Catch My Soul

Out of circulation for years, this 1974 adaptation of Jack Good's Othello-inspired rock opera was barbecued by critics and ignored by audiences upon its original release. Directed by actor Patrick McGoohan (his only directing work), Catch My Soul transplants Shakespeare's tragedy to a 1967 New Mexico religious commune, where the gentle marriage of the pastor Othello (folk singer Richie Havens) and his devoted disciple Desdemona (Season Hubley) is fatally disrupted by disreputable hippies Iago (Lance LeGault) and Emilia (Susan Tyrell). McGoohan overcame a low budget by putting most of the score—primarily solos by Havens and LeGault—on the soundtrack, with the performers seen isolated against the challenging Southwestern terrain. The film's crowning achievement, the wedding celebration, evolves brilliantly from a placid meditation into an orgiastic bacchanalia centered on the wine-fueled vocalizing of Cassio (swamp rock star Tony Joe White). The film's mix of then-contemporary slang with large slices of the original Shakespearean text is disconcerting at first, but the cast pulls it off nicely. Presented in a newly restored edition (from a re-release renamed Santa Fe Satan), extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a stills gallery. A major rediscovery, this long-forgotten gem is highly recommended. (P. Hall)