Mostly by accident [How I do my best work; I was looking up something else], I discover that Danny Huston is playing Orson Welles in a film entitled FADE TO BLACK? The story is one of intrigue, based on incidents in Welles' life while he was in Italy after his marriage to Rita Hayworth broke up. Some of the characters are Director Gregory Ratoff, Lucky Luciano, and Lea Padovani. Paz Vega plays the latter character, Welles' girlfriend at the time. [Tony reminded me of a story Welles told Peter Bogdanovich about how Lucky Luciano, in Naples, was always trying to get him to do the story of his life. Might form the basis of the plot.] Christopher Walken is a CIA Agent, and Diego Luna (Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN) is also in the cast. Based on a novel, screenplay and direction by Oliver Parker (OTHELLO, THE IDEAL HUSBAND and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST). Shot in Yugoslavia, Italy and the Isle of Mann. From the forums on the IMDb, the suggestion is that the film will be released in May.
If true, it might help make a double whammy after the Criterion MR. ARKADIN DVD set.
Glenn
FADE TO BLACK in May
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Glenn Anders
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I'm looking forward to it. I'll be curious to see what the film has to say about the relationship between Welles and Lucky Luciano. Would it be accurate to say that he's the man who, with Meyer Lansky, transformed the Mafia from Van Stratton to Arkadin status?
From Welles's own screenplay for THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, a bit of dialogue between Jack Carter and Marc Blitztien:
MARC: Yesterday (Orson) dragged me into some kind of ex-speakeasy full of chorus girls.
JACK: Yeah, those guys (gangsters) are just nuts about show business. There was a cat joined your table - remember? Controls a whole lot of that action. So all of a sudden let's suppose you need a whole bunch of the big green. And you gotta have it fast. Our young genius picks up the phone, and Charley - he delivers...But after that, naturally, Charley owns him.
MARC: Charley?
JACK: You read about him all the time...In the newspapers they always call him "Lucky" - Dig? - Like in Luciano?
For good intelligent reasons MARC looks a little scared.
MARC: Jesus-!
Maybe Welles DID make a film about Luciano (among others), and called it MR. ARKADIN. Just a thought.
From Welles's own screenplay for THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, a bit of dialogue between Jack Carter and Marc Blitztien:
MARC: Yesterday (Orson) dragged me into some kind of ex-speakeasy full of chorus girls.
JACK: Yeah, those guys (gangsters) are just nuts about show business. There was a cat joined your table - remember? Controls a whole lot of that action. So all of a sudden let's suppose you need a whole bunch of the big green. And you gotta have it fast. Our young genius picks up the phone, and Charley - he delivers...But after that, naturally, Charley owns him.
MARC: Charley?
JACK: You read about him all the time...In the newspapers they always call him "Lucky" - Dig? - Like in Luciano?
For good intelligent reasons MARC looks a little scared.
MARC: Jesus-!
...Welles told Peter Bogdanovich about how Lucky Luciano, in Naples, was always trying to get him to do the story of his life.
Maybe Welles DID make a film about Luciano (among others), and called it MR. ARKADIN. Just a thought.
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Glenn Anders
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Thanks, mteal, for the insight.
[Sorry to take so long. The way this board functions has always thrown me. I post things, and if no reply catches my eye, I just forget about the whole thing.]
I once had a copy of that First Edition of Welles' THE CRADLE WILL ROCK screenplay, which my negligence allowed to get away from me. The screenplay is packed with small references like the one you detail. All about the beginnings of what has become The American Empire.
Your idea is a good one. Welles would not have liked to fuel the fanatical egomania of a Charles "Lucky" Luciano by making his biopic, but he was extremely fascinated, as we know, with the peculiar totalitarians who struggled to dominate the modern World of his time -- Zaharoff, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Gould, Rockefeller, Hearst, Capone, Hughes, Lansky, Luciano . . . .
I'm sure that he saw them as essentially the same person, and so, was able to formulate his marvelously human villainous heroes for stage and screen: Faust, Brutus, Kane, Kindler, Macbeth, Lime, Ohello, Arkadin.
