Orson Welles

[FrauBlucher]

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

[therewillbeblus]

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)

[knives]

This John Candy impression is great. Possibly the most on point I’ve ever seen.

[domino harvey]

This John Candy impression is great. Possibly the most on point I’ve ever seen.

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

[beamish14]

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

[Roger Ryan]

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.

[bearcuborg]

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.

[Big Ben]

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!

[bearcuborg]

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.

[Big Ben]

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.

[bearcuborg]

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.

[PfR73]

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

[Roger Ryan]

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

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]

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.

[hearthesilence]

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

[beamish14]

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.

[Blutarsky]

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]

In-depth research on The Deep:
https://brightlightsfilm.com/mysteries- ... reckoning/

[agnamaracs]

The Welles estate has reportedly recovered another of the six programs he produced for Avco's Cartrivision system.

[FrauBlucher]

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

[bearcuborg]

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]

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

[Stefan Andersson]

Update on scanning It´s All True:
https://www.wellesnet.com/brazil-visit-uncovered/

OW´s Pirandello-inspired script rediscovered:
https://www.wellesnet.com/between-fathe ... asquerade/
https://www.wellesnet.com/masquerade-fo ... ello-play/

[Stefan Andersson]

On the alternate cut of Journey into Fear:
Description and discussion of the longer cut:

https://wellesnet.com/phpbb2/viewtopic. ... 8882#p8261



Also:

https://www.wellesnet.com/journey-fear-blu-ray-us/

https://www.wellesnet.com/journey-into- ... francisco/

https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2015/11 ... s-at-moma/