BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

bmichaeljames I had not heard of this film prior to its being shown on Channel 81 Freeview recently. I was very much interested in seeing this as I love jazz as well as Classical Music especially Chamber and Leider and Opera so I was looking forward to seeing again on film many of the alumni I had seen in the Flamingo and Ronnie Scott's Old Place in the late 1950s and early 60s before I returned to Wales to do my first degree.I was delighted to see and hear Tubby Hayes - I remember him for playing tenor sax and not so much for playing the vibes as the main protagonist of that art was Bill le Sage who played mostly at the Flamingo.Dramatically, I found the film to be interesting and it moved very well - it was interesting to see the ubiquitous Richard Attenborough playing the millionaire in this film - his range was extremely extensive - it was pity he became a 'darling' in his old age.It did seem odd to see a flurry of jazz musicians flooding through the door of the auditorium - all dressed in the raincoats of the time - The film makes more sense to me now having noted your information that it was based on Othello - I played Brabantio in Othello some 10 or more years ago but I would not have connected this film with that drama.Dave Brubeck was able to give solo piece of a few minutes but Tubby Hayes had only a short time for playing the vibes - and many of the ensemble pieces were interrupted by the acting and the music instead of being in the forefront became only the background. It had not heard the trumpet player previously who was very good indeed - at the time I visited the modern clubs Kenny Baker was well known and also Joe Harriot whom I had the very good fortune to me for supper on evening at the invitation of a lady artist friend of mine - he was so humble and nice I am interested in who played the sax for Keith Michell - I know that he was a painter as well as an actor - and who sang the female vocals I shall do some more research.It was Glenn Miller's music especially the film that introduced me to jazz and my first love was Trad Jazz and I used to go to Club 51 and the 100 Club - after developing an interest in modern jazz I continued to go to the 100 club to dance the Trad Stomp.As I have recorded the film on my DVD player I will watch it again and try to evaluate more as a film rather than a piece of jazz history - it was great to see Tubby Hayes again even if only briefly.I am great fan of 30s music and I love Fred Astaire in Second Chorus the Artie Shaw band is featured and her again there was such a wasted opportunity - Fred could have been singing some wonderful songs with that great band but the opportunity was lost.The trouble in walking down memory lane is that it makes the present passage seem so dire and dirty - London in the late 50s and early 60s was a great place to be for young people - everyone was enthusiastic and polite and much more happy than today.Our politicians have created not so much a concrete but a plastic jungle - roll over McDonald's!

ddliner It's really unfortunate, but ultimately this is not a very good movie. The screenplay is downright awful, the lip synching is brutal, and although some of the actors try their best, they're obviously fighting a losing cause. Maybe if the director had maintained more control, he might have reigned in some of the the actor's ego (and perhaps the same could be said for his own ego), and then he might have allowed a whole lot more more screen time to the truly fabulous jazz musicians who were featured only intermittently throughout this movie. In fact, the only thing that saves this movie from being a complete clunker is the presence of the jazz musicians.

johnhenrik OK, maybe it's not perfect, but, this movie is so pleasingly NON-Hollywood. There are two mixed-race couples and it's never mentioned even once, WOW!. Then we get to witness two pot smoking musicians, with no COPS waiting in the wings to destroy their lives. Most of these musicians are good actors. There are no ridiculously stupid idiot characters, who could never make it in the real world, no bombs, guns being fired, car chases, stupid macho heroes defying all of the laws of physics, totalitarian law enforcers killing 'evil-doers' to protect the national security. The movie follows an outdated plot (even if this was made 46 years ago), but it flows and there's never a boring moment. There are some great jazz tunes and jams going on throughout most of the movie. And, of course, the movie had to made in England, since Hollywood has been, and still is, so scared of going outside of their own collection of simplistic formulas. Therefore, I must have this film.

Moor-Larkin Inter-racial marriage, dope smoking...that's the sex and drugs. No rock-n-roll I'm afraid, just Elvis Costello's grandpappy playing some cool jazz tunes on the old joanna. Richard Atenborough sheds no tears while ex-Rank glamour boys Keith Michel and Patrick McGoohan get together one more time to play the good and the bad.McGoohan plays the scheming drummer trying to start his own band. He has become squeezed by his potential backers who insist he must get Marti Stevens as his singer. Unfortunately for him Marti has fallen for the hulking Paul Harris. This white chick / black guy relationship proceeds with absolutely no comment from anyone, a refreshing change from the Hollywood routine of forcing Poitier to have to justify such things! To be truthful it is difficult to see what Marti sees in the guy, who is a real chauvinist, but such is love! He is the leader of a popular band but he has insisted his wife ended her singing career when they married.McGoohan's plan then is to split the couple up. His main weapon in this regard is Keith Michel playing a reformed dope fiend who, as an old friend, Harris has kept on as his manager. McGoohan passes Michel a bizarre-looking spliff in a quiet moment to try and get him hooked-up again. This forms part of McG's scheme to create the illusion to Harris that his wife is 'playing away' with Michel.The plotting becomes quite complex, with the inclusion of some incredible tape-to-tape equipment owned by the rich, upper-crust, but groovy cat: Richard Attenborough. McGoohan performs some sound engineering work worthy of a Danger Man episode to set up his final proof to Harris that Marti is unfaithful.Throughout all this Dave Brubeck and the dudes flesh out some jazz while everyone clicks fingers as they get hep! The film has become mainly famous because of the capture of these guys on celluloid.Aside from McGoohan, my favourite aspect of the movie is the fact that it was 1961, Mississippi was yet to start burning, yet the movie is impressively colour blind. The portrayal of the marriage of Marti and Paul and the sub-plot involving Michel fretting over whether to marry his black songstress girlfriend all proceed without skin colour even being mentioned.The final scene is the best of the whole film. Betsy Blair and McGoohan play out a powerfully cruel dismemberment of their life together while McGoohan makes your hair prickle as he rips his own personality to shreds and then stamps on it. While you are still shuddering at his dysfunctional alienation the movie fades out with him slaying his drum-kit, alone in the emptied warehouse-apartment.