Catch My Soul
Encyclopedia
For UK Stage version see Catch My Soul (UK stage version)
Catch My Soul is a 1974 film produced by Jack Good
and Richard M. Rosenbloom, and directed by Patrick McGoohan
. It was an adaptation of Good's stage musical
of the same title, which itself was loosely adapted from William Shakespeare
's Othello
. It was not a critical success.
had been retitled for the London stage
and relocated from Venice
to Piccadilly
; for the film, the location of the drama was moved to the New Mexico
desert; filming took place in Espanola
and Santa Fe
. The title comes from Act III, Scene III of Shakespeare's play, in which Othello
declares his love for Desdemona
, "Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again."
Although much of the plot remains intact, Othello, the "noble Moor
" becomes the pacifist leader of a hippie
commune
, Iago
appears to be the Devil incarnate who "fits all the negative stereotypes of dropout
s with his scruffy beard and unwashed look" and Desdemona becomes a "white round-faced girl with granny glasses".
Patrick McGoohan
had earlier starred in the successful 1962 modernisation of the Othello story, All Night Long, which had been moved to 1960s London and fuelled by jazz music. Allmovie's reviewer points out that "perhaps he thought lightning would strike twice in moving it to a gospel
show in the Southwest. He was terribly wrong." Catch My Soul would be the only film to be directed by McGoohan, although he later directed some episodes of Columbo. In an interview with Premiere
magazine in 1995, McGoohan gave some insight into why the film had failed:
Of the cast, Richie Havens
was well-known from his appearance at Woodstock Festival
, but this was his first acting role; Lance LeGault
had some experience, but not playing major roles; likewise Season Hubley
and Susan Tyrell. Tony Joe White
was already fairly well known as a musician. Allmovie's Craig Butler was moved to comment "Laughable also describes every dramatic performance, as do horrible and unbelievable."
. It failed as an arthouse film
, was retitled "Santa Fe Satan", and reissued as a drive-in
exploitation film
.
Critical reviews of Catch My Soul were generally negative, Time Outs reviewer describing it as Leslie Halliwell
was equally scathing, his description being
Allmovie's Craig Butler was able to say that "some of the musical performances, especially from Richie Havens and Tony Joe White are quite good, and much of the music is worth hearing ... removed from the movie." Nevertheless, his overall assessment is "a train wreck of a movie that inspires awe and that makes one appreciate a time when awful movies could be so bad in such an interesting way."
to tie-in with the film. The New York Times reviewer, in line with others, commented "Forget the movie and get the soundtrack album."
Track listing
Catch My Soul (UK stage version)
Disambiguation: for Film version see Catch My SoulCatch My Soul was the UK stage version of the rock musical produced by Jack Good. The show was a showcase for the talents of Lance LeGault, PP Arnold, P.J. Proby and an introduction to the rock musician Robert Tench and the band Gass...
Catch My Soul is a 1974 film produced by Jack Good
Jack Good (producer)
Jack Good is a pioneering former TV television producer, musical theatre producer, record producer, musician and painter of icons.-Career:...
and Richard M. Rosenbloom, and directed by Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
. It was an adaptation of Good's stage musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
of the same title, which itself was loosely adapted from William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
. It was not a critical success.
Production
Shakespeare's tragedy of revenge and racismRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
had been retitled for the London stage
Catch My Soul (UK stage version)
Disambiguation: for Film version see Catch My SoulCatch My Soul was the UK stage version of the rock musical produced by Jack Good. The show was a showcase for the talents of Lance LeGault, PP Arnold, P.J. Proby and an introduction to the rock musician Robert Tench and the band Gass...
and relocated from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
to Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
; for the film, the location of the drama was moved to the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
desert; filming took place in Espanola
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
and Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. The title comes from Act III, Scene III of Shakespeare's play, in which Othello
Othello (character)
Othello is a character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's origin is traced to the tale, "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. There, he is simply referred to as the Moor....
declares his love for Desdemona
Desdemona
Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello.Desdemona may also refer to:People* Desdemona , a soprano role in the 1816 opera Otello by Gioachino Rossini...
, "Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again."
Although much of the plot remains intact, Othello, the "noble Moor
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
" becomes the pacifist leader of a hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
commune
Commune (socialism)
Traditionally, the revolutionary left sees the Commune as a populist replacement for the elitist parliament. The far-left, despite their differences, agree that the commune would have several features...
, Iago
Iago
Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,...
appears to be the Devil incarnate who "fits all the negative stereotypes of dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
s with his scruffy beard and unwashed look" and Desdemona becomes a "white round-faced girl with granny glasses".
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
had earlier starred in the successful 1962 modernisation of the Othello story, All Night Long, which had been moved to 1960s London and fuelled by jazz music. Allmovie's reviewer points out that "perhaps he thought lightning would strike twice in moving it to a gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
show in the Southwest. He was terribly wrong." Catch My Soul would be the only film to be directed by McGoohan, although he later directed some episodes of Columbo. In an interview with Premiere
Premiere (magazine)
Premiere was an American and New York City-based film magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., published between the years 1987 and 2007. The original version of the magazine, Première , was started in France in 1976 and is still being published there.-History:The magazine originally...
magazine in 1995, McGoohan gave some insight into why the film had failed:
Of the cast, Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
was well-known from his appearance at Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
, but this was his first acting role; Lance LeGault
Lance LeGault
Lance LeGault , sometimes credited as W. L. LeGault, is an American film and television actor, best known as Colonel Roderick Decker in the 1980s American television series The A-Team.-Personal life:...
had some experience, but not playing major roles; likewise Season Hubley
Season Hubley
-Biography:Hubley was born Susan Hubley in New York City, the daughter of Julia Kaul and Grant Shelby Hubley, a writer and entrepreneur. Her brother is actor Whip Hubley....
and Susan Tyrell. Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
was already fairly well known as a musician. Allmovie's Craig Butler was moved to comment "Laughable also describes every dramatic performance, as do horrible and unbelievable."
