George Cukor respected British Ronald Colman’s qualities as a screen actor, singling out his photogenic look and emotional gestures.
However, he had doubts whether the gentlemanly Colman possessed the danger and madness that were required to play convincingly Othello, on stage or in the film. A gifted actor, Colman lacked the demonic and sinister quality needed for the part to be scary.
My Cukor Book:
The leading lady in the film, Brita, was played by Signe Hasso, a Swedish actress. “George had directed Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, and he loved working with Swedish women,” Hasso told me, “He thought that they were extraordinary. ‘Oh, you strange women,’ he would say.”
Hasso remembered that there was a small scene, which for some reason she could not do right. “What’s a matter Signe” Cukor asked, “It’s a very easy scene.” Cukor decided to turn for help to her brother, who was visiting on the set. “Val, do you know what to say to her” Cukor asked. “Yes, I do,” her brother said. “Good,” Cukor said, “now you do the scene with her.” “My brother said the worst things to me in Swedish. With a big smile, he just cursed me out really good.” Hasso was so shocked, she did the scene in one take. “That was marvelous,” said Cukor, “what did you tell her”
A British gentleman, with good manners, Colman didn’t want to hurt Hasso in the scene where he chokes her. “Come on, Ronnie,” Hasso said, “just go ahead and do it.” But Colman didn’t dare. Cukor worked on that scene for a long time. “But the last time we did it,” Hasso said, “Ronnie really became the part and dug deep into my throat. By the time George said `cut,’ he had almost choked me to death.’ At the end of the scene, Colman asked, “did it hurt” “Not at all,” Hasso said. Cukor just stood aside and smiled.
Colman experienced some trouble with the Shakespearean scenes; it has been a long time since he had performed on the stage. Cukor brought a noted coach, Walter Hampden, from New York to rehearse the Othello sequences. “This was indicative of Cukor’s work,” said Hasso, “He was very thorough. If everything wasn’t absolutely perfect, he would take his time and do as many takes as needed. He was a director who followed his intuition, but he also let you follow your intuition and do your thing.” “It was very easy to work with Cukor,” she said, “I learned a lot from him.”
For the death scene, Cukor used again some advice he had given to Lowell Sherman in What Price Hollywood. He told Colman, “When you die, all your life, everything that’s happened, comes into your eyes for a brief moment.” Colman did it, but Cukor couldn’t see it. The next day, however, it was all in the rushes. For Cukor, Colman was an actor who knew how to let the quality of the thought come out.
