This is a Belgian poster for Orson Welles’ 1952 adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello.

Othello was a labour of love for Welles.  He shot it on location in Europe over a period of 3 years, frequently having to shut down production having run out of money. Welles part-funded the movie himself, taking on other acting jobs, such as his role in The Third Man, in order to raise money. He was also forced to get creative in order to work around various logistical problems – in one case shooting a murder scene in a Turkish bath when costumes were not available!

Othello is one of Shakespeare’s more ‘problematic’ plays these days. Back in the day, having a white actor ‘black up’ to play the Moor was considered the norm. (Laurence Olivier also did the same in the 1965 version). These days it is hard to imagine the role being played by anyone other than a black actor, so this movie and this poster are very much a product of its time.

This poster is available to buy here.