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Mr. Arkadin
The mysterious Mr. Arkadin claims he cannot remember anything of his life prior to the moment in 1927 when he found himself alone in Zurich with two hundred thousand Swiss francs in his pocket, a sum with which he subsequently built a vast fortune. Now a fabulously wealthy and influential financier, he enlists the services of one Van Stratten, a small-time smuggler and racketeer, charging him with the task of investigating Arkadin’s forgotten past. Traveling across the world — and through the seedy underworld of postwar Europe — Van Stratten begins piecing together information for his confidential report. But for some unknown and sinisterly suspicious reason, everyone he speaks to soon turns up dead.
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First published June 8, 1955
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About the author
Orson Welles
221 books207 followersGeorge Orson Welles, best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio. Noted for his innovative dramatic productions as well as his distinctive voice and personality,
Welles is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the twentieth century, especially for his significant and influential early work—despite his notoriously contentious relationship with Hollywood. His distinctive directorial style featured layered, nonlinear narrative forms, innovative uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro, unique camera angles, sound techniques borrowed from radio, deep focus shots, and long takes.
Welles's long career in film is noted for his struggle for artistic control in the face of pressure from studios. Many of his films were heavily edited and others left unreleased. He has been praised as a major creative force and as "the ultimate auteur."
After directing a number of high-profile theatrical productions in his early twenties, including an innovative adaptation of Macbeth and The Cradle Will Rock, Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds performed for the radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was reported to have caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was occurring. Although these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated, they rocketed Welles to instant notoriety.
Citizen Kane (1941), his first film with RKO, in which he starred in the role of Charles Foster Kane, is often considered the greatest film ever made. Several of his other films, including The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Touch of Evil (1958), Chimes at Midnight (1965), and F for Fake (1974), are also widely considered to be masterpieces.
In 2002, he was voted the greatest film director of all time in two separate British Film Institute polls among directors and critics, and a wide survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives calls him the most acclaimed director of all time. Well known for his baritone voice, Welles was also an extremely well regarded actor and was voted number 16 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list of the greatest American film actors of all time. He was also a celebrated Shakespearean stage actor and an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety shows in the war years.
Welles is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the twentieth century, especially for his significant and influential early work—despite his notoriously contentious relationship with Hollywood. His distinctive directorial style featured layered, nonlinear narrative forms, innovative uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro, unique camera angles, sound techniques borrowed from radio, deep focus shots, and long takes.
Welles's long career in film is noted for his struggle for artistic control in the face of pressure from studios. Many of his films were heavily edited and others left unreleased. He has been praised as a major creative force and as "the ultimate auteur."
After directing a number of high-profile theatrical productions in his early twenties, including an innovative adaptation of Macbeth and The Cradle Will Rock, Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds performed for the radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was reported to have caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was occurring. Although these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated, they rocketed Welles to instant notoriety.
Citizen Kane (1941), his first film with RKO, in which he starred in the role of Charles Foster Kane, is often considered the greatest film ever made. Several of his other films, including The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Touch of Evil (1958), Chimes at Midnight (1965), and F for Fake (1974), are also widely considered to be masterpieces.
In 2002, he was voted the greatest film director of all time in two separate British Film Institute polls among directors and critics, and a wide survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives calls him the most acclaimed director of all time. Well known for his baritone voice, Welles was also an extremely well regarded actor and was voted number 16 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list of the greatest American film actors of all time. He was also a celebrated Shakespearean stage actor and an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety shows in the war years.
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October 26, 2024
RAPPORTO CONFIDENZIALE
Orson Welles nei panni di Gregory Arkadin da libero sfogo al suo amore per il trucco e il mascheramento.
Un buon libro, perfino un giallo, un thriller, un noir, se son buoni, non temono spoiler. Non è la risoluzione del caso, scoprire il colpevole, spiegare l’intrigo, che ne costituisce il fascino e il valore: è ogni singolo particolare, ogni dettaglio e aspetto che affascina, che ha la sua forza fantastica.
I fratelli Karamazov sono in fondo pure un giallo, conoscerne la soluzione non intacca certo l’incredibile potenza di ogni sua pagina.
Welles trasse un magnifico film da questa sua storia: Mr Arkadin-Rapporto confidenziale.
È una storia d’avventure, di mistero, di delitti, l’incalzante ricerca di una verità che si rivelerà distruttiva per tutti, colpevoli e innocenti — se si può parlare di innocenti per qualcuno dei protagonisti.
Un meccanismo perfetto di agguati, un diabolico disegno che trasforma pure l’investigazione in un elemento inconsapevole della trappola.
Il signor Arkadin, un miliardario criminale, sostiene d’aver perso la memoria colpito da un’amnesia (quanto mai opportuna). Perciò chiede allo sprovveduto Van Stratten, un contrabbandiere di piccolo calibro, ma anche un avventuriero come in fondo è lo stesso Arkadin, di ricostruire il suo passato: in pratica, un rapporto confidenziale su se stesso che, invece, si rivelerà solo un'arma per eliminare ogni scomoda verità che aleggia attorno a questo misterioso personaggio. Perché Arkadin ha alle sue spalle una serie di delitti e si serve di Van Stratten per rintracciare i testimoni di quei lontani crimini — ora pericolosi, vista che nel tempo ha messo insieme una enorme potenza finanziaria — che poi provvede a eliminare.
