The Eyes of Orson Welles poster. (Janus Films)
Janus Films has revealed its poster and trailer for the U.S. release of Mark Cousins’ acclaimed documentary The Eyes of Orson Welles.
The film, which begins its run Friday, March 15, at the IFC Center in New York City, explores Welles’ life and career through a trove of paintings and sketches he created throughout his life. (It begins its three-day run at The Roxie in San Francisco on March 29.)
The domestic poster is a departure from the key art used in the European release with an emphasis on the late filmmaker’s artwork.
The nearly two-minute trailer captures the feel of the documentary, while also making note of its prestigious festival appearances and glowing reviews. (At Cannes, Cousins’ documentary garnered a special-distinction commendation in the Golden Eye Documentary Award.)
Cousins recently tweeted that the theatrical release and subsequent home video release would be happening “soon.”
“Delighted that my film The Eyes of Orson Welles, which premiered in Cannes, gets its USA roll out soon. In theatres in NYC and LA – thank you @JanusFilms; and on disc – thank you @Criterion,” Cousins tweeted. “Will tweet dates. The world has become Wellesean.”
Criterion, which is famously tight-lipped about forthcoming projects, has not announced its release plans for The Eyes of Orson Welles.
Janus’ website offers the following take on The Eyes of Orson Welles:
Visionary cinema historian Mark Cousins (The Story of Film: An Odyssey) charts the unknown territory of the imagination of one of the twentieth century’s most revolutionary artists. Granted unprecedented access to hundreds of sketches, drawings, and paintings by Orson Welles — tantalizing, never-before-seen glimpses into the filmmaker’s rich inner life — Cousins sheds new light on the experiences, dreams, desires, and obsessions that fueled his creativity and inspired his masterpieces. Playful, profound, and as daringly iconoclastic as its subject, The Eyes of Orson Welles is a one-of-a-kind work of visual archaeology, a fresh way of looking at a cinematic giant whose singular worldview — fiercely humanist, defiantly antiauthoritarian — resonates now more urgently than ever.
London-based Dogwoof released Cousins’ film in the U.K. on August 17, 2018. It is already available on DVD in Europe.
Beatrice Welles granted Cousins the exclusive rights to make a film using her father’s artwork. The two met at the 2016 Traverse Film Festival in Michigan and mapped out the project with Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine), who is an executive producer on the film.
Cousins contributed the foreword for Orson Welles Portfolio, which was written by Simon Braund and published last week by Titan Books.
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