Orson Welles: A Celebration

by John Russell Taylor

Celebrates the monumental career of the actor-director-writer-producer, from his days as a child prodigy, through his Mercury Theatre and Citizen Kane period, to his difficult years as a commercial failure

176 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1986

About the author

John Russell Taylor was an English critic, author, and historian whose work shaped modern writing on film, theatre, and visual art. Educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, and the Courtauld Institute of Art, he emerged in the early 1960s as one of Britain’s most influential cultural commentators. He wrote on cinema for Sight and Sound and Monthly Film Bulletin, and became film critic of The Times, later serving for decades as its art critic.
Taylor authored landmark studies of British drama and cinema, as well as acclaimed biographies of figures such as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh, and Alec Guinness. His book Strangers in Paradise: The Hollywood Emigres 1933–1950 remains a key work on European artists in American film. After developing a close friendship with Alfred Hitchcock, he became the director’s authorised biographer.
From the early 1970s he also taught film at the University of Southern California, while contributing to major British and American publications. In addition to film and theatre, Taylor wrote extensively on modern and contemporary art, producing numerous monographs and broader studies. He also served on juries at major international film festivals and edited Films and Filming magazine for several years.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

A second biography of Welles that I've read, with an interesting look, predominantly at is career, as director and actor on the stage, film and on TV. This goes into detail about the many problems Welles had over his career, especially around struggling to get projects completed, as well as sometimes alienating colleagues and friends. It still is almost unbelievable to think that 'Citizen Kane' was the first feature film he ever directed; this book comes from the general viewpoint that he spent the rest of his life trying to reach that standard again. Genius man, average book. 5 out of 12.

[sam marcello]

great book about a great filmmaker!!!!!

[Teri Reck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book, visually and verbally, about the late great Orson Welles---the man, the myth, the legend, the enigma. This book is filled with photos documenting Welles' career in acting, directing, producing, and creating. Fascinating in insights and honest about speculations, it does not have that smug, we-know-a-genius-better-than-he-knew-himself sort of condescension, but more of a who-can-ever-really-know his mind's workings, and perhaps, just perhaps, not even Welles himself. It includes a comprehensive filmography which for me was eye opening in itself. I had no idea of the extent of his work. I think that I always assumed the truth of a sort of mythology in which he peaked incredibly young, and then he spent the rest of his life attempting to surpass his initial work which proved to be problematic because the world wasn't entirely ready for the new ground that he was breaking. I had a notion that he just sort of faded away, more and more embittered that his career had not produced what he had hoped. This book showed me that my notion was not true, or at least was incomplete, in that the man worked and worked and didn't give up on his many projects literally until his death. And yet, one can't read about his life's story without wondering why he was not more satisfied with his work and his contribution to the filming arts. Therein lies the sadness, as though he were the Nikola Tesla of the film world. Worth reading and studying the photos.

[Gian Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

larger than life.
One of the most iconic faces of Hollywood, arguably a genius ahead of his time that at the early age of twenty-five left us what it's considered to be best movie ever made yet.