‘Put out the light...’ and take a seat for Othello

School children studying The Bard will get a chance to experience a big-screen adaptation of his famous tale of betrayal, jealousy and murder, when the 1995 film version of Othello screens at the Dunamaise this Thursday, October 23.

When the duplicitous Iago is passed over for promotion by his leader, the valiant Moorish general Othello, in favour of the loyal lieutenant, Cassio, the shunned ensign puts in play a scheme to discredit Cassio and wreak his revenge on the Moor.

As part of his plan, Iago contrives to convince Othello that Cassio is conducting an affair with Othello’s wife, Desdemona, the daughter of a senator.

The racial element of the play, with the central wooing of the white senator’s daughter by the black general and the drama that ensues, has ensured that Othello is one of Shakespeare’s more socially charged works. This big screen version, directed by Oliver Parker, boasts a stellar cast, with Laurence Fishburne in the title role, Kenneth Brannagh as Iago, and Irené Jacob as Desdemona.

This is a school screening of the film, which will take place this Thursday at 11am.

For more, see www.dunamaise.ie.