Screenshot from 1995 film of Othello
“Her father loved me; oft invited me;/ Still questioned me the story of my life/ From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes/ That I have passed./ I ran it through, even from my boyish days/ To th’ very moment that he bade me tell it:/ Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances,”. (Othello, Act I, Scene iii, Line 128-134).
In the film version of Othello from 1995, when the actor playing Othello recites this speech to the Duke, the film shows flashbacks. This is a choice that is different from the written play. During the speech, the film shows Brabantio and Othello spending a lot of time together at Brabantio’s house, showing that the two were close. Then the film shows when Othello first sees and meets Desdemona. The flashback then shows when Othello and Desdemona start spending time together and eventually falling in love. The most prominent part of this flashback that stuck out to me was the film showed Othello giving Desdemona the infamous handkerchief that becomes very important later on in the play, somewhat showing some foreshadowing. This is important because the written play never mentions a handkerchief until Iago’s wife, Emilia, steals the handkerchief from Desdemona for her husband to frame an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. I believe this choice tries to show the audience that this handkerchief is important in a subtle way. I think this worked when I watched the film but only because I knew the significance of the handkerchief in Othello. If I was watching the film without having read the play beforehand, I do not believe I would have even noticed the handkerchief in the beginning of the film because it was introduced in such a subtle way during the flashbacks which contained no speaking because it was during the time Othello was speaking to the Duke.
