The Immortal Orson Welles is a new documentary film from Chris Wade.
By RAY KELLY
Wellesians will remember Chris Wade for his 2017 book Orson Welles: The Final Cut.
Now, the writer, musician, filmmaker and illustrator is back with a hour-long documentary film examining the final two decades of the late filmmaker career. The Immortal Orson Welles boasts new interviews with actor Norman Eshley (The Immortal Story), personal assistant Dorian Bond and Welles colleague Henry Jaglom.
“The biggest revelation, at least in my view, was that I got such an up close look at what Welles was like. When I spoke to Henry Jaglom, Welles’ mischievous sense of humor shone through, and also the frustration he felt at finding it so hard to finish films near the end. Those things are well known, but no less fascinating to me,” Wade said. “But I really feel like Dorian gave me the true revelations, telling me what Welles was really like to hang around with. I got shivers of awe when he described certain scenarios to me. And Norman had a couple of things to say that really stunned me. I think the real revelation is that it seemed like Orson was looking for a son figure, but there’s more about that in the film.”
Wade said he wasn’t planning on a Welles documentary during the two years he worked on Orson Welles: The Final Cut.
“I’m a film fanatic, so I have always wanted to get into film at some level. I did some art films last year and the year before, and I made my first documentary last year about the surrealist and jazz singer George Melly,” Wade said. “I really enjoyed doing it, interviewing and editing, experimenting and piecing it together, and it got such great feedback too, so I knew I wanted to dive in again and make another one. ”
He added, “When I was thinking of who to explore next, Welles came straight to mind. I know there are tons of documentaries about him out there, some big budget ones too, but I wanted to make a more intimate film that zoomed in on a particular era and hopefully showed a different side to him. ”
“When I interviewed Norman Eshley and Dorian Bond for the film, two really nice blokes I must say, they offered me a proper glimpse at Orson Welles the man rather than Orson Welles the mythical figure,” Wade said. “I was fascinated by what they told me and realized I wanted to focus on the ’60s and onward, with Welles as the renegade maverick who was also a real person underneath. They remember him with warmth and affection, as a genuine guy, rather than a larger than life icon.”
Wade has set up television airings of The Immortal Orson Welles in the UK and is working on deals for the rest of Europe and the United States.
For those who don’t want to wait, The Immortal Orson Welles is available as an all-region DVD through https://theimmortalorsonwelles.weebly.com
Making the documentary was a great deal of fun, Wade said.
” I went around very much like a one man guerrilla film crew, boarding coaches, buses, taxis, going through the night, passing through weird places, and it was a bit of an adventure for me,” Wade said. “I also love that I got to know Dorian Bond and Norman. Such decent guys with amazing stories to tell. I’m excited to share my little film with anyone who might be interested in it. It was made with a lot of passion and I hope people enjoy it.”
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