A tutto ciò s’intreccia la passione di Stratten per la figlia di Arkadin, Raina.
Alla fine Van Stratten, scoperta la macchinazione, riuscirà a distruggere Arkadin, colpendolo nel suo unico sentimento umano, l’amore per sua figlia, ma così facendo distrugge l’amore di Raina per lui.
Orson Welles amava molto il circo, e in particolare, esibirsi come prestigiatore.
Siamo in presenza di un altri tipico personaggio wellesiano: Kane, Quinlan, Arkadin, così shakespeariani, avidi di vita, magnetici, misteriosi, al contempo accattivanti e repulsivi, raccontano la corruzione e la smisurata sete di potere.
Personaggi bigger than life, che dopo il trionfo conoscono sempre la dura sconfitta, così devastante da risultare commovente. Secondo il modello shakespeariano dell’uomo che segue la propria natura, la propria verità, sia essa buona o cattiva, generosa o criminale. Senza innocenza, la vita è violenta e distruttrice volontà di potenza, la morale può vincere il male, ma distruggendo così pure la vita e dunque se stessa.
Come avviene nel famoso apologo della rana e lo scorpione che Welles amava tanto ricordare.
Anche per il plot siamo in presenza di una tipica storia wellesiana, vertiginosa, frenetica, debordante, labirintica, con più centri, a incastro, gioco di rimandi (e riflessi – penso alla mitica scena da “La signora di Shanghai”).
Welles prediligeva le inquadrature dal basso e sfruttare al massimo la profondità di campo.
Scoprire il cinema di Welles per me ha significato intensificare all’ennesima potenza il mio amore e la mia passione per quest’arte.
Dal basso, e profondità di campo.
Orson Welles nei panni di Gregory Arkadin da libero sfogo al suo amore per il trucco e il mascheramento.
Un buon libro, perfino un giallo, un thriller, un noir, se son buoni, non temono spoiler. Non è la risoluzione del caso, scoprire il colpevole, spiegare l’intrigo, che ne costituisce il fascino e il valore: è ogni singolo particolare, ogni dettaglio e aspetto che affascina, che ha la sua forza fantastica.
I fratelli Karamazov sono in fondo pure un giallo, conoscerne la soluzione non intacca certo l’incredibile potenza di ogni sua pagina.
Welles trasse un magnifico film da questa sua storia: Mr Arkadin-Rapporto confidenziale.
È una storia d’avventure, di mistero, di delitti, l’incalzante ricerca di una verità che si rivelerà distruttiva per tutti, colpevoli e innocenti — se si può parlare di innocenti per qualcuno dei protagonisti.
Un meccanismo perfetto di agguati, un diabolico disegno che trasforma pure l’investigazione in un elemento inconsapevole della trappola.
Il signor Arkadin, un miliardario criminale, sostiene d’aver perso la memoria colpito da un’amnesia (quanto mai opportuna). Perciò chiede allo sprovveduto Van Stratten, un contrabbandiere di piccolo calibro, ma anche un avventuriero come in fondo è lo stesso Arkadin, di ricostruire il suo passato: in pratica, un rapporto confidenziale su se stesso che, invece, si rivelerà solo un'arma per eliminare ogni scomoda verità che aleggia attorno a questo misterioso personaggio. Perché Arkadin ha alle sue spalle una serie di delitti e si serve di Van Stratten per rintracciare i testimoni di quei lontani crimini — ora pericolosi, vista che nel tempo ha messo insieme una enorme potenza finanziaria — che poi provvede a eliminare.
A tutto ciò s’intreccia la passione di Stratten per la figlia di Arkadin, Raina.
Alla fine Van Stratten, scoperta la macchinazione, riuscirà a distruggere Arkadin, colpendolo nel suo unico sentimento umano, l’amore per sua figlia, ma così facendo distrugge l’amore di Raina per lui.
Orson Welles amava molto il circo, e in particolare, esibirsi come prestigiatore.
Siamo in presenza di un altri tipico personaggio wellesiano: Kane, Quinlan, Arkadin, così shakespeariani, avidi di vita, magnetici, misteriosi, al contempo accattivanti e repulsivi, raccontano la corruzione e la smisurata sete di potere.
Personaggi bigger than life, che dopo il trionfo conoscono sempre la dura sconfitta, così devastante da risultare commovente. Secondo il modello shakespeariano dell’uomo che segue la propria natura, la propria verità, sia essa buona o cattiva, generosa o criminale. Senza innocenza, la vita è violenta e distruttrice volontà di potenza, la morale può vincere il male, ma distruggendo così pure la vita e dunque se stessa.
Come avviene nel famoso apologo della rana e lo scorpione che Welles amava tanto ricordare.
Anche per il plot siamo in presenza di una tipica storia wellesiana, vertiginosa, frenetica, debordante, labirintica, con più centri, a incastro, gioco di rimandi (e riflessi – penso alla mitica scena da “La signora di Shanghai”).
