There has been talk recently of Idris Elba being the first Black to be seriously considered to play the role of James Bond. When I heard of this, I thought to myself, 'Why bother?', there must be more original and inventive roles for an actor of Elba's stature to play without having to don the persona of some popular white hero. There are plenty of figures from Black History worth fictionalizing from Jomo Kenyatta to Bob Gibson to Isaac Hayes even.
But then I saw Paul Harris' performance in this film! I was riveted by the suave, stylish way he carried himself and it was no stretch at all to see him as 007 with a License to Kill. I thought after awhile, I would begin to see cracks and flaws in his portrayal of Othello in Jazz Country, but no such moments arrived. Here was a guy like our teacher at Foch Junior High who taught us Shop, and Mister Singleton, who taught our Gym classes and paddled us when we got out of line. There was this sense of unstated manly authority similar to what I have seen in the performances of Marlon Brando, and yet he wasn't aping Brando. No, if anything, he was channeling Duke Ellington with a no nonsense attitude and without the solicitous smile and amiable ever willing to please manner.
This reminds me of a story I told you about Doctor Peoples in an earlier review. I will not bore you by recounting it. But here's another way to get at what I'm talking about. There are times when brassy white men will barge into a room and demand 'Who's in charge here?' But I am sure you have had the experience where you walk into a room and your eyes immediately fix on one person because you sense and know they are the one in charge. That's what I take away from Paul Harris' portrayal of Aurelius Rex in ALL NIGHT LONG. This is personal presence altitude acting such as I have seen in films like THE GODFATHER and GANDHI, but without the production values or trappings of grandeur.
I spoke of this at length because it is rarer to see a Black Male actor dominate the atmosphere in a film not through anything he says or does, but simply by being there. I don't believe this is something that can be learned or taught, in my humble opinion. Some people exude authority as their innate gift, while others preen and posture and dramatize to show that they have it. You can reference Brando about this, as well as Rex Ingram, William Marshall and Toshiro Mifune.
I found it amazing and wonderful to watch Patrick McGoohan as Johnny Cousin hammer away at the strength and dignity of Aurelius Rex and meeting nothing but a brick wall of sanity. Unfortunately, through the wonders of technology, he finally breaks through a chink in the armor of Rex's manly reserve and it's downhill into Othello land after that. There's a metaphor in all this, but I think it best you draw your own conclusions.
It's great to see Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck in a film together, and I kind of wish the synergy between the ensembles of musicians and actors were more artfully developed with the musicians sharing anecdotes from their personal lives since they are essentially playing themselves. This would have made for a fascinating fusion of fantasy and reality. Marti Stevens as Delia Lane beautifully demonstrates how in awe she is of Rex, and having Richard Attenborough as Rod Hamilton, Keith Mitchell as Cass Michaels, Betsy Blair as Emily, the wife of Johnny Cousin and Maria Velasco as Benny, the girl friend of Cass Michaels; the cast seems to be working outside of formulaic Hollywood conventions. But you will discover this for yourself.
The reason I spent time recognizing and crediting Paul Harris is because I have seen him in bit parts in other films and always felt he would make a strong male lead given a suitable opportunity. I think this film is evidence of that. I think he might have developed a career comparable to Marlon Brando, or at the very least Lorne Greene but for extenuating circumstances.
But I don't have to go into all that.
But then I saw Paul Harris' performance in this film! I was riveted by the suave, stylish way he carried himself and it was no stretch at all to see him as 007 with a License to Kill. I thought after awhile, I would begin to see cracks and flaws in his portrayal of Othello in Jazz Country, but no such moments arrived. Here was a guy like our teacher at Foch Junior High who taught us Shop, and Mister Singleton, who taught our Gym classes and paddled us when we got out of line. There was this sense of unstated manly authority similar to what I have seen in the performances of Marlon Brando, and yet he wasn't aping Brando. No, if anything, he was channeling Duke Ellington with a no nonsense attitude and without the solicitous smile and amiable ever willing to please manner.
This reminds me of a story I told you about Doctor Peoples in an earlier review. I will not bore you by recounting it. But here's another way to get at what I'm talking about. There are times when brassy white men will barge into a room and demand 'Who's in charge here?' But I am sure you have had the experience where you walk into a room and your eyes immediately fix on one person because you sense and know they are the one in charge. That's what I take away from Paul Harris' portrayal of Aurelius Rex in ALL NIGHT LONG. This is personal presence altitude acting such as I have seen in films like THE GODFATHER and GANDHI, but without the production values or trappings of grandeur.
I spoke of this at length because it is rarer to see a Black Male actor dominate the atmosphere in a film not through anything he says or does, but simply by being there. I don't believe this is something that can be learned or taught, in my humble opinion. Some people exude authority as their innate gift, while others preen and posture and dramatize to show that they have it. You can reference Brando about this, as well as Rex Ingram, William Marshall and Toshiro Mifune.
I found it amazing and wonderful to watch Patrick McGoohan as Johnny Cousin hammer away at the strength and dignity of Aurelius Rex and meeting nothing but a brick wall of sanity. Unfortunately, through the wonders of technology, he finally breaks through a chink in the armor of Rex's manly reserve and it's downhill into Othello land after that. There's a metaphor in all this, but I think it best you draw your own conclusions.
It's great to see Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck in a film together, and I kind of wish the synergy between the ensembles of musicians and actors were more artfully developed with the musicians sharing anecdotes from their personal lives since they are essentially playing themselves. This would have made for a fascinating fusion of fantasy and reality. Marti Stevens as Delia Lane beautifully demonstrates how in awe she is of Rex, and having Richard Attenborough as Rod Hamilton, Keith Mitchell as Cass Michaels, Betsy Blair as Emily, the wife of Johnny Cousin and Maria Velasco as Benny, the girl friend of Cass Michaels; the cast seems to be working outside of formulaic Hollywood conventions. But you will discover this for yourself.
The reason I spent time recognizing and crediting Paul Harris is because I have seen him in bit parts in other films and always felt he would make a strong male lead given a suitable opportunity. I think this film is evidence of that. I think he might have developed a career comparable to Marlon Brando, or at the very least Lorne Greene but for extenuating circumstances.
But I don't have to go into all that.