WELLESNET MESSAGE BOARD

Although FALSTAFF has many things to recommend it .... I find it a big yawn. I believe Welles' much maligned THE TRIAL is a more accomplished work of cinematic art than FALSTAFF. And that isn't saying much since you've also written on this forum that you thought the remake of The Trial by David Jon...

It's amazing to me how such a minor work from Welles can be revealed to contain so much resonance. Minor work? I don't think so. The Hollywood pics from the late 40's were "minor" but everything else from Welles was "major." Major in the sense that in the formation of the movie ...

In approximate order of preference.

1. Citizen Kane
2. The Magnificent Ambersons
3. Mr. Arkadin (new "comprehensive" version)
4. The Trial
5. Othello
6. The Immortal Story
7. Fountain of Youth
8. F for Fake
9. Touch of Evil
10. Chimes at Midnight

I fully agree with the MacLiammoir quotation above. It's actually longer in "This is Orson Welles": "Orson's courage, like everything else about him, imagination, egotism, generosity, ruthlessness, forbearance, impatience, sensitivity, grossness and vision is magnificently out of proportion." That ...

Yea, well, I'm pretty sure I found the case in California where Beatrice sued the Criterion group for releasing that laser disc. I don't think they had permission from her lordship before they put that into production. But if she could get a small chunk of change, you'd think she might be agreeable...

Not that I normally would try to dissuade people from clicking the Amazon link here to support the site, but if you want to go real cheap on the new DVD of Mr. Arkadin check out deepdiscountdvd.com. They're having a sale on Criterion DVD's right now and Mr. Arkadin is selling for US $27.47. And tha...

While Robert "Just following orders" Wise was making such "classics", "masterpieces", and "superb" films as "The Body Snatcher", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and the "criminally" neglected "The Hindenburg," what was Welles doing? As everyone here knows he was squandering his talents on nothing m...

If you think that's bad, try reading Stanley Kauffman's review of F For Fake sometime. He starts out by describing Welles as a "human balloon" and then proceeds to trash not only Fake but Chimes at Midnight as well. I recall once reading Stanley Kauffman's "review" of Touch of Evil, and he panned i...

This truly is excellent news. My big fear was that Criterion would release the British "Confidential Report" on DVD, but instead they've wisely (IMO) gone with the Corinth Version (multiple flashbacks), plus they're throwing in some new version we presumably have not seen. I can't wait.

Welles is definitely not for everyone. He didn't make films for the bread and circus crowd. As he admitted in his interview with Bogdonovich, he didn't make films to entertain. He wanted them to be an experience, but not necessarily entertaining. Therefore, if some of his films fall a little short i...

I'm with you, Alan. The cinematography in Four Men in a Raft is beautiful. As it stands, it has to be one of my favorite silent films. Couldn't stay awake through it? That says more about the viewer than it does the film. As for the statement that Welles chose to film It's All True instead of finish...