Welles prediligeva le inquadrature dal basso e sfruttare al massimo la profondità di campo.
Scoprire il cinema di Welles per me ha significato intensificare all’ennesima potenza il mio amore e la mia passione per quest’arte.
Dal basso, e profondità di campo.
March 21, 2012
It's not even clear if Welles wrote this, but I have to say this book is very much like his film career- flashes of brilliance mixed in with some self-indulgent tedium. But, above all, its a shame his demons prevented him from writing or directing more because the brilliance is there. Really astute, noir writing that Chandler would have envied and a Felliniesque cast of characters. Any Welles fan will gobble it up like caviar!
July 29, 2019
Υποτίθεται ότι αυτό είναι το μοναδικό μυθιστόρημα που έγραψε ο μεγάλος σεναριογράφος και σκηνοθέτης, Όρσον Γουέλς. Όμως αριστερά και δεξιά διαβάζω ότι στην πραγματικότητα συγγραφέας του βιβλίου είναι ένας Γάλλος ηθοποιός-σεναριογράφος, κάποιος Μορίς Μπεσί, που λάτρεψε το σενάριο και το μετέτρεψε σε μυθιστόρημα. Πάντως, ανεξάρτητα από το ποιος έγραψε τελικά το βιβλίο, πρόκειται για ένα πραγματικά πολύ ενδιαφέρον, καλογραμμένο και ψυχαγωγικό αστυνομικό νουάρ, με όλα τα απαραίτητα συστατικά του είδους, και μάλλον με στοιχεία που βρίσκει κανείς στις ταινίες του Όρσον Γουέλς. Και λέω μάλλον, γιατί έχω δει μονάχα μια ταινία του σκηνοθέτη μέχρι στιγμής (το πιστεύετε ή όχι, αυτή είναι η αλήθεια), οπότε δεν μπορώ να είμαι και απόλυτος ως προς αυτό. Όπως και να'χει, η ιστορία είναι αρκετά συναρπαστική, με μυστήριο, γοργή δράση και κάποιες εκπλήξεις στην πλοκή, ενώ η γραφή είναι πολύ καλή, με ορισμένες ατμοσφαιρικές περιγραφές που μπάζουν για τα καλά τον αναγνώστη στον ασπρόμαυρο κόσμο του βιβλίου. Η απίστευτη ταινία "Ο άρχων του τρόμου" στάθηκε η αφορμή για να διαβάσω επιτέλους αυτό το βιβλίο, που για επτά και πλέον χρόνια έπιανε σκόνη στη... ντουλάπα μου, όντας αγορασμένο από το παζάρι βιβλίου. Λίαν συντόμως θα δω και άλλη ταινία του Όρσον Γουέλς, μπας και επανορθώσω για τη μέχρι πρόσφατα... εγκληματική αδιαφορία μου απέναντι στο έργο του.
February 23, 2013
It is only appropriate that a "novel by Orson Welles" would, in fact, turn out to be an English translation of a French work written anonymously, based on an early draft of Welles' English screenplay, which was then published under his name, but for which he received no money.
It is perfect! Welles probably loved the whole scenario.
...except not getting paid.
It is perfect! Welles probably loved the whole scenario.
...except not getting paid.
September 3, 2018
A truly pulpy and low-brow novelization of one of the lesser (but still worthy) Welles films. The edition I had reads on the front cover "THE MOVIE MASTERPIECE BASED ON WELLES' ONLY NOVEL!" In reality, Welles had said he didn't know who wrote it and that he had not read a word of it...
February 10, 2019
This one is touted as the only novel written by Orson Wells. There is a movie with the same title and directed by one and only Orson Wells. This novel is a film noir, as Luke as the Wells’ noir movies. A story of international intrigue, murder, blackmail and love. The writing is great , it’s a regret that he did not write more.
June 30, 2019
A fairly nifty little pulp spy novel. Like Graham Greene writing Great Gatsby (that's a lot of alliteration!).
May 7, 2024
An enjoyable enough novelisation of the Orson Welles film, which was itself based on an episode of The Lives of Harry Lime radio show. This might have been billed as Orson Welles first novel, but he knew nothing about it and even admitting that he'd never read it. The smart money is apparently on the author having been Maurice Bessy, a French writer who penned a book on, of all people, Orson Welles. A complicated state of affairs that fits in perfectly with Welles if you think about it. Having read the book of the film of the radio show, I am now in a position to rank the three. The film is flawed but still the best version. The radio show is a quick paced, entertaining romp. The book trails in third place.
September 24, 2020
This work of fiction is something of a mystery. Some say that Orson Welles is the author; others, that it is one Maurice Bessy. It was originally written in English -- closely following the story of Welles's film of the same name, Mr. Arkadin -- then translated into French, possibly by Bessy, and finally translated from the French translation back into English. In any case, neither Welles nor Bessy didn't own up to their authorship.
Oddly, what works in the film, such as the character of the narrator, Guy Van Stratten, does not work quite so well in the book. Still it's a good read and has some few details that didn't make it into the film.
