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O
A
contemporary retelling of Othello, Shakespeare?s timeless tale of
treachery and jealousy, O will perhaps introduce a new audience
to the genius of William Shakespeare and some of his most intriguing
and tragic characters.
Review by Simon Remark
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O
(2001)
This
page was created on January, 2001
This page was last updated on May 21, 2005
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Credits
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Directed by Tim Blake Nelson
Play by William Shakespeare
Screenplay by Brad Kaaya
Mekhi Phifer .... Odin James
Josh Hartnett .... Hugo Goulding
Julia Stiles .... Desi Brable
Elden Henson .... Roger Rodriguez
Andrew Keegan .... Michael Casio
Rain Phoenix .... Emily
John Heard .... Dean Brable
Anthony Johnson .... Dell
Martin Sheen .... Coach Duke Goulding
Chris Freihofer .... Assistant Coach
Christopher Jones .... Jason
Chris Dong .... Dutchman
Produced
by Betsy Danbury (line producer), Zack Estrin (associate producer),
Daniel Fried (producer), Eric Gitter (producer), Lisa Gitter (co-producer),
Fred Goodman (co-executive producer), Brad Kaaya (associate producer),
Stephen A. Kepniss (CO-executive producer), Michael I. Levy (executive
producer), Anthony Rhulen (producer), William Shively (executive
producer)
Original music by Jeff Danna
Cinematography by Russell Lee Fine Film
Editing by Kate Sanford
MPAA:
Rated R for violence, a scene of strong sexuality, language and
drug use.
Runtime: USA:95
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O Various Artists
Soundtracks - 2001
1. "O" (Hatin' On You & Me) - The DJ Ran Project (featuring Meko)
2. Bum Bum Bum - Deep 6ix 3. Mightier Than The Sword - Borealis
4. Are You Down - Swerve (featuring Christina Boyd) 5. Freak It
Out - Kurupt (featuring Noriega) 6. I Got What You Want - Dyshon
(featuring Squabble) 7. You Brought Me Through - Tene 8. Something
Fresh - Spooks 9. Who Ride Wit Us - Kurupt (featuring Daz) 10. You
Best Believe - Crush 11. Long Gone - Dyshon 12. We Riddaz - Kurupt
& Roscoe 13. Let Me In The Club - Smooth Kat
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Everything
comes full circle
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STUDIO
SYNOPSIS:
A contemporary retelling of Othello, Shakespeare?s timeless tale
of treachery and jealousy, O will perhaps introduce a new audience
to the genius of William Shakespeare and some of his most intriguing
and tragic characters. Set in an elite private school located deep
in the American South, Mekhi Phifer portrays NBA hopeful Odin James,
the only black student at the school. Odin not only enjoys widespread
popularity with the students, he is dating Desi Brable (Julia Stiles),
the beautiful daughter of the Dean of Palmetto Grove Academy (John
Heard). Odin?s best friend, Hugo Goulding (Josh Hartnett), drawn
closely from Shakespeare?s nefarious Iago, is a starting forward
on the basketball team, and the son of Coach Duke Goulding (Martin
Sheen).
Hugo
has been asked by his father to look out for Odin because of the
particular pressures facing him at Palmetto Grove. Yet Hugo is bitterly
envious of Odin and the attention Odin receives from the coach and
everyone else at school. An introspective and somewhat mysterious
young man, Hugo seeks to manipulate those around him to his own
private ends.
Placed
by his own father in the role of Odin confidante, Hugo is, in reality,
seeking to destroy the very person he pretends to befriend. As the
basketball season comes to a dramatic finish, conflict among the
six friends escalates into irrevocable tragedy when Hugo executes
a plan prompting Odin to throw away all that he cares about most-
the woman he loves, his bright future, his very soul.
? 2001 Lions Gate Films
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NOTES
FROM DIRECTOR TIM BLAKE NELSON
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 I
was in Australia when first sent O, and for weeks I resisted even
reading it. ?Othello in high school? meant to me yet another risible
update of a great work into the cynical teensploitation genre. Then
I read Brad?s script, and knew immediately I had the opportunity to
direct something quite different. While its realization could be ?hip,?
and ?sexy,? and ?commercial? for all the wrong reasons, there was
a version that could boast these exact qualities for the RIGHT reasons.
If we opt for what I consider the deeper and more difficult version
of this film, which allows ?style? to take a back seat to truth, the
result will be smart, relentless, fast paced, and breathtakingly grave.
