Unusual for a movie of its time, this features two highly contentious subjects. One is that characters are clearly seen smoking marijuana. The other is that there are two mixed-race relationships featured, and neither of them warrants a mention. [Note: mixed-race relationships did not carry the same stigma in Britain that they did in the U.S.]
Screenwriter Paul Jarrico, who had been blacklisted, used the name "Peter Achilles" when the film was originally released, The Writers Guild of America West restored Jarrico's credit for this film and three others in 1998. Betsy Blair, who plays Emily, also fell prey to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. Gene Kelly, her husband at the time, intervened to get her the part in Marty (1955) for which she earned an Academy Award® nomination, but she eventually had to move to Europe to pursue her career.
All Night Long (1962) is a 1962 British neo noir drama film directed by Basil Dearden. The story, by Nel King and Paul Jarrico, writing under the name Peter Achilles, is an updated version of William Shakespeare's Othello, set in the London jazz scene of the 1960s. The action takes place in a single evening, during an anniversary party.