Student Question
What were your initial impressions of the 1995 film "Othello," directed by Oliver Parker, and did they change?
Quick answer:
Initial impressions of Oliver Parker's 1995 film "Othello" might vary based on familiarity with Shakespeare's play. Viewers often compare character portrayals, like Laurence Fishburne's Othello, to their expectations from the text. Some may find the film makes the language more accessible, enhancing understanding and emotional connection, especially with key scenes involving Iago and Desdemona. As the film progresses, viewers might notice changes in their perceptions, possibly appreciating the performances, settings, and action more deeply.
If you have read the play, then contrasting it with the movie should be a fairly direct process. You should have in your mind some of the manners in which different characters are presented and how they should come across. Perhaps, jotting these down somewhere would be good. Watching the film, compare and contrast what you came up with prior to the film and how it depicted the characters and situations. This would allow you to develop a personalized and grounded approach to analyzing what is present, what should be there, and what should not be there. One of the challenges in depicting any potential classic of Literature on the stage or screen is how the director/ writer interprets the work. It is from this point where analysis about it can take place, the purpose of the task here.
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you with your question, but it is a very personal question that only one can answer. Perhaps it will help if I break down the question for you. Your "impressions" refer to how you felt as you watched the video. What did you notice about the way Laurence Fishbourne portrayedOthello? Did he make the character seem more real to you than when you read the play? Was Shakespeare's language easier for you to understand when you heard it rather than read it--and when you heard it acted by a fine actor? These are the kinds of things you could include in "impressions."
On the other hand, maybe the film was difficult for you to understand. That would be an impression also. You might have liked parts of it (perhaps the action, the costumes, or the settings), but perhaps you still had difficulty keeping the characters straight.
Presumably you watched the entire video because your homework question asked you how your impressions changed. That means: Did you like the movie more or less as it went on? Did you find you understood it more? Did you enjoy it? Did you feel strongly for Othello when he was duped by Iago? Did you feel strongly for Desdemona? What other character portrayals did you like or dislike?
Only you can determine what your own "impressions" are, but I hope by breaking down the kinds of things you might include in these impressions I've helped a little.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask another question if this is still unclear.