Movie to Watch for International Jazz Day: “All Night Long” (Basil Dearden, 1962)

A fascinating psychodrama that combines Shakespeare with the beatnik beat of the 1960s London club scene – this is Othello accompanied by cool jazz. The movie takes place over the course of several hours during a surprise anniversary party thrown by Rodney Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) in honor of happily married bandleader Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris) and his wife Delia (Marti Stevens), a now-retired chanteuse. Their Iago is the band’s drummer, Johnny Cousin (brilliantly played by Patrick McGoohan), whose jealousy and ambition drives him to play others as blithely as he would chessboard pawns. Planting seeds of doubt and suspicion over the course of the evening using innuendo, a pilfered cigarette case and an altered recording of a private conversation, Johnny finally convinces Rex that Delia has been unfaithful to him; goading Rex into a jealous rage. Along with adding appeal for jazz aficionados, music legends Dave Brubeck, Johnny Dankworth, Paul Mingus, Tubby Hayes, Charles Mingus, and Kenny Napper accentuate the film’s vibe as party guests and band members who perform periodically throughout, and there is also a cameo by former dance star Geoffrey Holder. One of the films selected for release by the prestigious Criterion Collection, “All Night Long” is an entertaining and evocative watch, richly laced with strains of classic jazz, passion, and clouds of cigarette smoke. Highly recommended. This upload is Fair Use only - all rights belong to the creators, owners, and copyright holders of this content.