Purplish rendition of the Verdi opera, so deeply so as to produce many more chuckles than normal for this old tale. Nearest to an outright guffaw: the vision of the "dreaming" Cassio, with his naked torso toasted in orange and blue lights. Placido Domingo doesn't look too ridiculous in blackface; and Justino Diaz, as Iago, gets all the closeups any two-faced schemer could want, although these always seem to be of Face No. 2. Both are in great voice, as is Katia Ricciarelli, a sort of Brothers Grimm fairy-tale princess crossed with Swiss milkmaid, in the role of Desdemona. Franco Zeffirelli's credit reads "Designed and directed by," and indeed he started out as a designer of stage and opera productions, and the sets (and settings) of this production are gruntingly functional. (1986) — Duncan Shepherd
This movie is not currently in theaters.