The Criterion editions are pricey for some of his films but great. The Trial just came out on 4K. Touch of Evil-the latest eK is definitive(although the Blu-Ray looks quite nice as well). Which Chimes do you have? The Criterion Blu-Ray is the best the film has looked.
Not really a list as such, but you can check this site for comparisons between different versions, there's search box in the top right corner of the list caps-a-holic.com For example, here you can compare Touch of Evil releases: Touch of Evil
I disagree about Vertigo, but I do agree about Touch. When I was getting deeply into Welles a few years ago, I thought I loved many of these films. My special favorite is The Lady from Shanghai. Now I take a different view, because I find I can rarely stand to watch them, or at least watch them in their entirety. I realized I can admire a film for being clever, but is it entertaining enough to want to watch again? Touch is very clever, but the points you describe bother me, too. The Lady from Shanghai is just a rococo, twisted thing. There are many stunning shots and performances, but does it add up to a good movie? It's enjoyable, but not as erratic as his own projects. Maybe that's a good thing!
I disagree about Vertigo. WhenI finally saw it in the early 8p’s I was stunned by it’s brilliance. I know Welles dismissed it but it isn’t a Welles styled movie. He had, IMHO, some issue with Hitchcock who is one of his few contemporaries that put out great films in the studio system (he also criticized a John Ford movie that Bogdonovich was showing him so much, Peter got mad and shut off the film. It’s ironic because Welles DID like Ford’s films - well some of them). Hitch was able to work within the studio system and largely get what he wanted to do done. I am sure that probably rankled Welles to a degree who, even when he did prove to the studio he could do,the same, wasn’t treated with the same respect.
I concur, wayne_k. It seems like even when Orson did behave himself (as much as he could, anyways) he still didn't get fair treatment from the studio he was working for.
There is an overdubbed laughter track on a few of the scenes, particularly the crowd ones (the tavern, battlefield). Quite obvious; particularly where Welles does some of the most frantic cutting. The effect is supposed to be one dizzying amusement. They have their charm but it's a bit too transparaent for my taste.
Here are more Orson films; I don't recall seeing these mentioned on the thread before. MAN IN THE SHADOW (1957) TROUBLE IN THE GLEN (1954-UK) FERRY TO HONG KONG (1959-UK) "IN July . . . every July? TOO MUCH DIRECTING AROUND HERE!" The mighty frozen peas.
Many folks are unaware of Orson's final resting place. His ashes were interred in an old well covered with flowers on the estate of his friend, the bullfighter, Antonio Ordoñez, in Ronda, Spain.
TRIVIA NUGGET: If you watch Orson's performance as 'Will Varner' in the 1958 movie THE LONG HOT SUMMER and then watch the 1959 movie IT HAPPENED TO JANE with Doris Day, Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs note that Kovacs is 'channeling' Orson in his hammy performance as railroad tycoon 'Harry Foster Malone'. (Kinda similar name to 'Charles Foster Kane', innit?).
Lots of good books on Orson, the radio plays are also worth tracking down, and are a subject on it's own
If we would have kept out the muppets and did his monologue, and another interview (instead of another magic trick), it could have been a great show, but successful, too. The Orson Welles Show (PILOT)
Othello (1951, Orson Welles) A great print of the classic Moor of Venice is currently streaming free on PLEX. The "making-of" documentary and conversation between Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir (Iago) and Hilton Edwards (Brabantio) above is a great supplement to the film.
Big Orson fan here, film and radio. Quick story: I loathe working in the garden. Several years ago, I forced myself to do some gardening in the yard, and I wanted to listen to something that I hadn't heard before, so I put on the first episode of the 7-part adaptation of LES MISERABLES (the novel, not the musical version) that Welles did for Mutual Radio in 1937. I thought that I might make it through the first episode before I went back into the house, and I wound up working through all seven of the 30-minute episodes, and I was so delighted by the series, that I was tempted to just back up and play it again. I think it's a beautifully done set of broadcasts. All seven of the episodes are linked near the bottom of the page, here: The Mercury Theatre on the Air (EDIT: See better link two posts down.) Highly recommended!
One of my best friends was a pastry chef at Wolfgang Pucks' Ma Maison in the '80s. At the time the inside tables could be leased, month to month, and Mr. Welles would frequently do that near the desert buffet station. He often stayed for both lunch and dinner conducting business, as each table had a phone, and giving interviews as well as hosting friends. My friends' recollections were that the man was immense in both size and personality. Welles was very personable and would, on occasion, do magic tricks for whatever staff that was in the vicinity. My friend remembers those times fondly.
Thanks for posting! It's too bad many of those files are "Not Found The requested URL was not found on this server."
Afraid it's true, ML. For a full working set of shows visit the Mercury Theater page on bornealone.org. Their description: This site brings not only the surviving recordings from the Mercury Theatre on the Air, but also a selection of Welles' other pioneering radio work. This includes his seven-episode adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and a selection of other recordings from his radio career. Welles' radio work is often overshadowed by his contribution to cinema, however it remains one of the most extraordinary bodies of work in the history of radio, as fresh today as it was eighty years ago.
