The silent film version of William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello,” made in Germany in 1922, will be shown with live music Sunday, April 17, at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton.
Admission is free, and a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses. The screening will be accompanied with live music by Jeff Rapsis.
The silent “Othello” takes Shakespeare’s dialogue-driven drama and transforms it into a story told visually, and the cast boasts two of the most celebrated German actors of the era, Emil Jannings in the title role and Werner Krauss as his nemesis, Iago. Jannings relocated to Hollywood later in the 1920s, winning Best Actor at the inaugural Academy Awards in 1929. Krauss, a noted German stage actor, is best remembered for playing the title role in the film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”
The film closely follows Shakespeare’s story of Othello, a Moorish general provoked to jealousy regarding his wife Desdemona. The story opens with Othello choosing the loyal Cassio as his lieutenant. This arouses bitter jealousy in Iago, another soldier, who vows to scheme against his general. Othello is soon sent to Cyprus to repel a Turkish invasion, and he arranges for Iago and his wife to bring Desdemona with them to Cyprus. When Iago’s wife learns of a treasured handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona, Iago hatches a plan that he hopes will destroy Othello by provoking him to jealousy.
Russian-born Dmitri Buchowetzki directed the film. The screening of will precede the 458th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birthday, which scholars believe was April 23, 1564.
The screening is part of the Town Hall Theatre’s ongoing series honoring the 100th anniversary of significant motion pictures from 1922. Programs have included all of 1922’s five highest-grossing titles, each shown on the big screen with live music, as well as century-old oddities, short films, cartoons and more.
For information, visit wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call 603-654-3456. For information on the music, visit jeffrapsis.com.