Oddly, what works in the film, such as the character of the narrator, Guy Van Stratten, does not work quite so well in the book. Still it's a good read and has some few details that didn't make it into the film.
March 9, 2018
A small-time hood, Van Stratten, is hired by the wealthy Mr. Arkadin to trace his convoluted past. This mission sends Van Stratten on a globe spanning noir adventure. Based on the Orson Welles film, this novel much more clearly delineates the story of that film (which was choppily edited and thrown together using the footage Welles shot) than the original itself and is actually quite deftly written, most likely by a little known French screenwriter, creating an intriguing noir vision of post-war Europe. Should definitely be read in conjunction with a viewing of the film.
February 26, 2024
I'm so glad that Hollywood wouldn't let Orson Welles make the movie he wanted to. Because of that, he wrote this book and had it published so the studio would let him make his film. This is a great work of fiction. It sucked me in right away and left me guessing until the very end.
If only Hollywood had left his vision alone and let his movie be what he wanted it to be after he wrote the book.
If only Hollywood had left his vision alone and let his movie be what he wanted it to be after he wrote the book.
April 30, 2024
I must be one of the few people to read MR ARKADIN without first seeing the film.
Obviously, I know Welles didn’t write it, but it captures his voice. Or, at least, the weary ‘man of the world’ version of his voice. The lead character was originally based on Harry Lime, but I thought he had much more in common with Welles’s small time rogue from THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI.
Next month, I shall watch the movie.
Obviously, I know Welles didn’t write it, but it captures his voice. Or, at least, the weary ‘man of the world’ version of his voice. The lead character was originally based on Harry Lime, but I thought he had much more in common with Welles’s small time rogue from THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI.
Next month, I shall watch the movie.
September 5, 2017
A simple read. It has the story of a grand adventure and love, but didn't sparkle quite as much as it could have. Still a fun book if you're not looking for anything too heavy. There's also a great discrepancy to if Welles actually wrote it or not! Which made it much more intriguing to me, personally.
December 28, 2020
Great little punchy fictional mystery noir travelogue. Not really knowing who fully wrote it just adds to the book's mystique and I'm just about to watch the film for the first time too! A potent wee belter of a book. Highly recommended!
January 5, 2022
Although of dubious origins (Welles receives sole credit on the copy that's printed alongside Criterion's DVD release of the film), this ends up being a pretty remarkable little potboiler that basically screams for adaptation.
May 26, 2017
It reads like a movie. You can tell Welles was a director. Very enjoyable.
January 13, 2022
the pretty good gatsby
December 30, 2020
An intriguing mystery written by Orson Welles, the famous director of Citizen Kane. Unfortunately, I was very underwhelmed by the character development and conclusion.
October 23, 2015
Mr. Arkadin, o “Confidencial Report”, novela escrita por el excepcional Orson Welles, base de la película homónima del genial director, que cuenta con una interesante introducción escrita en 1995 por Juan Cobos.
Según la introducción Welles escribía la novela a base de extractos que redactaba según le apetecía, escribiendo las escenas sin un orden cronológico, sino según le interesaba un pasaje concreto.
La novela es una mezcla de film noir e intriga en la que se parte de un importante personaje, que pese a ser una figura sobre la que gira la trama, no es el protagonista. Dicho personaje Mr. Arkadin, (Arkadian en el episodio de la BBC de la serie radiofónica sobre Harry Lime de la que parte) es un potentado industrial, misterioso y poderoso sobre el que se crea una trama consistente en el encargo efectuado a Guy Van Stratten (el verdadero protagonista), de que investigue la vida de aquél.
Welles combina magistralmente en esta novela (una de sus escasas producciones literarias) argumentos de misterio, intriga y novela negra que dan un cuerpo literario bien redactado, en el que se entremezclan curiosos personajes secundarios que aportan una atmósfera intrigante en la que se suceden giros de guion muy propios de la técnica hollywoodiense.
Además de los interesantes elementos de misterio del guión, perfectamente combinados en una creación que se advierte pensada para una futura representación fílmica, la novela cuenta con grandes referencias a la cultura española que denotan el profundo interés de este autor por España. En la novela la historia se desarrolla en un castillo que recuerda al de Medinaceli (Segovia), aunque ubicado en Cataluña, con referencias a Sitges. Se alternan procesiones con encapuchados con bailes de disfraces al estilo goyesco, permitiendo apreciarse el interés y admiración de Welles por la cultura española.
La trama comienza cuando un advenedizo pillastre de los bajos fondos coincide con el asesinato de un señor en un puerto por el que merodeaba una noche. El asesinato desata el interés del protagonista por la figura de Mr. Arkadin, buscando la forma de contactar con este misterioso magnate.
El libro nos llevará al conocimiento del magnate a través de la hija de éste y el encargo que aquél le hace para que investigue nada más que sobre su propia vida, con el pretexto de que los americanos quieren contratar con él y Mr. Arkadin no recuerda nada de lo sucedido antes de una fecha determinada.
