If ever there was a setting where jealousy and rage could thrive, it would be high school.

Unfortunately, William Shakespeare never knew the thrills of mandatory physical education classes, after-school detentions or the big basketball game on Friday night. For these reasons, the cinematic trend of Shakespeare retreads also thrives.

The latest attempt doesn’t play the bard for kicks (“Get Over It”) or manic intensity (“Romeo + Juliet”). “O” proves the point that so many filmmakers have grasped at like front-row fans looking for a piece of the lead singer. Sometimes, the best tales never grow old.

Director Tim Blake Nelson and screenwriter Brad Kaaya revel in this “Othello” retelling, filled with deception, dark shadows and high school hormones. The fact that the movie has taken this long to arrive on DVD exemplifies how successful they were.

Filmed in 2000, “O” features two hot actors both then and now – Josh Hartnett (in the midst of his messed-up hair phase) and Julia Stiles. Add to the mix Mekhi Phifer as a buzz-worthy newcomer and the project turned plenty of heads in Hollywood.

The film’s first release date was shot down, though, due to the guns of high-schoolers. Continued gun violence in American high schools provoked a sort of voluntary censorship for more than a year. Executives’ feet grew cold after viewing the film’s climax, with a single gun felling many of the story’s main characters.

This past summer, Lion’s Gate finally released the film, which probably should become required viewing in all those high school English classes. Not only does “O” firmly plant the story in the present, but the title character’s fall from grace is as detailed and emotional as the basketball games he dominates.

Odin James (Phifer), much like the imagery the film suggests, flies far above the students he shares the hallways with. He has plenty of talent, a steady girlfriend (Stiles) and a ticket to just about any college of his choice. He also stands out as the only black student in a prep school full of whites. This interesting juxtaposition isn’t exploited for preaching purposes. In fact, for most of the movie his race isn’t acknowledged. But in crucial moments, the feelings of loneliness and awkwardness bubble to the surface – just as he loses control of himself.

That downfall is depicted with a style that shifts and swirls like the emotions of a teen-ager. Hugo (Hartnett), jealous of the man who usurps his glory and his basketball coach/dad’s adulation, becomes engulfed in the shadows as he plots and schemes. These carefully composed scenes give way to basketball scenes that propel the plot and offer startlingly appropriate microcosms of the players’ current relationships.

“O” is more than an idea, though. That’s never more evident than on the two-disc DVD. Instead of focusing on the release problems or the symbolism the film conjures up, we’re treated more to an admiration for the source material. The second disc’s 1920 version of “Othello” helps show how successful Hartnett is with his hushed tones and expert posturing (all with a poor posture). And Phifer shows how believable the slippery slope can be, even if it’s started by unsubstantiated rumor.

In true Shakespeare fashion, Odin’s final soliloquy (the only major one in the film) wraps up the story while stoking the flames for repeated study. And as the camera freezes on the spark Odin’s gun creates in the last moment of his bright flash of a life, we’re reminded of why Shakespeare adaptations aren’t always a bad thing.