Movies as director

A work in progress and table of contents. Clicking the available links below will direct you to various Wellesnet essays and news articles about these Orson Welles films. U.S. home video availability is noted.

Hearts of Age  (1934) – A silent eight-minute short Welles co-directed with friend William Vance in Woodstock, Illinois in 1934. Welles scholar Joseph McBride discovered the film in the Greenwich Public Library collection in the 1960s. Cast: Orson Welles and Virginia Nicolson. (Focus Films DVD) or Watch online at Wellesnet video page

Too Much Johnson (1938, unfinished) – Forty minutes of slapstick comedy filmed to accompany a stage production starring Joseph Cotten, the footage was never completely edited by Welles and presumed lost until its discovery in an Italian warehouse some 70 years later. A restored print was screened in Italy and the U.S. in October 2013. Cast: Joseph Cotten, Edgar Barrier and Arlene Francis. Watch it online at filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/too-much-johnson-reimagined

Citizen Kane  (1941) – In Welles’ Hollywood debut, he directed, starred, produced and co-wrote a film that is nothing short of a masterpiece. A reporter attempts to uncover the meaning of a dying newspaper tycoon’s last word, “Rosebud.” The search reveals the life of a complex man, told through the eyes of colleagues and family. Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane and Ruth Warrick. (Criterion Blu-ray/4K)

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Welles’ follow-up to “Citizen Kane” marked his downfall in Hollywood. The film, based on Booth Tarkington’s novel about the decline of prominent family, was drastically recut by RKO Pictures and new scenes added after two less-than-stellar previews. Welles was at work in Brazil on another RKO project and unable to lobby on “Amberson’s” behalf. Its running time of 132 minutes was chopped to 88 minutes and the removed footage destroyed. Cast: Jospeh Cotten, Tim Holt and Dolores Costello. (Criterion DVD and Blu-ray)

It’s All True (1942, unfinished) – This aborted three-part Latin America project, coupled with the disastrous reception of “The Magnificent Ambersons,” ended Welles’ run at RKO. some of the footage was discovered in 1985 and used in a documentary of the same name by Welles associate Richard Wilson. Cast: Manuel ‘Jacare’ Olimpio Meira, Grande Otelo and Francisca Moreira Da Silva. (Paramount DVD)

The Stranger (1946) – Welles returned to the director’s chair after a four-year absence and produced a post World War II thriller about the the hunt for a Nazi war criminal. It was the most financially successful film of Welles’ career. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles and Loretta Young. (Kino DVD and Blu-ray)

The Lady From Shanghai (1947) – Irish seaman Michael O’Hara is hired as a crew member on the yacht of wealthy attorney Arthur Banister and his alluring wife Elsa. Cast: Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles and Everett Sloane. (Kino Lorber) 

Macbeth (1948) – Filmed in just 23 days for Republic Pictures, Welles produced a moody, atmospheric take on Shakeseare’s dark tale. Cast: Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan and Dan O’Herlihy. (Olive DVD and Blu-ray)

Othello (1952) – Welles returned to the work of The Bard in a film shot over a three-year period in Morocco, Venice, Tuscany and Rome. “Othello” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952. Cast: Orson Welles, Michael MacLiammoir and Suzanne Cloutier.  (Criterion on Blu-ray, DVD)

Mr. Arkadin”/”Confidential Report (1955) – Millionaire Gregory Arkadin, claiming to suffer from amnesia, hires a man to investigate his past. As the investigator probes the rich man’s life, several witnesses to Arkadin’s past suspiciously turn up dead. Cast: Robert Arden, Orson Welles and Paola Mori. (Criterion DVD)

Don Quixote (1957) – unfinished) – Don Quixote was a project that Welles labored on for nearly 30 years, Welles worked on the film in much the same manner as “Othello,” bringing in his cast and crew when he had money to continue filming. Welles never finished the film before his death, though a dismal assembly was made by Jess Franco in 1992. Cast: Francisco Reiguera, Akim Tamiroff and Patty McCormack. (Image DVD)

Touch of Evil (1958) – Murder, racism, drugs, police corruption and a legendary opening tracking shot. Welles’ film was recut by Universal before its release, but a 1998 restoration provided a version more in keeping with Welles’ vision, Cast: Charlton Heston , Janet Leigh and Orson Welles. (Kino Lorber 4K/Blu-ray)

The Trial (1962) – Based on the Franz Kafka novel, Josef K. awakens one to find investigators in his apartment, who inform him he is under arrest and will have to stand trial. He spends the rest of the movie navigating a legal labyrinth, trying to find a way to clear himself of unspecified charges. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles and Jeanne Moreau. (Criterion Blu-ray/4K)

Chimes at Midnight” / “Falstaff (1965) – Welles’ lifelong fascination with the relationship between Prince Hal and Falstaff made it to the big screen in a production Welles cited as his personal favorite. Cast: Keith Baxter, Orson Welles and John Gieguld.  (Criterion  Blu-ray, DVD)

The Deep  (1967 – unfinished) – This thriller was filmed off the Dalmatian coast of Yugoslavia between 1966 and 1969 though never completed.  A two-hour assembly from workprints was undertaken by the Munich Film Museum. Cast: Laurence Harvey, Jeanne Moreau, Oja Kodar and Orson Welles.

Immortal Story  (1968, France) – Based on a short story by the Danish writer Isak Dinesen, this 60-minute film first aired on French television. Welles played a controlling European merchant obsessed with bringing a tale he has heard to life. Cast: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau and Norman Eshley .   (Criterion Blu-ray, DVD)

F for Fake (1973) – Cinematic sleight of hand in the form of a “film essay” on forgery, hoaxes and deceit. Art forger Elmyr de Hory, the faux Howard Hughes autobiography and “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast are examined. Cast: Oja Kodar, Orson Welles, Clifford Irving and Elmyr de Hoyr. (Criterion DVD and Blu-ray)

Filming Othello 1978, West Germany) – A documentary utilizing conversations between Welles and “Othello” co-stars Micheal MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards.  (Criterion DVD and Blu-ray of Othello)

The Other Side of the Wind  (1970-1976/ 2018) – “The Other Side of the Wind” tells the story of Jake Hannaford, an aging film director, who is trying to complete a film, despite problems with the studio and his leading man. Cast: John Huston, Peter Bogdanovich and Oja Kodar. (Netflix)

Hopper / Welles  (1970/2020) – Extensive footage of the November 1970 meeting of  Welles and director Dennis Hopper was assembled by The Other Side of the Wind producer Filip Jan Rymsza and editor Bob Murawski into a 130-minute film in 2020.

Orson Welles Sketch Book (1955, BBC) – Welles, armed with a sketch pad and his gift for storytelling, make these six brief episodes worth seeking out. (Watch online at Wellesnet video page

Around the World With Orson Welles (1955, ITV) – Six travelogue episodes shot for Britain’s ITV. An unfinished seventh episode was edited into the documentary “The Dominici Affair” in 2002.  (B2MP on Blu-ray, DVD)

The Fountain of Youth (1956, USA) – The unsold pilot for a proposed TV series is a radical departure from television of that era. It was shown only once on television in 1958 and won the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. Cast: Dan Tobin, Rick Jason and Joi Lansing.  (Watch online at Wellesnet video page)

The Orson Welles Show (1979, unsold pilot) – Welles attempt to enter the talk show market. His guests were Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson and the Muppets with Jim Henson and Frank Oz.  (Unavailable)