Cinematheque Francais honors Welles

[Wellesnet]

Study Day at the Cinematheque Francais in Paris, June 19th
"ORSON WELLES: A FILMMAKER AROUND THE WORLD"
(Conferences, Dialogues, Round Table, Screenings)
"Orson Welles’ destiny in Hollywood is paradoxical, as we all know: he had all freedom to make his first feature Citizen Kane at only 25, but within a few years became the director no producers would trust anymore. Then started a hardly interrupted exile from 1947 to 1970 that Youssef Ishaghpour called Welles’ “nomadic period”. In 1975, after another few years of going back and forth between the Old and the New World, he definitely settled back to the United States. Three decades of an incredible creativity around the world. And one day to attempt to grasp, strolling from one country to another, the aim of such a work spread all over the place but still always able to adapt to any situation."
- Bernard Benoliel, François Thomas
With: Dominique Antoine (producer of The Other Side of the Wind), Jean-Pierre Berthomé (Film critic), Stefan Drössler (Director of the Film Museum of Munich), Esteve Riambau (director of the Filmoteca de Catalunya), François Thomas (professor at the University of La Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Paris), Jean-Paul Trias (professor at University Paul Valéry, Montpellier), Anca Visdei (writer).

Don Quixote workprint on the 29th:
http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-sall ... 18147.html

Complete schedule:
http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-sall ... s,633.html

[A Sled in Flames]

For anyone interested, I went to the Cinemateque Francais yesterday to watch Cagliostro. The store on the second floor is selling the French Blu-Ray of Mr. Arkadin ahead of its official July the 8th release date. Having watched it already, I highly recommend any interested Welles fans in Paris pick up a copy.

[Le Chiffre]

Thanks for the info, Sled. Did CAGLIOSTRO have the original spooky ending that was cut from the American release? Which version of Arkadin is it that's being sold? Are you going to the Don Quixote showing too?

BTW, for anyone who speaks French, here's an interview about the festival with Francois Thomas, co-author of ORSON WELLES AT WORK:
http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-sall ... v,875.html

[Wellesnet]

Also playing this weekend are rare Welles shorts from the Munich museum, including Jeremiah, Unsung Heroes, and Orson Welles Talks With Roger Hill:
https://www.facebook.com/Wellesnetcom/p ... =1&theater

[Wellesnet]

jdrouette's analysis of the "Don Quixote" workprint has been written up on the Wellesnet Main Page:
http://www.wellesnet.com/review-don-qui ... francaise/

[A Sled in Flames]

Sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks for the info, Sled. Did CAGLIOSTRO have the original spooky ending that was cut from the American release?

There's an alternate ending for Cagliostro? Didn't know. Is it available anywhere? The version screened at the Cinematheque ended with the duel, and Dumas closing his book, as I believe the DVD does.

Which version of Arkadin is it that's being sold?

It's the Confidential Report cut. It makes sense that it would be Confidential Report to be restored, as I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that it's the only cut fully in 35mm.

A sticker on the slipcover purports it as being from a new HD restoration, and, to its credit, it does look rather nice with good contrast values and grain retention. The same transfer was used on the Italian Blu-Ray albeit with inferior audio and less detail due to a lower data bitrate.

Are you going to the Don Quixote showing too?

No, unfortunately, I did not go. It's great to hear the detailed Wellesnet recap, though. Thank you very much for that.

[Wellesnet]

Tomorrow at the Cinemateque Francais, as part of their Welles celebration, a rare showing of Andre LeBarthe's 1987 "L'homme qui a vu l'homme qui a vu l'ours" ("The Man Who Saw the Man Who Saw the Bear"), known in English as "The Big O":
http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-sall ... 18118.html

"In Hollywood, an alcoholic Hungarian director investigates the traces left by Orson Welles in Hollywood, among those who knew him."

This was the film that accused Henry Jaglom of taping Orson Welles without his knowledge, charges that have never been proven, but were brought again to the fore last year with the publication of Jaglom and Peter Biskind's bestseller, "My Lunches With Orson".

[Le Chiffre]

There's an alternate ending for Cagliostro? Didn't know. Is it available anywhere? The version screened at the Cinematheque ended with the duel, and Dumas closing his book, as I believe the DVD does.

I misspoke earlier. I don't know if that ending was ever filmed or not, but it's in the script that I saw at the Lilly Library. After Lorenza and Gilbert kiss at the end, she then turns and sees a ghostly horse and carriage riding away with Cagliostro inside, laughing. She then faints. Of course, that wasn't a happy enough ending for the time (especially for American audiences), so I doubt it was ever part of the movie. But you never know.

BTW, we gotta love this: the Cinemateque has shown Chimes at Midnight several times in the past couple of weeks, and they list it on their website as having been directed by JESS FRANCO & Orson Welles!:
http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-sall ... ,2079.html

[Wellesnet]

The Cinemateque Francais's huge Welles celebration, which began on June 19th, wound up this Sunday with a showing of THE IMMORTAL STORY, which Welles made in 1968 for French television.

It says that they showed a "Copie aux couleurs denatures", which seems to translate as "Copy with denatured colors", which apparently indicates a "faded print". If even the venerable Cinemateque Francais can't get a good print of the film for Welles's 100th celebration, it may be time for a good restoration.

http://www.cinematheque.fr/…/…/histoire-immortelle,8016.html

Other highlights of the last week included a lecture on the various versions of "Chimes at Midnight", or was it? It says Chimes, but they have a picture from Othello:
http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-sall ... 18195.html