This film must be utterly believable to succeed. The biggest mistake
would be to turn it into a two hour music video; and, conversely,
the bravest and most effective route will be to take this story exactly
as it is; that is, as a real story. With an eye to shootings in West
Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Pearl, Mississippi; Fayetteville,
Tennessee; Springfield, Oregon; Edinboro, Pennsylvania, this film,
at a certain level, will be the anatomy of one such tragedy. Without
sinking into the mire of an after school special, or some pious, self-righteous
agitprop drama, we?ll come up with a film which is startlingly real,
and, in the end, devastating because of it. |
 What?s
this film about? Perhaps because I came originally to directing as
an actor, I tend to answer this question in terms of the protagonist?s
journey. ?A woman strains at the bonds of an increasingly confining
marriage and dies at the hands of her husband as a result? was our
cold but effective guide for EYE OF GOD. Every decision we made, from
design, to shooting style, to acting choices, fed somehow into this
central current, allowing (hopefully) for a sort of coherence in the
end result. |
 What?s
persistently troubled scholars who?ve studied Shakespeare?s OTHELLO
is a tension between its title and the traditional definition of a
protagonist. We seem to have the story of a man?s relentless and fevered
machinations to tear down the life of one he envies. More of the play?s
central actions belong to Iago, and yet Othello traverses more emotional
territory, descending from the relative security of military command
and the boundless affection of Desdemona, into murderous jealousy,
and suicide. Who is the protagonist then in this play which bears
the General?s, and not his flag officer?s name? Most agree that it
is Iago. In this light OTHELLO might earn the play?s title as the
object of Iago?s envy. More than the character who bears the name,
?Othello? can be heard as a mantra Iago repeats to himself as a motivating
force for everything he does: ?Othello... Othello...Othello....? |
 Will
this apply to our adaptation? In short, yes. We?re going to film the
story of a white, eighteen-year-old coach?s son who sets out to destroy,
at any cost, the life of a black contemporary whom he envies feverishly.
Just as with OTHELLO, which curiously bears Othello?s name as its
title, distinguishing Hugo as our protagonist in the film O is extremely
important to our work. I look at it this way: while we?ll explore
the devastating reaches of both sufferings, we?ll focus primarily
on envy, not jealousy. This is not to say Odin?s murder of Desi, and
the scenes between the two lovers which lead to it, won?t be utterly
harrowing, but we?ll reveal them in the context not of Odin?s sickness,
but of Hugo?s; that is to say, in terms of what Hugo has wrought in
Odin. Odin, like Othello, has to be black, but the point of both narratives
isn?t to demonstrate the murderous jealousy lurking within black men
involved with white women, but rather to show the impact (at a certain
level) that an envious and territorial culture might have on an ?other?
who has managed to infiltrate it. |
 The
audience, therefore, should register each moment of this film through
the prism of Hugo?s journey; how whatever occurs might please, infuriate,
distract, or impel him. In usually oblique ways, all our choices are
impacted in this way; from camera angles, to design detail, to editing.
Surely this film/story has political, social, and psychological context.
Surely it?s philosophical, emotional. Nevertheless, each concept which
draws us in--guns in high school, inter-racial relationships, teen
sex, racism, the parent-child relationship--must be seen exclusively
in the context of our central story; that is, one boy tearing down,
at all costs, another whom he envies. |
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| So
few of today's films are willing to take risks, opting instead to
stick with formulas that have proven to be box office successful.