Cast
- Richie HavensRichie HavensRichard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
- Othello - Lance LeGaultLance LeGaultLance LeGault , sometimes credited as W. L. LeGault, is an American film and television actor, best known as Colonel Roderick Decker in the 1980s American television series The A-Team.-Personal life:...
- IagoIagoIago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,... - Season HubleySeason Hubley-Biography:Hubley was born Susan Hubley in New York City, the daughter of Julia Kaul and Grant Shelby Hubley, a writer and entrepreneur. Her brother is actor Whip Hubley....
- DesdemonaDesdemona (Othello)Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello . Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a man several years her senior. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the... - Tony Joe WhiteTony Joe WhiteTony Joe White is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie"; "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970; and "Steamy Windows", a hit for Tina Turner in 1989...
- CassioMichael CassioMichael Cassio, or simply Cassio, is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Othello. The source of the character is the 1565 tale "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio; Cassio is unnamed in Cinthio but referred to as "the squadron leader." In the play, Cassio is a young and handsome lieutenant...
("a wino from Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
") - Susan TyrrellSusan TyrrellSusan Tyrrell is an American actress of Irish descent, known for her role as Ramona Rickettes in the film Cry-Baby.-Background:...
- EmiliaEmilia (Othello)Emilia is a character in the tragedy Othello by William Shakespeare. The character's origin is traced to the 1565 tale, "Un capitano Moro" from Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi. There, the character is described as young and virtuous, is referred to simply as the ensign's wife,... - Delaney BramlettDelaney BramlettDelaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
- Bonnie BramlettBonnie BramlettBonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
- Raleigh Gardenhire
- Billy Joe RoyalBilly Joe RoyalBilly Joe Royal is an American singer.-Biography:Born in Valdosta and raised in Marietta in 1942, Royal became a local star at Savannah, Georgia's Bamboo Ranch in the 1950s and 1960s...
- Wayne Waterhouse
Reception
The film appeared at the same time as Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
. It failed as an arthouse film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
, was retitled "Santa Fe Satan", and reissued as a drive-in
Drive-in
A drive-in is a facility such as a bank, restaurant, or movie theater where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. It is usually distinguished from a drive-through. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk out...
exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
.
Critical reviews of Catch My Soul were generally negative, Time Outs reviewer describing it as Leslie Halliwell
Leslie Halliwell
Robert James Leslie Halliwell was a British film encyclopaedist and television impresario who in 1965 compiled The Filmgoer's Companion, the first one-volume encyclopaedia devoted to all aspects of the cinema. He followed it a dozen years later with Halliwell's Film Guide, another monumental work...
was equally scathing, his description being
Allmovie's Craig Butler was able to say that "some of the musical performances, especially from Richie Havens and Tony Joe White are quite good, and much of the music is worth hearing ... removed from the movie." Nevertheless, his overall assessment is "a train wreck of a movie that inspires awe and that makes one appreciate a time when awful movies could be so bad in such an interesting way."
Soundtrack
A soundtrack album was issued by MetromediaMetromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
to tie-in with the film. The New York Times reviewer, in line with others, commented "Forget the movie and get the soundtrack album."
Track listing
- "Othello, Pt. 1" - Tony Joe White
- "Wash Us Clean" - Jack Good, Tony Joe White
- "Catch My Soul, Pt. 1" - Jack Good, Tony Joe White
- "Working on a Building" - Tony Joe White
- "Othello, Pt. 2" - Tony Joe White
- "Catch My Soul, Pt. 2" - Jack Good, Tony Joe White, Lance LeGault,
- "Open Our Eyes" - Leon Lumkins
- "Backwoods Preacher Man" - Tony Joe White
- "Looking Back" - Delaney Bramlett, Tony Joe White
- "Eat the Bread-Drink the Wine" - Jack Good, Tony Joe White
- "That's What God Said" - Delaney Bramlett
- "Chug-A-Lug (The Drinking Song)" - Delaney Bramlett
- "I Found Jesus" - Delaney Bramlett
- "Run, Shaker Life" - (unknown)
- "Catch My Soul, Pt. 3" - Jack Good, Tony Joe White
- "Book of Prophecy" - Jack Good, Richie Havens
- "Othello, Pt. 3" - Tony Joe White
- "Lust of the Blood" - Jack Good, Ray Pohlman
- "Tickle His Fancy" - Allene Lubin
- "Why" - Jack Good, Emile Dean Zoghby
- "Othello, Pt. 4" - Tony Joe White
- "Catch My Soul, Pt. 4" - Jack Good, Tony Joe White
- "Put Out the Light" - Jack Good, Ray Pohlman
- "Othello, Pt. 5" - Tony Joe White