No, it is not too far a stretch that he might have had Luciano in mind for one character strand of Gregori Arkadin.
In a few weeks, we shall find out if the archivists have found any more clues to the full identity of that enigmatic figure.
Glenn
[Sorry to take so long. The way this board functions has always thrown me. I post things, and if no reply catches my eye, I just forget about the whole thing.]
I once had a copy of that First Edition of Welles' THE CRADLE WILL ROCK screenplay, which my negligence allowed to get away from me. The screenplay is packed with small references like the one you detail. All about the beginnings of what has become The American Empire.
Your idea is a good one. Welles would not have liked to fuel the fanatical egomania of a Charles "Lucky" Luciano by making his biopic, but he was extremely fascinated, as we know, with the peculiar totalitarians who struggled to dominate the modern World of his time -- Zaharoff, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Gould, Rockefeller, Hearst, Capone, Hughes, Lansky, Luciano . . . .
I'm sure that he saw them as essentially the same person, and so, was able to formulate his marvelously human villainous heroes for stage and screen: Faust, Brutus, Kane, Kindler, Macbeth, Lime, Ohello, Arkadin.
No, it is not too far a stretch that he might have had Luciano in mind for one character strand of Gregori Arkadin.
In a few weeks, we shall find out if the archivists have found any more clues to the full identity of that enigmatic figure.
Glenn
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I wonder if Frank Sinatra could have been a connecting link between Welles and the world of Luciano. In any event, this film sounds like it has the potential to be very interesting. Here's a brief synopsis:
A few more random thoughts:
Welles's relationship with Lea Padovani has been described by many as the most intense and destructive of his life.
Another intriguing character is the CIA agent, played by Christopher Walken. The CIA, described by some as "NATO's brain", had their first big public triumph against Communism with the Italian elections of 1948, when this film takes place.
The Third American Empire theory is said to be very popular in Italy, strategically located to take advantage of such an empire, centered in the Middle East, with the Balkans as geographical adjunct.
Here's an interesting letter from Welles to Richard Wilson, his business manager at the time (precise date unknown):
It's 1948 and Orson Welles touches down in Rome to star in Black Magic, the first Italian-American co-production since the fall of Mussolini. Still smarting from his split with Rita Hayworth and his fall-out with Hollywood, Orson is looking for relief and finance for his next movie. When a bit-player is murdered on the film set, Orson's love of mystery gets the better of him, and with the help of his driver, an ex-cop called Tommaso, turns amateur sleuth. After the duo discover Orson's name on the hit-list, it quickly becomes clear that this is a conspiracy that goes right to the top. Old vendettas never die and with the first democratic elections imminent, there are some very dangerous people in town.
A few more random thoughts:
Welles's relationship with Lea Padovani has been described by many as the most intense and destructive of his life.
Another intriguing character is the CIA agent, played by Christopher Walken. The CIA, described by some as "NATO's brain", had their first big public triumph against Communism with the Italian elections of 1948, when this film takes place.
All about the beginnings of what has become The American Empire.
The Third American Empire theory is said to be very popular in Italy, strategically located to take advantage of such an empire, centered in the Middle East, with the Balkans as geographical adjunct.
Here's an interesting letter from Welles to Richard Wilson, his business manager at the time (precise date unknown):
My dearest partner of greatness,
Where must Othello rehearse? How many actors from America? Cannot the two weeks be changed to one? Not possibly? How much money are we guaranteed? What is the capital of Rhode Island?
Will you, for the love of the good Lord, sit down and detail me these answers by air mail? If you won't, why won't you? Have you had the Debreise cameras tested? If not, why not? How many lenses go with them?
Many conversations and much study convinces me now that the way to do Othello is with Italian money. Othello liras, even with the current political crisis, are easy to get. This sort of thing could very possibly even include an Italian government subsidy.
Please answer this letter factually, specifically, and at once,
Love and Kisses,
O
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Photos from the film
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Glenn Anders
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Thank you, Clive Dale, for those interesting photos. Doesn't Danny Huston look like Welles in his prime? What a match!
