IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
This movie, based on William Shakespeare's Othello, is neatly positioned as a vehicle to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the period, including Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.This movie, based on William Shakespeare's Othello, is neatly positioned as a vehicle to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the period, including Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.This movie, based on William Shakespeare's Othello, is neatly positioned as a vehicle to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the period, including Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.
John Dankworth
- John Dankworth - Alto Sax
- (as Johnny Dankworth)
- Director
- Writers
- Nel King
- Paul Jarrico
- William Shakespeare(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPatrick McGoohan learned to play the drums for this movie.
- GoofsAfter Johnny Cousin talks of the band doing a 'big fat Mendelssohn' for the anniversary party, he sings the melody not of Mendelssohn's Wedding March but of the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin ('Here comes the bride'). A few minutes later, the band plays a jazz version of the Mendelssohn.
- Quotes
Johnnie Cousin: Me? Oh, I belong to that new minority group: white American jazz musicians. They're going to hold a mass meeting in a phone booth.
[laughs]
- ConnectionsFeatured in TCM Underground: All Night Long (2008)
- SoundtracksAll Night Long
Music by Philip Green (uncredited)
Lyric by Sonny Miller
Performed by Marti Stevens (uncredited)
Featured review
Iago A Go-Go
I came to this little-known British movie after watching another film director Basil Deardon had made not long before called "Sapphire" which as its main theme addressed the issue of interracial relationships in today's England. Here, he returns to this territory as he not only transposes the main plot elements of Shakespeare's "Othello" to the then present day but also imaginatively sets it in the jazz world of the time.
I'm no jazz-buff but readily appreciate that for those who are, the presence of big names like Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and Johnny Dankworth in the cast will make this film a draw almost for that reason alone. Actually they none of them are on screen for long and only get a few cursory lines and some brief musical interludes between them, so that they don't affect the action elsewhere, but I guess they add a flavour of authenticity to proceedings.
That action revolves around Patrick McGoohan's conniving and devious drummer Johnny, whose only way to forward his career is to co-opt retired singer Marti Stevens into joining his band. To do this he has to remove the two men he sees are in his way, Stevens' former musical accompanist, trumpeter Keith Michell and her new husband, black band-leader Paul Harris.
It all kicks off at a swinging first wedding anniversary party for Harris and Stevens hosted by promoter Richard Attenborough, the guest-list of which includes big-shot record company executive Bernard Braden as Johnny gets to work spinning his web even if it means innocent people's lives will be destroyed.
Deardon daringly posits two mixed-race relationships in the film and laudably does so in a natural and unobstrusive way. The movie itself is very set-bound with the camera rooted in Attenborough's massive apartment, contributing to the theatricality of the piece. McGoohan dominates as the twitchy, scheming Johnny and certainly impresses with his drumming skills, but there's good support for him provided by Michell, Stevens and particularly Harris, who you could easily imagine portraying the tragic Moor in the original "Othello". Betsy Blair also contributes a brief, but telling performance as Johnny's overlooked wife. Interestingly, the tragedy of the original play is given a more Hollywood-style ending, which particularly to those of us familiar with the original, seems a bit of a cop-out, although I can perhaps understand Deardon's reluctance to openly vilify Harris's character, under the circumstances.
Like I said though, the music didn't move me much and the hep-cat jive talk of this cloistered world rather grated after a while, but all in all this was an interesting and provocative modern-day take on the Bard, with a good cast, solid direction and the additional ingredient of some contemporary jazz music for those who really care for it.
I'm no jazz-buff but readily appreciate that for those who are, the presence of big names like Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and Johnny Dankworth in the cast will make this film a draw almost for that reason alone. Actually they none of them are on screen for long and only get a few cursory lines and some brief musical interludes between them, so that they don't affect the action elsewhere, but I guess they add a flavour of authenticity to proceedings.
That action revolves around Patrick McGoohan's conniving and devious drummer Johnny, whose only way to forward his career is to co-opt retired singer Marti Stevens into joining his band. To do this he has to remove the two men he sees are in his way, Stevens' former musical accompanist, trumpeter Keith Michell and her new husband, black band-leader Paul Harris.
It all kicks off at a swinging first wedding anniversary party for Harris and Stevens hosted by promoter Richard Attenborough, the guest-list of which includes big-shot record company executive Bernard Braden as Johnny gets to work spinning his web even if it means innocent people's lives will be destroyed.
Deardon daringly posits two mixed-race relationships in the film and laudably does so in a natural and unobstrusive way. The movie itself is very set-bound with the camera rooted in Attenborough's massive apartment, contributing to the theatricality of the piece. McGoohan dominates as the twitchy, scheming Johnny and certainly impresses with his drumming skills, but there's good support for him provided by Michell, Stevens and particularly Harris, who you could easily imagine portraying the tragic Moor in the original "Othello". Betsy Blair also contributes a brief, but telling performance as Johnny's overlooked wife. Interestingly, the tragedy of the original play is given a more Hollywood-style ending, which particularly to those of us familiar with the original, seems a bit of a cop-out, although I can perhaps understand Deardon's reluctance to openly vilify Harris's character, under the circumstances.
Like I said though, the music didn't move me much and the hep-cat jive talk of this cloistered world rather grated after a while, but all in all this was an interesting and provocative modern-day take on the Bard, with a good cast, solid direction and the additional ingredient of some contemporary jazz music for those who really care for it.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Sprache
- Also known as
- Die heiße Nacht
- Filming locations
- Shad Thames, Bermondsey, London, Greater London, England, UK(exterior street scenes)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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