From left, Joseph McBride, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Josh Karp, Filip Jan Rymsza and James Naremore at Indiana University on May 1, 2015.
Completion of Orson Welles’ still-unfinished The Other Side of the Wind – a project announced six months ago – is still far from done.
Speaking at an Indiana University panel discussion on May 1, Welles scholar Joseph McBride asked producer Filip Jan Rymsza about fellow producer Jens Koethner Kaul’s revelation – reported in Wellesnet a day earlier – that potential distributors want to see footage from the negative before committing funds to the project.
Rymsza did not dispute Kaul’s description of the situation, saying producers became aware of the situation in December. However, it had been an internal matter before Kaul’s public statement to Kino Kunstmuseum in Switzerland. How much footage potential distributors want to see has not been revealed.
The very-diplomatic Rymsza made it quite clear during the video streamed event that while he appreciates fan interest, he is less-than-thrilled with requests for updates and hesitant to discuss what he calls “the process.” (Editor’s note: Wellesnet has routinely requested updates on TOSOTW).
McBride noted that six months of silence may not be helpful to the project, prompting Rymsza to indicate an update would be forthcoming.
In response to questions from McBride and comments made by fellow Welles authors Jonathan Rosenbaum, Josh Karp and James Naremore, the following became clear:
- Potential distributors want to see footage from the vaulted negative, not the decades-old work print edited by Welles.
- Peter Bogdanovich has suggested he provide the opening narration as an older Brooks Otterlake. However, a voice actor may be used, Rymsza said.
- The unfilmed drive-in theater shot can easily be completed, Rymsza said, using stills, other materials and a computer.
- Rosenbaum once felt the film-within-a-film footage should be equal in duration to the other footage. However, the breakdown of how much screen time it gets has yet to be determined, Rymsza said.
- McBride and Rosenbaum will serve as consultants in some capacity.
- Michel Legrand, who scored F For Fake, is one of the composers that Rymsza and his fellow producers have considered to handle the TOSOTW musical chores.
- TOSOTW‘s film-within-a-film and everything else were shot in 1.37 aspect ratio.
- Welles’ utilized early video in some cases during the 1970s shoot.
- Asked by Wellesnet’s Mike Teal about who will edit TOSOTW, Rymsza replied, “stay tuned.”
- Co-producer Frank Marshall has chronicled the project and a “making of” documentary is likely.
- McBride has suggested the Paul Mazursky and Henry Jaglom footage be edited as bonus material for a home video release.
Rymsza will be discussing The Other Side of the Wind again at a panel discussion in Woodstock, Illinois, on May 23.
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