In these excerpts from Sir John Gielgud’s wonderful book, A Life in Letters, which covers his entire career from 1930 to 1999, we get to see how his view of Orson Welles changed, starting from when he first saw Citizen Kane in 1941, to his being somewhat put off by Welles’s antics at their first meeting, until he finally fell completely under Welles’s spell when he worked with him as a director on Chimes at Midnight.
The letters also show that Gielgud always hoped to work with Welles again, and was especially keen on having Welles direct him as Prospero in a film version of The Tempest.
Strangely enough, after winning an Oscar for Arthur in 1982, Gielgud was chosen to replace Welles as the spokesman for Paul Masson wines on American TV, which Gielgud admits was sometimes a humiliating experience, but obviously one that paid both him and Welles a great deal of money.
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London, October 25, 1941
To Alec Guinness:
…London is full of people and plays and films in comparative abundance, rather a joy after being away for so many weeks. …Citizen Kane is quite unimaginably good, and an amazing feat all round on the part of Welles and his really brilliant cast. You must not fail to see it.
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New York, January 1, 1951
To His Mother:
I saw Orson Welles’ film of Macbeth. Not uninteresting and some fine effects of battle and Birnam Wood, but slow and dragged out despite huge cuts and transpositions and the acting unmoving and conventional. Splendid costumes but the fine language is defeated by the limitations of the screen!
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London, November 11, 1951
To Stark Young:
Orson Welles has had a certain amount of success with his Othello (the stage version at London’s St. James Theater) – I have not been able to see it myself. I gather he promises better than he can perform and the thunder grumbles but never breaks, and he is ill disciplined, they say, in the theatre and something of a terror to his company and management. Still the enfant terrible of Hollywood. He amused me when I met him, but he was rather stupidly touchy and lacked humility, must have the floor all the time or he fears he is not noticed. A pity, for he is obviously extremely intelligent and full of (rather disorderly) talent in many directions.
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In 1952 John Gielgud played Sherlock Holmes opposite Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson, with Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty for the BBC radio show “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” It appears this is the first time Welles and Gielgud actually worked together—for an episode entitled “The Final Problem.”
You can listen to it at the Museum of Orson Welles HERE.
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Beverly Hills, August 14, 1964
To Paul Anstee:
I have an offer to play Henry the Fourth (Shakespeare) in Spain in October with Orson Welles – might be fun – but will Keith be Prince Hal again, that is the question? I hardly think our accents would sound very good together.
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Madrid, Monday October 12, 1964
To Paul Anstee:
Keith met us – no hotel – hung about for two hours hoping to get into the Hilton. Finally driven here arriving round 8 o’clock. Nothing ready, armour, clothes etc. Shooting supposed to begin today, but 10:30 and no one has turned up yet. Court scenes to be shot in mountain village near Barcelona beginning Wednesday. Obviously impossible to write from there, so don’t expect to hear. Icy wind and stormy day – jolly prospect for location work! The whole thing quite mad. Have not seen Orson yet, only a bunch of amiable, shrugging and obviously inefficient executives. Perhaps we shall pack up and come home again?
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Barcelona, October 14, 1964
To Paul Anstee:
Mad two days filming battle scenes on a plain – icy wind. Orson works very fast and despite improvised costumes and mad inefficiency over calls etc., it is all rather fun. Strange polygot cast, Italian, Spanish, French and English. Orson like a benign Santa Claus striding about in a huge cloak with hair and beard flying, like Laughton as Lear.
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Berga, Spain October, 1964
To Paul Anstee:
Really very fascinating working here, about 20 of us in a summer hotel specially opened for us – and drive each day 25 miles to this fantastic castle at Cardona where we film in a colossal disused church – Gothic kind of Torcello – which is magnificent but gets very cold at night with the stone pavements and no windows – open embrasures! However, everyone is agreeable and Orson immensely funny and talented. Keith very sweet and enthusiastic – mad about Welles and he works very hard.
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New York, February 11, 1965
To Val Gielgud:
Am trying to get hold to the rights of Death in Venice which Jose Ferrer appears to have bought. Think it would be a wonderful film for me if someone like Orson would direct it.
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New York, February 23, 1965
To Paul Anstee:
Did you see I was nominated for a best supporting role Oscar for Becket? What next! Hope it may at least put up my film price! I gather Orson’s film is almost done, with Keith doubling all the parts and voices of members of the cast who were unavailable – mine included.
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New York, May 9, 1965
To Paul Anstee:
Terribly excited about Chimes at Midnight. I saw a lot of snippets when I dubbed for two days last week – the photography and angles are terrific. I look a million, but very real and, I think, quite impressive. It is supposed to be finished in June and released in October – same time as The Loved One. Hope I shall live long enough to see them both!
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New York, April 28, 1966
To Paul Anstee:
Chimes at Midnight is now to be shown definitely at Cannes in May and is supposed to be up for the Golden Palm – whatever that is – so if it is a success we might be able to get backing for The Tempest, I hope.
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New York, May 13, 1966
To Paul Anstee:
I talked to Sol Levine (another of those Spiegel–Todd–Preminger–film tycoons) about the possibility of getting backing for my film idea for The Tempest, with Orson Welles (as director). He was gracious and seemed interested but unless Chimes at Midnight gets better notices elsewhere than the one in The New York Times, which is very damning, I fear no one will risk him for another Shakespearean picture.
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London, March 25, 1969
To Hugh Wheeler:
The play (Forty Years On by Alan Bennett) is still packed out, and I expect to stay in it till August – some talk of (playing Cardinal) Wolsey with Burton in Anne of 1000 Days – also Caesar with Orson as Brutus in a new Shakespeare version. Don’t know if I can do either…
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Wotton Underwood, September 19, 1983
To George Pitcher:
I brought some new pictures and sculpture with my ill-gotten gains. The Paul Masson commercials are apparently a great success and they have picked up a further six months profitable option.
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Wotton Underwood, February 5. 1985
To George Pitcher:
The wine commercial people want to renew my contract again, which is a great help to the exhequer, though the sessions are exhausting and somewhat humiliating. But I hear people find them amusing and I marvel at them wanting me to go on making them. They only demand about three days work each time, with full attention to my comforts in the way of limousines, suites at the Savoy, flowers and cigarettes provided!
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Wotton Underwood, November 18, 1985
To George Pitcher and Ed Cone:
How odd that you should see Chimes so pat on Orson’s death. I always think of him with great affection and regret that I never had the chance to work with him again, though the film was very clumsily put together and half the actors (the Spanish ones) were very badly dubbed. Money was always running out and endless difficulties arose, which he managed to rise above with remarkable blandness, and he was always very kind and amusing. Oddly enough, I wrote him a long letter a few months ago enclosing my everlasting Tempest project, asking him if he might be interested in directing me in it if the backing should materialize, and he sent me back an enthusiastic and affectionate answer. But I knew he was busy trying to get his own film of Lear under way and felt sure nothing would come of it.
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