La investigación se desarrolla entre azares y casualidades apareciendo diversos personajes que ofrecen sucesivas pistas al protagonista de la historia. No obstante, la lectura del libro permitirá apreciar que la sombra invisible de Mr. Arkadin siempre está presente, cual una nube que, inadvertida, está vigilando los movimientos del señor Van Stratten.
Conclusión
Sin desvelar los avatares que le suceden al señor Van Stratten, puede afirmarse que la novela de Welles es un ejemplo de guión-novela cinéfilo que comprende ingredientes propios de la novela negra y de la intriga, pensada (además de para ser la base de una futura película), para que (al estilo de la famosa intriga desarrollada con "La guerra de los mundos") generase expectación al lector (o espectador), manteniéndole en vilo a cada movimiento de Van Stratten.
Por otro lado, la figura de Mr. Arkadin, que si bien intitula el libro, es la de un punto de referencia sobre el que gira la historia y los personajes. Si bien es el director o el causante de los movimientos de aquellos, es también el objeto de lo iniciado. Dicho personaje es "auto"-investigado, por su propia voluntad, y por motivos que iremos conociendo.
Contituye dicha figura de referencia un elemento literario muy útil e intrigante, puesto que el personaje "sombra" permite construir una historia sobre él, siendo además de punto de partida de la trama, el objeto de la misma.
Por otro lado, la lectura de la novela necesita del complemento consistente en la visualización de alguna de las versiones que de esta original obra se efectuó, para poder apreciar que si bien la película no es de las mejores de Welles, sí que es, por lo menos, una de ellas en las que más se nota la implicación de este director en su trabajo, su impronta personal, y, por lo visto, su esfuerzo por conseguir que saliera adelante.
Según la introducción Welles escribía la novela a base de extractos que redactaba según le apetecía, escribiendo las escenas sin un orden cronológico, sino según le interesaba un pasaje concreto.
La novela es una mezcla de film noir e intriga en la que se parte de un importante personaje, que pese a ser una figura sobre la que gira la trama, no es el protagonista. Dicho personaje Mr. Arkadin, (Arkadian en el episodio de la BBC de la serie radiofónica sobre Harry Lime de la que parte) es un potentado industrial, misterioso y poderoso sobre el que se crea una trama consistente en el encargo efectuado a Guy Van Stratten (el verdadero protagonista), de que investigue la vida de aquél.
Welles combina magistralmente en esta novela (una de sus escasas producciones literarias) argumentos de misterio, intriga y novela negra que dan un cuerpo literario bien redactado, en el que se entremezclan curiosos personajes secundarios que aportan una atmósfera intrigante en la que se suceden giros de guion muy propios de la técnica hollywoodiense.
Además de los interesantes elementos de misterio del guión, perfectamente combinados en una creación que se advierte pensada para una futura representación fílmica, la novela cuenta con grandes referencias a la cultura española que denotan el profundo interés de este autor por España. En la novela la historia se desarrolla en un castillo que recuerda al de Medinaceli (Segovia), aunque ubicado en Cataluña, con referencias a Sitges. Se alternan procesiones con encapuchados con bailes de disfraces al estilo goyesco, permitiendo apreciarse el interés y admiración de Welles por la cultura española.
La trama comienza cuando un advenedizo pillastre de los bajos fondos coincide con el asesinato de un señor en un puerto por el que merodeaba una noche. El asesinato desata el interés del protagonista por la figura de Mr. Arkadin, buscando la forma de contactar con este misterioso magnate.
El libro nos llevará al conocimiento del magnate a través de la hija de éste y el encargo que aquél le hace para que investigue nada más que sobre su propia vida, con el pretexto de que los americanos quieren contratar con él y Mr. Arkadin no recuerda nada de lo sucedido antes de una fecha determinada.
La investigación se desarrolla entre azares y casualidades apareciendo diversos personajes que ofrecen sucesivas pistas al protagonista de la historia. No obstante, la lectura del libro permitirá apreciar que la sombra invisible de Mr. Arkadin siempre está presente, cual una nube que, inadvertida, está vigilando los movimientos del señor Van Stratten.
Conclusión
Sin desvelar los avatares que le suceden al señor Van Stratten, puede afirmarse que la novela de Welles es un ejemplo de guión-novela cinéfilo que comprende ingredientes propios de la novela negra y de la intriga, pensada (además de para ser la base de una futura película), para que (al estilo de la famosa intriga desarrollada con "La guerra de los mundos") generase expectación al lector (o espectador), manteniéndole en vilo a cada movimiento de Van Stratten.
Por otro lado, la figura de Mr. Arkadin, que si bien intitula el libro, es la de un punto de referencia sobre el que gira la historia y los personajes. Si bien es el director o el causante de los movimientos de aquellos, es también el objeto de lo iniciado. Dicho personaje es "auto"-investigado, por su propia voluntad, y por motivos que iremos conociendo.
Contituye dicha figura de referencia un elemento literario muy útil e intrigante, puesto que el personaje "sombra" permite construir una historia sobre él, siendo además de punto de partida de la trama, el objeto de la misma.
Por otro lado, la lectura de la novela necesita del complemento consistente en la visualización de alguna de las versiones que de esta original obra se efectuó, para poder apreciar que si bien la película no es de las mejores de Welles, sí que es, por lo menos, una de ellas en las que más se nota la implicación de este director en su trabajo, su impronta personal, y, por lo visto, su esfuerzo por conseguir que saliera adelante.