And thank you, mteal, for your additional comments. I tend to only look at the front screens, and so I miss some action. That's particularly dumb when I've started a rare thread which is actually going somewhere.
FADE TO BLACK could be a really significant litttle film, perhaps a sleeper, in what begins to look like a Welles mini-renaissance. Danny Huston has a growing cult following, and Christopher Walken has a big one.
Your article on "The Third American Empire" is interesting. I would only disagree with the second empire listed. I would start that one at the time of the Spanish American War. In fact, I wrote an Epinion in 2003 (updated in late 2004), which laid out the same ideas as featured in the essay. The subject of the review indicated is a forgotten small jingoist adventure film (though it starred Gary Cooper and David Niven), THE REAL GLORY. My review touches on the Mexican War, the Spanish American War (in the Philippines, the picture's setting), and the last 25 years of our move to become the Big Dog on the World Block. I include a nice rare reference to "The Military Order of the Carabou," which had its origins in the Spanish American War. It continues to this day, as does a Federal Telephone Tax (much hated by conservative tax busters) that dates from the unexpected number of maimed servicemen caused by the Philippine Insurgency. Welles would no doubt have appreciated these sad ironies.
Read it here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_94503341700
My dear mteal, or anyone else, do we know why Welles' relationship with Lea Padovani was known, as you say, to be "the most intense and destructive of his life"? Very little is said about her in the biographies that I have.
Glenn
And thank you, mteal, for your additional comments. I tend to only look at the front screens, and so I miss some action. That's particularly dumb when I've started a rare thread which is actually going somewhere.
FADE TO BLACK could be a really significant litttle film, perhaps a sleeper, in what begins to look like a Welles mini-renaissance. Danny Huston has a growing cult following, and Christopher Walken has a big one.
Your article on "The Third American Empire" is interesting. I would only disagree with the second empire listed. I would start that one at the time of the Spanish American War. In fact, I wrote an Epinion in 2003 (updated in late 2004), which laid out the same ideas as featured in the essay. The subject of the review indicated is a forgotten small jingoist adventure film (though it starred Gary Cooper and David Niven), THE REAL GLORY. My review touches on the Mexican War, the Spanish American War (in the Philippines, the picture's setting), and the last 25 years of our move to become the Big Dog on the World Block. I include a nice rare reference to "The Military Order of the Carabou," which had its origins in the Spanish American War. It continues to this day, as does a Federal Telephone Tax (much hated by conservative tax busters) that dates from the unexpected number of maimed servicemen caused by the Philippine Insurgency. Welles would no doubt have appreciated these sad ironies.
Read it here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_94503341700
My dear mteal, or anyone else, do we know why Welles' relationship with Lea Padovani was known, as you say, to be "the most intense and destructive of his life"? Very little is said about her in the biographies that I have.
Glenn
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Orson&Jazz
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Welles's OTHELLO had four different Desdemonas: Lea Padovani, Cecile Aubry, Betsy Blair, and finally,
Suzanne Cloutier. Aubry (who co-starred with Welles in THE BLACK ROSE) reportedly quit after only two days of rehearsal and never went before the cameras. It's not clear whether Blair (best known as Ernest Borgnine's plain-Jane girlfriend in MARTY) was ever filmed, but in the documentary ROSABELLA, Alexander Tosca says that the Othello crew persuaded Welles to dump her because she wasn't pretty enough. Cloutier of course, wound up playing the role, but there was definitely some footage shot of Lea Padovani, who was Welles's first choice for the role, and first serious romance after his break-up with Rita Hayworth.
There is good information on her in Frank Brady's CITIZEN WELLES, Charles Higham's RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN GENIUS, Barbra Leaming's ORSON WELLES (where, interestingly enough, Welles never names her, but simply refers to her as a homely "the spoon-faced girl"- one wonders whether he was attempting to obscure things by conflating her with Betsy Blair). She is also mentioned in ROSABELLA, having a heated argument at a restaurant with Welles, who then smashed a table full of glasses. There is also an interesting article in an old issue of Video Watchdog, where Harriet Medin (the voice coach for all four Desdamonas) describes the Welles/Padovani relationship as being pretty volatile (she also describes Padovani as gorgeous).
