Updated on July 17: Criterion Collection’s Othello release to include rare Filming Othello; set for October 10
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The Criterion Collection will release Orson Welles’ Othello in a fashion guaranteed to delight purists unhappy with the 1992 restoration.
The double Blu-ray and DVD sets, which will be released May 23, will include newly restored 4K digital transfers of both the 1952 European and 1955 U.S. versions.
In late 2014, Wellesnet broke the news that Julian Schlossberg, who handled distribution of the Michael Dawson-produced 1992 restoration for the Estate of Orson Welles, had reached a deal on behalf of Beatrice Welles with Criterion. Since then, Wellesnet received reports that Criterion was searching for the best elements in Europe.
Started in 1949, Othello was shot over three years in numerous locations. Othello won the Palme d´Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952, yet it languished through the 1970s and ’80s, largely due to a lack of distribution.
When Othello was refurbished in 1992, it was praised by critics, despite questions by noted film scholar Jonathan Rosenbaum and others about liberties taken by the restoration team, notably the decision to re-record the music score in stereo. (The Criterion release is NOT in stereo and there is no indication the 1992 version will be represented in this set).
Features on the upcoming Criterion release include:
- Uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-ray
- Audio commentary featuring director Peter Bogdanovich and Welles scholar Myron Meisel
- Return to Glennascaul, a 1953 short film made by Micheal MacLiammóir and Hilton Edwards during a hiatus from shooting Othello
- New interview with Welles biographer Simon Callow
- New interview with Welles scholar François Thomas on the differences between the two versions
- New interview with Ayanna Thompson, author of Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America
- Interview from 2014 with Welles scholar Joseph McBride
- Essay by film critic Geoffrey O’Brien
- More to be announced
The announcement mentioned additional, unnamed features to look forward to.
The Criterion Blu-ray carries a $49.95 list price with the DVD selling for $39.95.
Othello has never been released on Blu-ray in the U.S. before. There was a DVD release from Image Entertainment in 1999 and an Academy Home Entertainment videocassette in 1993.
Carlotta Films US distributed a 2K digital restoration of Othello theatrically in 2014.
This story was updated to reflect a seven-day change in release date.
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