Comparing Othello by William Shakespeare and the Film Othello Essay

An update of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ with a young cast, set in a high school and centered around basketball player Odin. Director: Tim Blake Nelson Writers: William Shakespeare (play), Brad Kaaya (screenplay) Stars: Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Andrew Keegan The film starts during a basketball game. At the last minute Odin scores the basket that wins the game for his team. Later at an awards ceremony Duke presents the MVP award to Odin for his efforts, an award he shares with Michael. At a party celebrating the victory, Hugo plans with Roger to tell Desi’s father that Odin raped her in order to split them up so that Roger can woo her. Roger, however, is only a pawn in Hugo’s ultimate plan to destroy Odin. Later in another game Odin’s team wins once again. At the celebration party, Hugo engineers a fight between Roger and a very drunk Michael, who is temporarily suspended from the team. Hugo tells Michael to ingratiate himself with Desi so that she will talk to Odin on his behalf. Soon afterward, Hugo tells Odin that Desi and Michael have been spending a lot of time together, and that she may be cheating on him. Odin doesn’t believe this at first, but gradually comes to suspect them. Odin questions Desi, but she calms him down and he believes her. In the meantime, Hugo manipulates Emily into stealing a scarf for him that Odin had given to Desi. Hugo, in turn, gives it to Michael in hopes that Odin will believe that Desi gave Michael the scarf, and so is cheating on him. Meanwhile, Desi and Odin are having passionate sex at a motel. During their lovemaking, Odin sees an image of Michael on top of Desi in the mirror; angered, he becomes very rough with Desi, to the point that she cries out for him to stop, a plea he ignores. Afterward, they lie together staring in opposite directions. After a dunk contest in which Odin himself performs a dunk that pulls the rim and breaks the glass backboard and assaults a ball boy, Hugo tells Odin about the scarf, convincing him that Desi is cheating on him. Enraged, Odin vows to kill her; Hugo then promises to kill Michael. Hugo, with Odin and Roger, plans to kill Michael and Desi. Hugo and Roger attempt to kill Michael in a carjacking, but it does not go as planned: Roger and Michael struggle, Hugo hits Michael with a crowbar, knocking him unconscious. Roger shoots Michael in the leg, and then Hugo turns the gun on Roger and makes him shoot himself after telling him that Desi is dead. Odin and Desi are in Desi’s room talking and Odin is pretending to make up with her. They are making out on the bed when suddenly Odin attacks her; she fights back, but he finally strangles her. Emily rushes into the room and sees Desi’s body; she soon finds out what Hugo has done. She begins telling Odin that Hugo told her to steal the scarf and exposes his plot. Hugo tells her to shut up, but she refuses, so he shoots and kills her. Odin finally realizes that Hugo has been manipulating him the entire time, and demands to know why; Hugo refuses to answer. When the police arrive, Odin tells them what happened, and commits suicide, shooting himself in the heart. The story ends with Hugo being taken into police custody, saying (in voice over) that he will have his day in the spotlight. Mekhi Phifer as Odin James The star basketball player, who gets more attention from Hugo’s dad than Hugo. He is also dating Desi. Josh Hartnett as Hugo Goulding The son of coach Duke Goulding, and jealous of Odin’s attention from his father. Julia Stiles as Desi Brable Odin’s girlfriend Andrew Keegan as Michael Cassio The overshadowed star on the basketball team because of Odin. Rain Phoenix as Emily Friend of Desi. Elden Henson as Roger Calhoun A kid bullied at school who is picked on by Michael. Martin Sheen as Coach Duke Goulding, the coach of the Hawks. Father of Hugo. John Heard as Dean Bob Brable Father of Desi. Rachel Shumate as Brandy Michael’s love interest. Box office