All Night Long: Othello in the London '60s Jazz Scene

McGoohan as the ambitious Johnny Cousin.

William Shakespeare's plays have provided the source material for science fiction films (Forbidden Planet), Westerns (Jubal), musicals (Kiss Me, Kate), and dramas (Ran). One of the most intriguing contemporary updates is All Night Long (1962), which is set against the backdrop of the 1960s London jazz scene.

The story unfolds in one evening at a jam party hosted by a wealthy jazz aficionado (Richard Attenborough). Patrick McGoohan stars as Johnny Cousin, a deeply jealous and ambitious drummer (the Iago figure) determined to break up the interracial marriage of Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris), a prominent bandleader, and his wife, Delia (Marti Stevens), a retired singer. When Delia refuses to leave her husband to join Johnny's new band, he orchestrates a malicious, and manipulative campaign to convince Rex that Delia is having an affair with a fellow band member. As the night progresses, Johnny's scheming causes friendships to fracture and paranoia to run wild, all unfolding amidst performances from real-life jazz legends like Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.

Paul Harris as a jealous husband.

There is much to admire in All Night Long. Personally, I love films that take place in a single setting and within a short span of time (e.g., 12 Angry Men). Sometimes, though, these limitations can become too obvious and morph into a distraction. Even Hitchcock wasn't able to overcome that problem in Rope (of course, Hitch added the "single take" trick, too). However, in All Night Long, director Basil Dearden employs the confined setting and the compression of time effortlessly to generate an undercurrent of tension that runs throughout the film.

It helps that Patrick McGoohan portrays Johnny as a character on the verge of spontaneous combustion. Johnny becomes borderline manic as he tries anything to seize the last opportunity to create his own band. It's a far cry from the ultra-cool characters that would define McGoohan's career later in the decade.

While McGoohan and director Dearden make All Night Long a worthwhile watch, it does suffer from too many musical interludes. I am that sure that jazz fans will take issue with this criticism--the film captures performances by many of the greatest jazz musicians of that era. However, the plot stops too often for one jam session after another. I get it...these folks are tremendously talented! Plus, at 91 minutes, the film relies so heavily on the jazz pieces that, without them, it would barely qualify as feature‑length.

If you're a fan of McGoohan, Dearden, or 1960s jazz, then All Night Long is required viewing. For others, though, it's optional and there are better movie variations of Othello. I recommend Delmer Daves' underrated 1956 Western Jubal, which stars Glenn Ford and Ernest Borgnine.