All Night Long

“Basil Dearden’s 1961 British film tells the story of Othello from the perspective of jazz. Richard Attenborough plays a wealthy jazz enthusiast who throws a wild party in a warehouse in London’s East End to celebrate the wedding anniversary of the jazz musician Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris) and his wife, a white singer. Musical highlights include a rare duet by Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck; other musicians featured include John Dankworth and Tubby Hayes. A rare treat for jazz lovers.” (Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader, Oct 1988)

The co-screenwriter Paul Jarrico – credited under the pseudonym Peter Achilles – was blacklisted by Hollywood in the 1950s due to his political views and his refusal to testify before the HUAC, and was dismissed by RKO Studios. In 1958, he moved to Europe, where he worked primarily in independent and European cinema, but his career never fully recovered from the McCarthy era. (tb)