Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian aristocrat, elopes with Moorish military hero Othello, to the great resentment of Othello’s envious underling Iago. Alas, Iago knows Othello’s weakness, and with chilling malice works on him with but too good effect.

In 1952, Welles won the top prize at Cannes Film Festival for this gripping, expressionist masterwork, rich with shadowy, angular shots. Wells plays the titular role in Othello, which was his first film shot in exile and one of the best, most visually rapturous takes on a Shakespeare story.