Othello

As directed by Otto Schenk, this most unusual version of Giuseppe Verdi's 1887 opera +Othello (adapted from Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name) isn't actually a stage-bound theatrical production. It was shot for German television in 1965 on elaborate sets, but was also done with "roving" cameras, which liberates the material from a sense of staginess and gives it an unprecedented level of intimacy. It stars Wolfgang Windgassen as Othello, Sena Jurinac as Desdemona and Norman Mittelmann as Iago. The S?dfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, the Chor der Wiener Staatsoper and the Wiener S?ngerknaben lend added musical support, with Argeo Quadri conducting and Norbert Balatsch serving as chorus master. Gerhard Hruby designed the sets, and Leni Bauer Ecsi did the costumes.