Presented in collaboration with the American Repertory Theater, this ongoing series celebrates the rich history of intersection between cinema and theater by complementing the A.R.T.’s current season with screenings of significant film adaptations of related theatrical works.

Filmed in the old citadel of Mogador, in Morocco—and in Venice, Rome, Paris, and London as funds for the self-financed production were pursued over the course of three challenging years—Welles’s film is a free transformation of Shakespeare’s text, adapted to the director’s baroque cinematic vision. Welles cast himself as the tragic Moor of Venice, manipulated into jealous rage and murder by the scheming Iago (portrayed here by the renowned Irish actor Micheàl MacLiammoir). Capturing lush Venetian settings and towering Moroccan ramparts, Welles employs his signature visual style in its most dazzling realization, using deep focus, long takes, and sweeping camera movements to embody the full impact of Shakespeare’s tragedy.