Comments on: OTHELLO Plays the Blues, BeBop Style

By: sensei48

sensei48 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:55:28 +0000

Fine and perceptive article and review. The movie is showing as I type this on the “This” over-the-air network of all films – shown as channel 5.2 in Los Angeles as an adjunct to main channel 5.1. It may well play in the near future on similar channels on other local stations in the U.S.

By: jeff

jeff — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:31:13 +0000

Karin.

I have only viewed the UK version but it is an excellent transfer. The only extra it has is a trailer for the film.

By: Karin

Karin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:50:01 +0000

Coincidentally I just started looking online to purchase this movie for a friend. The Berkeley Pacific Film Archive had shown it and other great Jazz films last winter. My travels to France, so the PAL format is not an insurmountable obstacle. My question is about the 2007 Network release I see available on Amazon UK versus the German titled release I can order thru DaaVeeDee in NJ. Is there a difference? Which one should I get? Any tips would be appreciated.

By: Medusa

Medusa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:26:09 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up on this one on TCM! I’ve never seen it but what an intriguing concept and great cast! I’m not going to miss it!

By: Tony Dayoub

Tony Dayoub — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:00:01 +0000

Now you’ve motivated me to dredge it up from my DVR graveyard, where it’s been languishing for a little while. I’ll let you know what I think After I see it.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:36:40 +0000

Looking forward to seeing this film. Betsy Blair wrote a little about it in her wonderful book The Memory Of All That.

By: moirafinnie

moirafinnie — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:37:09 +0000

I can't believe that others haven't chimed in with their comments on this excellent, highly entertaining adaptation of Othello to the jazz milieu and the record industry. While my enjoyment of the movie isn't necessarily keyed to the Shakespearean link, it is a lot of fun due to the tableau of skilled "hipsters" such as Patrick McGoohan, Richard Attenborough, and Keith Michell slouching through this movie. I actually didn't recognize Betsy Blair until the last scene, and thought that Paul Harris was wonderful as the conflicted musician involved in the interracial romance. Btw, I loved the modern style of the loft where the action took place in this film, and found Attenborough's nerdy but hip glasses to be a nice touch. While Richard Attenborough may now seem a cheerfully "stodgy" figure, a singular example of his highly developed acting skill show him to be anything but this when on January 6th, 2009, TCM at 8pm ET will be broadcasting one of his best films, Brighton Rock (1947). Based on Graham Greene's fine novel about the underworld, the story centers on Attenborough's brilliant and chilling portrayal of a hoodlum. This bad guy has a nagging suspicion that he may have overlooked a detail in his quest to neatly order his criminal world--a realization that becomes more pronounced as he experiences a downswing in his fortunes. And YES, where is Joe MacBeth (1955)? I love anything with Paul Douglas and the inimitable Sid James as Banky has to be seen to be believed.