All Night Long (1962)

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.

Director:

Basil Dearden

Writers:

Nel King (original screenplay), Paul Jarrico (original screenplay) (as Peter Achilles)

Stars:

Patrick McGoohan, Keith Michell, Betsy Blair

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick McGoohan	...	Johnny Cousin
Keith Michell	...	Cass Michaels
Betsy Blair	...	Emily
Paul Harris	...	Aurelius Rex
Marti Stevens	...	Delia Lane
Richard Attenborough	...	Rod Hamilton
Bernard Braden	...	Lou Berger
Harry Towb	...	Phales
María Velasco	...	Benny
Dave Brubeck	...	Dave Brubeck - Piano
John Dankworth	...	John Dankworth - Alto Sax (as Johnny Dankworth)
Charles Mingus	...	Charles Mingus - Bass
Bert Courtley	...	Bert Courtley - Trumpet
Keith Christie	...	Keith Christie - Trombone
Ray Dempsey	...	Ray Dempsey - Guitar

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

jazz musician | musical performance | musician | jazz | east end london | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Music

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Credited theatrical movie debut of Geoffrey Holder (Himself).

---

Goofs

After 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

[first lines]
Charles Mingus - Bass: Hey Rodney.
Rod Hamilton: Don't stop, man.
Charles Mingus - Bass: Hope you don't mind. I just walked in.

---

Connections

Version of Othello (1906)

---

Soundtracks

Between The Deveil And The Deep Blue Sea
(uncredited)
Written by Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen

User Reviews

The jazz alone is worth the price of admission

"All Night Long" takes "Othello" and transposes it to a jazz setting in contemporary London, or at least the London of the early sixties. It's a great idea, has a terrific cast and how could any jazz aficianado not like any movie that features this much jazz and a cast that includes Charlie Mingus, Johnny Dankworth and Dave Brubeck all playing themselves but there is a but... In place of Shakespeare we get jive and nothing dates as badly as the kind of hip dialogue that jazz musicians are reputed to have used back then. Cool just isn't cool anymore.

On the plus side, it's a Basil Dearden picture so as well as great jazz, and lots of it, we also get intelligence. Dearden knows the pedigree he has here and treats it with due respect and Patrick McGoohan is superb as the Iago figure. Others in the cast include Richard Attenborough, Betsy Blair, Keith Michell and in the Othello/Desdemona roles, Paul Harris and Marti Stevens. Unfortunately Harris and Stevens are the weakest things about the film; their lack of acting experience shows.

It is, however, a brilliant looking picture. Producer Michael Relph designed it along with Art Director Ray Sim and Edward Scaife supplied the superb black and white cinematography and, as I said, the jazz is terrific. However, it wasn't really successful and is among the least revived of all the Dearden/Relph movies but it's certainly worth seeking out and if you love jazz it is simply unmissable.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

All Night Long

Filming Locations:

Shad Thames, Southwark, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roberts Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1