Herbert von Karajan directed this film of Verdi’s Shakespearan masterpiece as well as conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. As the tragic Moor of Venice, arguably his greatest role, John Vickers (in the words of critic David Cairns) "commands both the notes and the moral grandeur of the part. … And he has the aura of greatness – greatness of heart, of bearing, of musical and dramatic conception". Mirella Freni is a heartbreakingly lovely and fragile Desdemona, while the fine English baritone Peter Glossop plays the villainous Jago.
Released: May 21, 1973
Runtime: 140 minutes
Genre: Music
Stars: Jon Vickers, Mirella Freni, Peter Glossop, Stefania Malagú, José van Dam, Michel Sénéchal
Crew: Georges Wakhévitch (Production Design), Ernst Wild (Director of Photography), Giuseppe Verdi (Music), Arrigo Boito (Writer), Herbert von Karajan (Conductor), William Shakespeare (Theatre Play)