This, however, isn't true of Tim Blake Nelson's "O," a bold and uncompromising
retelling of Shakespeare's classic tragedy Othello. "O" is perhaps
the darkest film to hit multiplex theaters this summer. |
The
setting is different, and the character's names have been altered
slightly, but the central themes remain:  envy,
jealousy, and destruction. The film takes place at a Southern boarding
school where the star basketball player is also the school's lone
African American, Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), who, of course, is dating
the Dean's gorgeous daughter, Desi (Julia Styles). |
| At
the beginning of the film Coach Duke Goulding (Martin Sheen) presents
Odin with the year-end MVP trophy, hugs him and affectionately tells
him he loves him like his own son. Meanwhile, his actual son, Hugo
(Josh Hartnett), the basketball team's all-purpose player, watches
in disbelief. His sense of rejection is evident. But his resentment
of Odin extends much further than the basketball court. Yes, Hugo
believes he is the team's MVP-he plays all five positions, rebounds
and hits timely shots-but his envy of Odin is clearly deeper: Hugo's
father loves Odin, something Hugo strongly desires but is denied. |
 Although
this film takes place in a high school setting, it is not a typical
high school drama. It is dark and disturbing, and maintains an eerie,
haunting mood throughout. One of the film's most chilling scenes is
when Hugo is invited to his father's office for dinner to discuss
the coach's concerns with his star player, Odin. When Hugo attempts
to chat with his father about his own life his father quickly changes
the subject back to his worries with Odin. Moments later, after asking
his son to watch out for his star, Coach Goulding leaves Hugo sitting
in the dark office alone. Scenes like this, as well as another cold
dinner scene with the Goulding family, offer some insight into high
school violence, while staying true to the plot structure of the original
play. Coach Goulding is an absent father, more concerned with his
basketball team than his own son, thus fueling an intense rivalry
between his son and star player; however, Odin is unaware of this
rivalry and thinks Hugo is a close friend, making it much easier for
Hugo to deceive him. |
| Hugo
primarily plays on Odin's insecurities with Desi. He isn't interested
in Desi; he simply uses her as a tool to destroy Odin, causing him
to believe that Desi is having sex with another basketball player,
Odin's right hand man Michael, who is also Desi's best friend-just
as in the original Othello, a scarf becomes proof of Desi's supposed
infidelity. When Michael is forced to sit out a couple crucial games
for fighting, Hugo convinces him to pour his heart out to Desi, who,
in turn, will convince Odin to plead with the coach on Michael's behalf.
But Odin's jealousy blinds him; he simply sees Michael and Desi spending
a lot of time together and thinks the worst, as Hugo is continually
planting seeds of doubt, which eventually leads to the demise of each
of the characters. The heart-wrenching monologue delivered by Odin
at the film's conclusion is both harrowing and powerful, adding a
modern twist to the original work. |
| "O"
ends in tragic Shakespearean fashion. The end result of both envy
and jealousy is destruction, proving the theme of Shakespeare's Othello
is timeless. "O" also addresses modern themes such as interracial
dating, racism, high school sports and the demise of the family. The
colors and camera work highlight the unsettling nature of the content,
and each of the leading actors is brilliant in their respective roles. |
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AGREE
Subject: "O" OTHELLO
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001
From: "AL CRACKENBERG"
I AGREE WITH
MUCH OF THE REVIEW OF O BY SIMON REMARK. I SAW THE MOVIE WITH MY
SON, A COLLEGE FRESHMAN. HE HAD SAW SHAKESPEARE'S OTHELLO AT ASHLAND
OREGON FESTIVAL. HE FELT THIS MOVIE WAS FAITHFUL TO THE FORM AND
CONTENT OF THE ORIGINAL. I THOUGHT THE MOVIE WAS AN ACCURATE DEPICTION
OF TEEN RELATIONSHIPS AS I REMEMBER THEM. JEALOUSY, ENVY AND REVENGE
ARE VERY HUMAN FEELINGS. WITHOUT SOME SPIRITUAL INPUT, THOSE EMOTIONS
GET OUT OF CONTROL AND HAVE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES.PARENTS, TEACHERS
AND ADULTS NEED TO WORK WITH CHILDREN AND BE AWARE THAT HELPING
RESOLVE ISSUES IS A FULL TIME JOB.WHEN LEFT UNRESOLVED, TRAGEDY
IS THE OUTCOME. IF YOU WANT SOME BIG ACTION MOVIE OR MINDLESS ENTERTAINMENT,
DON'T SEE THIS FILM. I ALSO THINK THIS FILM COULD BE VIEWED WITH
A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS OR COLLEGE ARE KIDS. IT COULD PROVIDE
FOR LOTS OF INSIGHTS INTO THE ADOLESCENT PSYCHE.
AL CRACKENBERG
BEST
TEEN FILM EVER MADE
Subject: O-
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001
From: sexton
Dear Hollywood
Jesus, Thank you for your positive reivew of O. I have seen this
film twice and each time I was profoundly touched by the completely
relevant themes of human nature it explores thanks to Shakespeare's
original masterpiece. I think young people like myself need to see
films like this, films that shine a realistic, shattering light
on the darker side of the world we live in. Seeing films like this
would serve the purposes of hlping young people realize the devestating
choice violence is and to prove that there are people in Hollywood
who know that all teenagers aren't shallow morons who can't enjoy
a really important film. O certainly is an important film and I
urge all young people to see it for the powerful story and excellent
performances. I will definitely be rooting for O in the awards races.
Sincerely, Rachel Sexton
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OFFICIAL
SITE
O ? 2001 Lions Gate Films . All Rights Reserved.
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