April 13, 2019
One of Mr. Arkadin's lines that echoes Welles' Citizen Kane is that "Memory is a curse when mixed with ruthlessness." The hard-boiled tone of 'Arkadin,' however, stands in contrast to the oblivion of Thompson's knowledge of Kane's past.
Mr. Arkadin is a noir story, which Welles denies writing in one breath and then jokes in the next about having possibly written (Bogdanovich 239). When a small-time criminal—Guy van Stratten—hears the name “Arkadin” whispered by a dying a man, it sets in motion a quest to find out who Arkadin really is. Of course, on the quest, the small-timer finds out who he himself might be when he falls in love with Arkadin’s daughter, Raina.
Mr. Arkadin is a revisionist noir that makes Raina’s femme fatale-power dependent on two things: her father’s ruthlessness and her lover’s instinct to live, which turns out to be greater than his desire to love. In Arkadin and Guy’s love of Raina, they are dopplegängers. And as seems to be the convention in romance, the long-term survival of a love triangle is an impossibility.
Mr. Arkadin is well-written, but is it great? It was supposed to be written as a fábula for a magazine series. If so, it would’ve made an interesting tie-in for Welles’ syuzhet of a movie. The frame scene in The Corinth version of the movie with Guy trying to save the life of an old gangster might make Guy seem like a hero, but the story Van Stratten tells destroys everything, which raises the reflexive question, is Mr. Arkadin a story that destroys both Welles and his audience? Perhaps that is the tragedy of Welles the artist: in demanding to know more about him as an artist, did his audience hasten his destruction? Consider the images of the plane with no pilot (an empty image like the shattered snow globe that ceases to snow). The novel's authorship seems like another gambit in the myth of Welles' art of illusions.
Book I, Chp. 6 has a strange reference to Othello, which Welles made just before Mr. Arkadin. Van Stratten asks Raina, "What fun does your father get out of acting Othello to your Desdemona?" (60) Welles told Bogdanovich, "[Othello is] destroyed easily because of his simplicity, not his weakness. He really is the archetype of a simple man, and has never understood the complexity of the world of human beings. He's a soldier; he's never known women" (232). So is it the self-destructive simplicity of Arkadin, or Guy's complex self-destruction? Either will do. Raina's torment seems more sustained than Desdamona's. There's no fun in any of it.
In their doubling, Guy and Arkadin are both simple & complex. Mr. Arkadin includes the myth of the frog & the scorpion. It seems that the greatest irony of Mr. Arkadin is that the fatal flaw of both characters is that the frog doesn’t understand that it too can kill and that the scorpion values self-image over survival.
Like many myths, Mr. Arkadin doesn’t bother with credulity. What choice did Guy have? could save but not forgive.
So the novel takes a different path to the same conclusion as the movie. On the way, it raises the stakes of Citizen Kane in that the quest of meaning is reached with with higher body count.
Mr. Arkadin is a noir story, which Welles denies writing in one breath and then jokes in the next about having possibly written (Bogdanovich 239). When a small-time criminal—Guy van Stratten—hears the name “Arkadin” whispered by a dying a man, it sets in motion a quest to find out who Arkadin really is. Of course, on the quest, the small-timer finds out who he himself might be when he falls in love with Arkadin’s daughter, Raina.
Mr. Arkadin is a revisionist noir that makes Raina’s femme fatale-power dependent on two things: her father’s ruthlessness and her lover’s instinct to live, which turns out to be greater than his desire to love. In Arkadin and Guy’s love of Raina, they are dopplegängers. And as seems to be the convention in romance, the long-term survival of a love triangle is an impossibility.
Mr. Arkadin is well-written, but is it great? It was supposed to be written as a fábula for a magazine series. If so, it would’ve made an interesting tie-in for Welles’ syuzhet of a movie. The frame scene in The Corinth version of the movie with Guy trying to save the life of an old gangster might make Guy seem like a hero, but the story Van Stratten tells destroys everything, which raises the reflexive question, is Mr. Arkadin a story that destroys both Welles and his audience? Perhaps that is the tragedy of Welles the artist: in demanding to know more about him as an artist, did his audience hasten his destruction? Consider the images of the plane with no pilot (an empty image like the shattered snow globe that ceases to snow). The novel's authorship seems like another gambit in the myth of Welles' art of illusions.
Book I, Chp. 6 has a strange reference to Othello, which Welles made just before Mr. Arkadin. Van Stratten asks Raina, "What fun does your father get out of acting Othello to your Desdemona?" (60) Welles told Bogdanovich, "[Othello is] destroyed easily because of his simplicity, not his weakness. He really is the archetype of a simple man, and has never understood the complexity of the world of human beings. He's a soldier; he's never known women" (232). So is it the self-destructive simplicity of Arkadin, or Guy's complex self-destruction? Either will do. Raina's torment seems more sustained than Desdamona's. There's no fun in any of it.
