Orson Welles

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FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Orson Welles

#326 Post by FrauBlucher » Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:45 pm

I watched The Trial with the Jeffrey Lyons audio commentary. With all due respect to Mr Lyons it wasn't very good. Hopefully, if and when Criterion releases this it will get a commentary of a Welles scholar. This film deserves scholarly insight and not mainstream observations that lack any nuance

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#327 Post by therewillbeblus » Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:51 pm

That's a shame, since this is a rather easy target for academic study (and I'm waiting for a commentary to finally declare it a horror film for the small club of us who consider it as such! Maybe Adrian Martin, who recently validated the Fairy Tale formulation in Wilder's work on his Five Graves to Cairo commentary, would be so kind)


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domino harvey
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Re: Orson Welles

#329 Post by domino harvey » Wed Nov 25, 2020 8:45 pm

That’s a carryover from him doing it on SCTV, as seen here and here

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#330 Post by beamish14 » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:22 pm

Amazing. Ray Kelly from Wellesnet has compiled some recently discovered outtakes/rushes from The Lady from Shanghai

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Roger Ryan
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city

Re: Orson Welles

#331 Post by Roger Ryan » Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:11 pm

beamish14 wrote:
Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:22 pm
Amazing. Ray Kelly from Wellesnet has compiled some recently discovered outtakes/rushes from The Lady from Shanghai
It is strongly suspected these clips come from a reel Columbia put together at the time for use as stock footage. This would explain why almost everything is just non-de-script background action (the fleeting frames actually directed by Welles, as opposed to second unit shots directed by William Castle, just show extras in the background of one of the Acapulco set-ups before cutting abruptly just as the lead actors start to enter the frame). Nonetheless, I never thought I'd see another frame of footage, unused or otherwise, from this film apart from what survived in the released version.

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bearcuborg
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Philadelphia via Chicago

Re: Orson Welles

#332 Post by bearcuborg » Wed Mar 31, 2021 7:59 pm

The latest episode American Experience should of special note to Welles fans, it concerns the blinding of Issac Woodard and unfolds into the extraordinary actions of Judge Waring, his wife, and Thurgood Marshall.

But the episode begins with Welles covering the story of soldier blinded by a brutal thug in a badge. This part of Welles’s life always brings me great joy to share with others, as it conveys some of his best writing and performance. I don’t think I’ve heard the audio of his speech (one of a few on the subject) in quite some time.

Here’s a sample of Welles on Jim Crow... he’d be sickened to see what is happening in Georgia.

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Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
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Re: Orson Welles

#333 Post by Big Ben » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:05 pm

I'd recommend listening to all of the broadcasts Welles did around that time. Some of his statements sound like they could have been made today. Also as an interesting tidbit in the program last night revealed via newspaper clipping that South Carolina became so incensed at Welles' comments that they banned one of his films there!

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bearcuborg
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:30 am
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Re: Orson Welles

#334 Post by bearcuborg » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:10 pm

Well, I don’t think that’s the case. Welles had given the wrong name of the town, and it was that town that boycotted his latest, Tomorrow is Forever.

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Big Ben
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Re: Orson Welles

#335 Post by Big Ben » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:21 pm

bearcuborg wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:10 pm
Well, I don’t think that’s the case. Welles had given the wrong name of the town, and it was that town that boycotted his latest, Tomorrow is Forever.
My mistake! I'll take the L here.

I would however recommend anyone who has the time watch the documentary on Woodard. It's pretty standard PBS fare but I thought it was really illuminating. Until last night I hadn't the faintest idea about how all of that was a catalyst for so much social change.

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bearcuborg
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Re: Orson Welles

#336 Post by bearcuborg » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:36 pm

To be honest, I didn’t either, and I only vaguely knew about Judge Waring (especially not his wife!) from Drunk History.

Sounds like last night’s episode would have made for a better movie about Thurgood than the one we got a few years back.

As for Orson, one wishes they would have played more of his radio commentary.

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PfR73
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:07 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#337 Post by PfR73 » Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:35 am

Is this William Alland in Too Much Johnson? I watched it for the first time last night and immediately thought I recognized him, but there is currently no mention of him appearing in the film on IMDb or Wikipedia.
SpoilerShow
ImageImage

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Roger Ryan
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
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Re: Orson Welles

#338 Post by Roger Ryan » Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:41 am

PfR73 wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:35 am
Is this William Alland in Too Much Johnson? I watched it for the first time last night and immediately thought I recognized him, but there is currently no mention of him appearing in the film on IMDb or Wikipedia.
SpoilerShow
ImageImage
Yep, that's definitely Alland. I get a kick out of the stray shots from Too Much Johnson where Alland can be seen propping up a palm tree at the rock quarry in a very low budget attempt to "dress the set".

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#339 Post by beamish14 » Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:39 pm

Turner Classic Movies financing and documenting the search for Welles' cut of Ambersons in Brazil.

I really hope a new restoration/take on It's All True is on the horizon.

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hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Orson Welles

#340 Post by hearthesilence » Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:52 pm

I just hope they find the workprint in decent condition. I'm not betting that will happen, but I hope I'm wrong.

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#341 Post by beamish14 » Tue Apr 13, 2021 2:03 pm

hearthesilence wrote:
Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:52 pm
I just hope they find the workprint in decent condition. I'm not betting that will happen, but I hope I'm wrong.

Me neither, but discovering Too Much Johnson with 85% of it in watchable shape shows that miracles can happen.

A nitrate answer print can last for an incredibly long amount of time with very little deterioration.

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Blutarsky
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:09 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#342 Post by Blutarsky » Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:19 pm

If anything all I would love to see recovered is Welles’s original ending as well as the extended party sequence in the beginning of the party sequence.

Stefan Andersson
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:02 am

Re: Orson Welles

#343 Post by Stefan Andersson » Fri Oct 08, 2021 2:32 pm



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FrauBlucher
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Re: Orson Welles

#345 Post by FrauBlucher » Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:19 pm

The restoration of The Trial is making it's theatrical way around North America....here's hoping when the tour ends we get a CC release in the fall

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bearcuborg
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Philadelphia via Chicago

Re: Orson Welles

#346 Post by bearcuborg » Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:17 pm

For all the Welles fans in the Philly area:

7 part lecture series at The Free Library
A few notable guests are on tap, including Michael Phillips from the Chicago Tribune and Ray Kelly from wellesnet.

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Orson Welles

#347 Post by beamish14 » Wed Jun 21, 2023 11:24 pm

Paramount is finally taking the unseen nitrate footage from It’s All True that has been sitting in UCLA’s archives for almost 40 years and making digital scans


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