Orson Welles told Maurice Bessy that Padovani had destroyed him,..that he accepted everything at her hands. He also said this: "During the nine months I spent with her, I paid for everything I had ever done to women in the past twenty years". It seems apparent that, at the very least, her departure from OTHELLO made the production much more chaotic and prolonged then it would have been otherwise. Cloutier herself says that Welles began the production in robust health, but by the end he was a tired man, eating, drinking, and smoking too much. It took alot out of him.
Thanks for the interesting article Glenn. All those different enemies around the world for the U.S. reminds me of a quote I heard recently, attributed to Richard Nixon. Nixon reportedly said that the basic difference between a liberal and a conservative was that the liberal looks out at the ocean and sees Charlie the Tuna, whereas the conservative looks out and sees Jaws.
Suzanne Cloutier. Aubry (who co-starred with Welles in THE BLACK ROSE) reportedly quit after only two days of rehearsal and never went before the cameras. It's not clear whether Blair (best known as Ernest Borgnine's plain-Jane girlfriend in MARTY) was ever filmed, but in the documentary ROSABELLA, Alexander Tosca says that the Othello crew persuaded Welles to dump her because she wasn't pretty enough. Cloutier of course, wound up playing the role, but there was definitely some footage shot of Lea Padovani, who was Welles's first choice for the role, and first serious romance after his break-up with Rita Hayworth.
There is good information on her in Frank Brady's CITIZEN WELLES, Charles Higham's RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN GENIUS, Barbra Leaming's ORSON WELLES (where, interestingly enough, Welles never names her, but simply refers to her as a homely "the spoon-faced girl"- one wonders whether he was attempting to obscure things by conflating her with Betsy Blair). She is also mentioned in ROSABELLA, having a heated argument at a restaurant with Welles, who then smashed a table full of glasses. There is also an interesting article in an old issue of Video Watchdog, where Harriet Medin (the voice coach for all four Desdamonas) describes the Welles/Padovani relationship as being pretty volatile (she also describes Padovani as gorgeous).
Orson Welles told Maurice Bessy that Padovani had destroyed him,..that he accepted everything at her hands. He also said this: "During the nine months I spent with her, I paid for everything I had ever done to women in the past twenty years". It seems apparent that, at the very least, her departure from OTHELLO made the production much more chaotic and prolonged then it would have been otherwise. Cloutier herself says that Welles began the production in robust health, but by the end he was a tired man, eating, drinking, and smoking too much. It took alot out of him.
Thanks for the interesting article Glenn. All those different enemies around the world for the U.S. reminds me of a quote I heard recently, attributed to Richard Nixon. Nixon reportedly said that the basic difference between a liberal and a conservative was that the liberal looks out at the ocean and sees Charlie the Tuna, whereas the conservative looks out and sees Jaws.
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Orson&Jazz
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Ahh. So, Padovani was supposedly the "spoon-faced girl". By the description, their relationship did seem volatile.
As I remember from Leaming's book, Welles sure didn't give away the fact that Padovani did so much damage to him. He seemed to give off the sense that he was more confused as to why he was attracted to her in the first place. He sure didn't say that she was attractive. He mainly gave the impression he wasted his time.
As I recall, while he was filming The Third Man, he says he was so "enamoured" with the "spoon-faced" girl, he didn't even give Alida Valli the time of day. And so whenever he watches TTM, he regrets not wooing her. Or something to that effect.
As I remember from Leaming's book, Welles sure didn't give away the fact that Padovani did so much damage to him. He seemed to give off the sense that he was more confused as to why he was attracted to her in the first place. He sure didn't say that she was attractive. He mainly gave the impression he wasted his time.
As I recall, while he was filming The Third Man, he says he was so "enamoured" with the "spoon-faced" girl, he didn't even give Alida Valli the time of day. And so whenever he watches TTM, he regrets not wooing her. Or something to that effect.
