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"O"
A film with perhaps the shortest title in
film history, "O" is a modern-day retelling
of the Shakespeare's classic, "Othello".
It is difficult for me to take this film and
relate it to the original classic, because frankly,
everything I ever learned about Shakespeare, I
forgot long ago. Therefor, please allow me to judge
this film based upon the entertainment value rather
than comparing it against its historic counterpart.
In this film, "O" is for Odin James
(Mekhi Phifer), the school's star basketball player.
He is a modern day hero and the envy of all,
including the team's coach (Martin Sheen) and the
Dean's Daughter, Desi (Julia Stiles), who shares
her love with the basketball star.
With envy comes jealousy, and such is the case
with Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the coach's son, Odin's
friend, and a fellow team player who has always
wanted to fly with the best, but has yet to soar.
Hugo is a friend with ulterior motives. Resentful
that his father shows preference to Odin, Hugo
stages a sinister plot that will cast treachery,
jealousy, and mistrust into the lives of Odin and
Desi. A chain of events spirals into the type of
tragic ending that Shakespeare is so well known for.
Without any knowledge of the original tale of
"Othello", I found "O" to be quite entertaining.
The story of cunning friendship betrayal is full
of twists and turns. Set against a soundtrack of
hop-hop music, this young cast of actors is quite
good, though never giving the powerful performances
a story like this needs. Because of this, the film
falls short of being extraordinary or memorable.
How is the transfer?
This is actually the second Lion's Gate title
I have had the honor of reviewing. Last month,
I gave Lost and Delerious a big thumbs up
on overall transfer quality. "O" looks just
as nice. The transfer looks very clean, with hardly
a trace of grain except in the darkest passages.
Colors are very accurate -- especially with the facial
flesh tones. It's good to see that this studios is
keeping a good track record with consistently
impressive transfers. The film is presented in
widescreen and full frame, which can be selected right
from the main menu (instead of flipping sides).
The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is very good. Though
the hip-hop music can be overly loud and intrusive,
the audio is quite clear. The rears are given their
share of activity, especially during the many
basketball events where the crowd can be heard
cheering in the stands.
Extra Features
I probably forgot to mention that Lion's Gate has
released "O" as a 2-disc Deluxe Edition.
The main feature is on disc ONE, while the supplements
are placed on disc TWO.
Pop the discs in, and you are greeted with a short
animated menu that shows a cheering crowd dissolving
into a profile shot of Odin. Menu commands appear.
In addition to Director Tim Blake Nelson's
commentary...
I was very surprised that this disc actually
contained the original 1922 silent version of
Othello, starring Emil Jannings and Directed
by Dimitri Buchowetzki. The silent film is presented
in its newly restored version with a brand new score.
I had hoped to watch it in its entirety, to compare
it to the 2001 remake, but I must admit that I got
bored with this silent version very quickly. I can
only tell you that of the 30 minutes I watched, the
quality of the film was better than I expected, and
the musical score certainly complimented the film well.
There are a total of 4 extremely short Interviews
with the 3 main cast members and Director. Julia
Stiles (Desi) talks about how Director Tim Blake
Nelson was an encouraging presence on the set --
especially when they only had two weeks or rehearsal
time. Mekhi Phifer (Odin James) talks about
how easy it will be for this film's audience to
relate to the athlete. He hopes this film encourages
the discussion of violence among school kids and their
parents. Josh Hartnett (Hugo) gives insight
into his character, and tries to draw out all the
rights from the wrongs. Finally, Director Tim
Blake Nelson talks about the character of Hugo.
He then addresses the use of drugs in the film and
the need to address it in a remake that uses teens
as it focal point.
There are 4 Deleted Scenes that you can
watch with or without Director's commentary. A
scene with Hugo and Roger shows us a little
more about Roger and his obsession for Desi. Hugo
gives Roger a little pep speech, and explains why
Roger gained so much faith in Hugo's devious plan.
The Cafeteria scene shows Hugo pleading to
Desi to talk some sense into getting Mike back on
the team. Later, she approaches Odin, only to be
reprimanded. A drug dealer talks about white control
in Drug Deal. He spells out the hard, cold
facts of becoming a rising black star in a
white world. Finally, an earlier confrontation
occurs in Odin and Desi. This is yet another
scene that shows Odin's rising, out-of-control anger.
Director Tim Blake Nelson was so proud of the
basketball sequences, that he wanted to include
them on this DVD. In this supplemental area, he
replays 3 of the key basketball sequences and while
doing commentary with Russell Lee, the Director
of Photography. Lee explains how he used
unconventional crane shots and mobile shots on the
court to bring an interesting new feel to the
basketball action. Nelson explains that one of
the film's basketball sequences was supposed to play
against an operatic score, but it didn't work out. Instead,
they used a hip-hop score instead.
The film's Original Trailer is also
included as well as 6 other titles from Lions
Gate Films.
Final Thoughts
If you were like me, you probably would have
read Shakespeare on the back of the box, and
immediately felt this sunken feeling in your
stomach.
Realize, however, this is a highly entertaining
story built around Shakespeare's classic tale. It's
totally fresh, presented in a manner that all
audiences can easily relate to. Though the film's
performances never make this as powerful of a film
that it should be, it is still one that I would
recommend as a rental at the very least.
Release Date: February 19, 2002
