Filming Othello question

[Jaime N. Christley]

Am I to understand that the only way I'll ever get to see Filming Othello is if a friend dubs me a tape of it? If so, that vexes me.

[Jeff Wilson]

Aside from a possible foreign release, that is likely going to be the case for a long time to come. The film even has to be screened secretly, as Beatrice Welles-Smith sends injunctions to halt showings when she finds out about them.

[Jaime N. Christley]

>Beatrice Welles-Smith sends injunctions to halt showings when she finds out about them.

Sakes! What's the history behind that one? Something slightly Salingeresque, I presume?

[Jeff Wilson]

No, she owns Othello, so the footage from the film incorporated into Filming Othello is presumably legally hers and so she does have the right to halt showings. Plus, I think she doesn't particularly like Gary Graver, who owns the print getting shown in the USA. It's not like Filming Othello is a gold mine waiting to happen.

[Cole]

Jeff stated: “[S]he owns Othello, so the footage from the film incorporated into Filming Othello is presumably legally hers and so she does have the right to halt showings.”

That isn’t correct. “Filming Othello” is a derivative work of Othello, so whoever owns the rights to Filming Othello would have to file a separate copyright application to protect that film from any infringing activity. I’ve looked into this, and interestingly to me is that I can’t find any copyright registration for Filming Othello – not in the USA anyway. Orson re-registered a copyright for the original Othello back in 1980, and Beatrice registered a copyright for the 1992 remake of Othello, but I can’t find anything for Filming Othello. You need to register a copyright in order to bring a copyright infringement action, so I question whether she’s sued anyone for infringing on Filming Othello. She has been involved in litigation, no doubt about that, but I’m not sure if any of it has involved Filming Othello. In any event, should we really be criticizing her on this web board? I didn’t think we were supposed to criticize people who aren’t here to defend themselves.

[Jeff Wilson]

Was I criticizing her? I was just stating what I thought to be the case. If what you say is true, then she has no legal foundation for her actions. Her usual practice has been ask for huge monetary settlements for the use of Welles' name or image. That isn't criticism, just the way she operates. I understand that the German producers of Filming Othello would be the owners of the film, so it's up to them, under your assumptions, to take care of this matter, if they're so inclined.

And as for not criticizing someone who can't defend themselves, it's ridiculous to assume that no one is subject to criticism. What I do not want here are personal attacks. Let's not confuse the two.

[Vidamonte]

HI,

This weekend in Finland, there is a Film Festival that shows "Filming Othello" among other rarities. All these courtesy of Orson Welles' Film Archives, whose president seems to be Gary Graver.

Tampere Film Festival

[Jeff Wilson]

That would indeed be Gary Graver, along with his wife. I wonder if these prints are touring anywhere else, what with the Bradford Film Festival also screening them.