"I know a little about Orson's childhood and seriously doubt if he ever was a child."--Joseph Cotten
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Glenn Anders
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Thank you, mteal, for the thorough rundown on Lea Padovani. Now that you mention Harriet Medin, I do remember those Video Watchdog memoirs. There were several. In her account, she tells us that Lea fell in love with someone other than Welles, after a number of jealous outbursts on his part. Miss Medin was enlisted in part as a kind of cover for Lea's new romance. They took off for a long weekend, Welles tracked them down, and there was a confrontation. Is that how you recall it?
Yes, there is a pattern for would-be empires to see themselves surrounded by enemies. The more extreme the empire, the more drastic their measures. Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin are clear examples. And now, it is us.
And we are only getting started!
Nobody ever said Dick Nixon was stupid, only paranoid.
Checking in on FADE TO BLACK at the IMDb, I see that the May release date has disappeared. This might be good news (a Fall release) or bad (some hold up concerning quality or distribution).
We'll have to keep an eye on it.
Glenn
Yes, there is a pattern for would-be empires to see themselves surrounded by enemies. The more extreme the empire, the more drastic their measures. Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin are clear examples. And now, it is us.
And we are only getting started!
Nobody ever said Dick Nixon was stupid, only paranoid.
Checking in on FADE TO BLACK at the IMDb, I see that the May release date has disappeared. This might be good news (a Fall release) or bad (some hold up concerning quality or distribution).
We'll have to keep an eye on it.
Glenn
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Le Chiffre
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He seemed to give off the sense that he was more confused as to why he was attracted to her in the first place. He sure didn't say that she was attractive. He mainly gave the impression he wasted his time.
True, but the fact that even after all those years he wouldn't refer to her by name in Leaming's book is interesting.
In her account, she tells us that Lea fell in love with someone other than Welles, after a number of jealous outbursts on his part. Miss Medin was enlisted in part as a kind of cover for Lea's new romance. They took off for a long weekend, Welles tracked them down, and there was a confrontation. Is that how you recall it?
Higham's book says Welles fired Medin at that point, but she denies that in the VW article. Padovani apparently fell in love with one of Welles's assistants on the Othello crew, which gives me a crazy thought that Welles may have wanted to be cuckolded in order to get himself in the mood to play Othello. Probably not, but who knows? It sounds like something Welles might do.
Checking in on FADE TO BLACK at the IMDb, I see that the May release date has disappeared. This might be good news (a Fall release) or bad (some hold up concerning quality or distribution).
The film is so good they're repositioning it to be Oscar bait. That's my optimistic guess.
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Orson&Jazz
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Right mteal. It is interesting that he didn't name her, but then again he said in there that a gentlemen never names names, or something to that effect. From what I remember there was another lady he was discussing in Leaming's book with whom he had a rendezvous with where he didn't name names either. I think Leaming was hinting at his rendezvous with Warrick, but I could be wrong there. He didn't say who it was.
Sounds sort of like life imitating art doesn't it? Welles seemed to me to be the kind of guy to use his personal life to stimulate his dramatic life. I don't think he ever thought to place a boundary to seperate both lives...
But as far as the film goes, I'm rather looking forward to it. I can't wait to hear the queries of "Was there really a murder on one of Welles' movies?" "Was Welles really involved?" and the tired replies of "It was just a movie. Histrionics and nothing more."
Resurgance of Welles' ghost me thinks will be the end result.
which gives me a crazy thought that Welles may have wanted to be cuckolded in order to get himself in the mood to play Othello. Probably not, but who knows? It sounds like something Welles might do.
Sounds sort of like life imitating art doesn't it? Welles seemed to me to be the kind of guy to use his personal life to stimulate his dramatic life. I don't think he ever thought to place a boundary to seperate both lives...
But as far as the film goes, I'm rather looking forward to it. I can't wait to hear the queries of "Was there really a murder on one of Welles' movies?" "Was Welles really involved?" and the tired replies of "It was just a movie. Histrionics and nothing more."
Resurgance of Welles' ghost me thinks will be the end result.
"I know a little about Orson's childhood and seriously doubt if he ever was a child."--Joseph Cotten
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