I was just thinking...
After our in-class discussion today I discovered that if I were to make my own version of Shakespeare's Othello as a movie, it would be justalittlebit different from the ones that are currently out.
First off, Othello's character would be played by a person who is literally painted black (like how Mickey Rourke was yellow in Sin City). Second, Desdemona's character would be played by dakota fanning and conversely painted white. Every character would have a slight tint to their skin and their wardrobe, depending on who they are. It would take place in Italy, as usual, but the setting would always be dark, and gloomy. Also, I think I would try to make it kind of macabre, like a Tim Burton or Quentin Tarantino Film. For example, in the scene where Othello tells Desdemona that her bed is a deathbed, I would have the bed be in the shape of a coffin, and when she is murdered, I would then cut to a view of the strawberries on the hankerchief bleeding off of the fabric.
The idea of painting a character white is really compelling. You might want to read Kim Hall's explanation of the blackface tradition (354-357) in light of this. I wonder how a 'whiteface' approach might revisit and revise this problematic performance history?
ReplyDeletehonestly, i was disappointed with "O". your version sounds so much more interesting!
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