In their doubling, Guy and Arkadin are both simple & complex. Mr. Arkadin includes the myth of the frog & the scorpion. It seems that the greatest irony of Mr. Arkadin is that the fatal flaw of both characters is that the frog doesn’t understand that it too can kill and that the scorpion values self-image over survival.
Like many myths, Mr. Arkadin doesn’t bother with credulity. What choice did Guy have? could save but not forgive.
So the novel takes a different path to the same conclusion as the movie. On the way, it raises the stakes of Citizen Kane in that the quest of meaning is reached with with higher body count.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2023
Dat Orson Welles het niet altijd makkelijk had met zijn films is algemeen geweten, maar Mr. Arkadin is toch wel één van de ergste voorbeelden. Hij heeft de film nooit kunnen monteren zoals hij het zelf wou en in de loop der jaren zijn er talloze versies verschenen (de teller staat op 5 als ik me niet vergis) van de film. Daar stopt het echter niet, want in 1955 kwam daar opeens een Frans boek uit met de naam Monsieur Arkadin. Een jaartje later volgde de Engelse vertaling en die Engelse editie kreeg de naam Orson Welles als auteur mee.
Fast forward naar een interview een aantal jaar later tussen Peter Bogdanovich en Welles waaruit blijkt dat de regisseur het boek helemaal niet heeft geschreven! Het was Maurice Bessy, een kompaan van Welles als ik me niet vergis, die het scenario naar het Frans vertaalde en het wordt algemeen aangenomen dat hij ook de Engelse vertaling heeft geschreven. Je hebt dus een Frans boek dat een vertaling is van een Engels scenario dat nadien opnieuw vertaald is in het Engels.. Er zitten dan ook een aantal (kleine) verschillen maar de essentie blijft wel overeind. Je voelt weliswaar aan dat dit niet helemaal die typische Welles touch heeft (vooral de focus in het begin op de borsten van Raina oogde wat vreemd) maar het blijft wel een vermakelijk verhaaltje over de mysterieuze Arkadin en het web van bedrog waar Guy Van Stratten in terecht komt. Liefhebbers van de film zullen hier echter weinig nieuws in ontdekken en waar de film nogal chaotisch kan overkomen, overheerst dat gevoel ook wel bij deze “verboeking”. Laat je dus niet vangen – zoals ik – door het feit dat op de cover staat aangegeven dat dit door Welles is geschreven, want hoewel het gebaseerd is op zijn film en scenario, zou hij er geen letter van geschreven hebben.
Al weet je met Welles nooit natuurlijk. De man heeft in zijn leven wel eens meer een flagrante leugen verteld (en speelde erg graag met de mensen hun voeten zoals bijvoorbeeld in F for Fake) maar het boek van Mr. Arkadin is uiteindelijk niet meer dan een vermakelijk pulpromannetje. Als film werkte het echt wel een stuk beter, maar dat is misschien ook wel omdat ik grote fan ben van de visuele stijl en uitstraling van Welles.
Fast forward naar een interview een aantal jaar later tussen Peter Bogdanovich en Welles waaruit blijkt dat de regisseur het boek helemaal niet heeft geschreven! Het was Maurice Bessy, een kompaan van Welles als ik me niet vergis, die het scenario naar het Frans vertaalde en het wordt algemeen aangenomen dat hij ook de Engelse vertaling heeft geschreven. Je hebt dus een Frans boek dat een vertaling is van een Engels scenario dat nadien opnieuw vertaald is in het Engels.. Er zitten dan ook een aantal (kleine) verschillen maar de essentie blijft wel overeind. Je voelt weliswaar aan dat dit niet helemaal die typische Welles touch heeft (vooral de focus in het begin op de borsten van Raina oogde wat vreemd) maar het blijft wel een vermakelijk verhaaltje over de mysterieuze Arkadin en het web van bedrog waar Guy Van Stratten in terecht komt. Liefhebbers van de film zullen hier echter weinig nieuws in ontdekken en waar de film nogal chaotisch kan overkomen, overheerst dat gevoel ook wel bij deze “verboeking”. Laat je dus niet vangen – zoals ik – door het feit dat op de cover staat aangegeven dat dit door Welles is geschreven, want hoewel het gebaseerd is op zijn film en scenario, zou hij er geen letter van geschreven hebben.
Al weet je met Welles nooit natuurlijk. De man heeft in zijn leven wel eens meer een flagrante leugen verteld (en speelde erg graag met de mensen hun voeten zoals bijvoorbeeld in F for Fake) maar het boek van Mr. Arkadin is uiteindelijk niet meer dan een vermakelijk pulpromannetje. Als film werkte het echt wel een stuk beter, maar dat is misschien ook wel omdat ik grote fan ben van de visuele stijl en uitstraling van Welles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2015
Este libro, que luego uno se va enterando que parece que ni siquiera lo escribió Welles y que fue una forma de salvar el fracaso de la peli, es regular.
Uno esperaría encontrar la brillantez de Welles y que alguna cosa te vuele la cabeza al menos.
Pero, si bien es entretenido, tiene una trama básica con giros más o menos esperados, con adjetivos y movimientos muy repetitivos. Todo el tiempo la gente "shruggs their shoulders", como si fuera la única reacción posible.
