O (FILM)

'''O''' is a 2001 'teen' film version of William Shakespeare's ''Othello''.
The film's intended release date coincided with the Columbine High School massacre, so the film was shelved. It was finally released in 2001. It was directed by Tim Blake Nelson and written by Brad Kaaya. It contains many different styles of music, ranging from rap to opera. It was filmed in South Carolina.
Told in a contemporary high school setting, Othello is now Odin (Mekhi Phifer), star of the basketball team and the school's only African American student. Desdemona is Desi (Julia Stiles, in her second modern adaptation of a Shakespeare play), the dean's daughter and Odin's girlfriend. Iago is Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the coach's steroid-shooting son, who jealously plants seeds of doubt that fester in Odin's mind, leading them all to a tragically violent fate. Roderigo is Roger (Elden Henson), Hugo's best friend, a rich and troubled student who wants to go out with Desi, and helps Hugo until he is killed by Hugo because of his incompetence. Cassio is Michael Cassio (Andrew Keegan), another basketball player whom Odin highly respects at the beginning of the movie, but they have a falling-out when Michael gets up and fights with Roger, and Hugo convinces Odin that Michael loves Desi. Emilia is Emily (Rain Phoenix), Desi's best friend and Hugo's girlfriend. Brabantio is Dean Brable (John Heard), the president of the school and Desi's father. The duke of Venice is the basketball coach, also known as Duke (Martin Sheen), whose character's role in the movie is much expanded compared to his role in the play. Duke's love and attention for Odin and not for Hugo is primarily what led to Hugo's instability and jealousy.

Contents

Plot summary

Use of Drugs

External links

Plot summary

The film starts off 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 MVP( most valuable player award) to Odin for his efforts and he shares this award with Michael. At a party celebrating the victory Hugo talks to Roger about his feelings towards Odin. He is jealous and feels he should get the MVP award since he has worked himself to death in the team. He plans with Roger to tell the Dean Desi's father that Odin raped Desi in order to split them up so that Roger can woo her. Roger however is only a pawn in Hugo's game. Hugo's plan fails. Later in another game Odin's team wins once again. At the celebration party Roger is encouraged by Hugo to provoke Michael, who is now very drunk, to get into a fight with him in the hopes of making lose his position in the team so he can woo Desi. This is once again only part of Hugo's plan to ruin Odin and Desi's relationship. In the fight Roger is injured and Michael is temporarily suspended from the team. At another basketball game Odin finds it hard to defeat the opposing team but thanks to Hugo and Odin's effort the game is won. Hugo tells Michael to talk to Desi about telling Odin to try and help get Michael his position back. Michael does so. In a weightlifting room Hugo tells Odin that Desi may be cheating on him because he says that she has been with Michael a lot. Odin doesn't believe this at first but when he constantly sees Michael and Desi together. Odin questions Desi about this but Desi calms him down and he believes her. In the meantime, Emily, Desi's friend, steals a scarf that Odin gave to Desi to Hugo which he gives Michael later on in the film. He hopes that by making Odin see Michael with the scarf Odin will believe that Desi is cheating on him.
Meanwhile, both Desi and Odin are passionately having sex at a hotel which they rented many days ago. Desi is particularly aroused by the sexual stimulation Odin is giving her. At the climax of their love making Odin sees an image of Michael in the mirror having sex with Desi and this prompts him to have sex with her in a hard, fast and brutal way to the point where he almost rapes her. Desi cries out telling Odin to stop because of the pain she is receiving. Odin eventually stops, crying and angry.
Hugo, with Odin and Roger plan to kill Michael and Desi for their non-existing relationship. Hugo and Roger attempt to kill Michael in a car pulled over incident, but fails and Hugo eventually kills both of them. Later Odin chokes Desi and she dies then the story comes together. Odin relizes that Hugo staged everything and Hugo, walking back, drops the gun he is holding and Odin picks it up and just as the police come in, Odin commits suicide and tells Hugo to tell people the truth about him and not the lies he hears about himself. Hugo is taken into custody by the police and the story ends with Hugo saying he will soar like Odin, he will have his day in the spot light.

Use of Drugs

Unlike in ''Othello'', drugs played a major role in Odin's behavior. Being under the influence of cocaine primarily caused his violent behavior. The drug use allowed Hugo to manipulate Odin into killing Desi, which ultimately leads to his own death. The drug use in "O" compensates for the different values in Shakespeares time; they believed that Othello used witchcraft, and even drugging to make Desdemona marry him.

Character in ''Othello''	Character in ''O''	Actor
Othello	Odin James	Mekhi Phifer
Iago	Hugo Goulding	Josh Hartnett
Desdemona	Desi Brable	Julia Stiles
Michael Cassio	Michael Cassio	Andrew Keegan
Duke of Venice	Coach Duke Goulding	Martin Sheen
Roderigo	Roger Rodriguez	Elden Henson
Emilia	Emily	Rain Phoenix
Brabantio	Dean Bob Brable	John Heard
Bianca	Brandy	Rachel Schumate

External links

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