Por momentos, algunas ideas parecen hasta un refrito de El Ciudadano, con un tipo intentando encontrar claves del pasado de un poderoso. Sólo que las razones y lo que sucede luego son diferentes.
La mejor parte, sin duda, es el escenario de San Tirso, en España, y cómo se desarrolla la relación entre Raina y Guy.
Está bueno para entretenerse, no para deslumbrarse.
Uno esperaría encontrar la brillantez de Welles y que alguna cosa te vuele la cabeza al menos.
Pero, si bien es entretenido, tiene una trama básica con giros más o menos esperados, con adjetivos y movimientos muy repetitivos. Todo el tiempo la gente "shruggs their shoulders", como si fuera la única reacción posible.
Por momentos, algunas ideas parecen hasta un refrito de El Ciudadano, con un tipo intentando encontrar claves del pasado de un poderoso. Sólo que las razones y lo que sucede luego son diferentes.
La mejor parte, sin duda, es el escenario de San Tirso, en España, y cómo se desarrolla la relación entre Raina y Guy.
Está bueno para entretenerse, no para deslumbrarse.
January 8, 2018
Mr. Arkadin AKA Confidential Report: The Secret Sordid Life of an International Tycoon, in addition to being a mouthful of a title, is a novel of intrigue and sin. I picked it up because it is (maybe?) by Orson Welles, one of the great filmmakers. It was also produced as a film in 1955 and Welles was not pleased with the result.
Arkadin centers on low-level low-life Guy Van Stratten, who is given the name "Gregory Arkadin" by another dying criminal. He follows this lead down the rabbit hole of Arkadin in the hopes of a quick payday from the internationally famous businessman with a mysterious past. What follows is a convoluted tale of European border jumping, drinks, drugs, women, and crime. It's okay as an international thriller, but not terribly satisfying in the end.
Arkadin centers on low-level low-life Guy Van Stratten, who is given the name "Gregory Arkadin" by another dying criminal. He follows this lead down the rabbit hole of Arkadin in the hopes of a quick payday from the internationally famous businessman with a mysterious past. What follows is a convoluted tale of European border jumping, drinks, drugs, women, and crime. It's okay as an international thriller, but not terribly satisfying in the end.
December 1, 2015
Multi-talent Orson Welles may or may not have been involved in this novelization of his much-maligned 1955 film, itself an amalgam of old radio scripts. Certainly the through line is distinctly Wellesian: a slumming chump sent on a labyrinthine search for the secrets of a great man, a fool's errand rife with shady beauties, exotic locales and self-serving grotesques; "Citizen Kane" meets "The Lady From Shanghai." If indeed, purported author Maurice Bessy did all of the stitching, it's a reverent weave, demonstrating the eye and ear of Welles while waxing smartly on the dark hearts of the characters.
June 18, 2016
This book is kind of on the boring side. The "sordid" part of the subtitle wasn't dirty enough for me. To be fair, a book about finding out about an amnesiac's life should be pretty boring, but the narrator rambles on about nothing often. It does become interesting near the end, but it's kind of thrown together in a slapdash kind of way. I did find it amusing that Welles (or whoever wrote it for him) goes on and on about how awesome Mr. Arkadin is, especially since he's mostly complimenting himself, as he played Arkadin in the movie. All in all, it was all right, but I don't think I can recommend it.
September 18, 2007
Nearing magical realism in its premise, Mr. Arkadin is a tycoon who has no memory of the years of his life before he became the great man he has become. He hires the con man who's trying to bed his daughter to find out the details of who he was.
I don't know why the book and the movie have a reputation for being hard to understand. The book has a different texture than the movie. If you have the chance, read the book first, but they're both great.
I don't know why the book and the movie have a reputation for being hard to understand. The book has a different texture than the movie. If you have the chance, read the book first, but they're both great.
April 3, 2016
I haven't seen the film in over a decade and remember nothing about it, so this reading didn't suffer from comparison.
I enjoyed the book, though I felt like it was not quite living up to its promise. It needed a little more suspense, a little more threat from Arkadin, on the whole a little more film noir. I enjoyed it and will recommend it, but in a way it was like reading the shadow of the novel it wanted to be.
I enjoyed the book, though I felt like it was not quite living up to its promise. It needed a little more suspense, a little more threat from Arkadin, on the whole a little more film noir. I enjoyed it and will recommend it, but in a way it was like reading the shadow of the novel it wanted to be.
February 19, 2013
Non mi è chiara la genesi di questo romanzo: è stato scritto prima o dopo la realizzazione del film? E perché è stato scritto in francese? Mentre cercherò risposte a questi amletici quesiti, ammetto che il film è decisamente più godibile... E la traduzione è davvero datata, per cui non mi ha catturata come il film.
February 2, 2013
Damned if I remember a thing about this book but Orson Welles is Orson Welles so unless you give me good reason to not think of Orson Welles for any given reason at any given time, I am going to keep thinking of Orson Welles.
May 10, 2010
Twisting plot and intrigue. Good read and I learned a lot about Orson Welles from the Foreword.
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