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Orson Welles in Italy
Fleeing a Hollywood that spurned him, Orson Welles arrived in Italy in 1947 to begin his career anew. Far from being welcomed as the celebrity who directed and starred in Citizen Kane , his six-year exile in Italy was riddled with controversy, financial struggles, disastrous love affairs, and failed projects. Alberto Anile's book depicts the artist's life and work in Italy, including his reception by the Italian press, his contentious interactions with key political figures, and his artistic output, which culminated in the filming of Othello . Drawing on revelatory new material on the artist's personal and professional life abroad, Orson Welles in Italy also chronicles Italian cinema's transition from the social concerns of neorealism to the alienated characters in films such as Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita , amid the cultural politics of postwar Europe and the beginnings of the cold war.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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April 17, 2019
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object? In the case of Orson Welles vs. Italy, you get a stalemate. And lots of headaches and heartaches. This book focuses on the years Welles lived in Italy after WWII, from 1947 to the mid-1950s
Once ensconced in Italy, Welles pursued his craft, and he pursued young starlets (this was after his divorce from Rita Hayworth), and he pursued money for his projects. But try as he might, Italy never really became his home, even though he took an Italian wife. This is because, according to Alberto Anile, most Italians never really understood Welles and his art. After a number of years, Welles went back to America (where they also didn’t understand him). Today Welles is probably remembered in the US as much for his pitch for Paul Masson wine (“We shall sell no wine before its time”) as he is for making Citizen Kane, a dubious accomplishment Welles must have foreseen. He died in Los Angeles in 1985. His ashes are buried, along with his wife’s, on an estate in Ronda, Spain.
This book is not for the general reader. It’s more for students and scholars who already know something about the subjects and are looking for more information and sources. On this level, the book succeeds very well. My favorite section is “Reviewing Othello.”
I got interested in learning more about Welles after recently watching The Magnificent Ambersons on Netflix. While the book delves into Welles’ personal life as well as the making (and sometimes abandonment) of several films, the focus is on the Italian reception to Welles, his movies, and movie-making practices. Anile opens his book with an account of Welles’ plane nearly running out of fuel on Welles’ way to Italy. He landed safely. But his life and career in Italy, except for his marriage to Paola Mori, never really got off the ground.
My only complaint abut the book is that it should have included a chronology. Welles does so many things and meets so many people. A timeline of events would have aided the reader in keeping track of it all.
Once ensconced in Italy, Welles pursued his craft, and he pursued young starlets (this was after his divorce from Rita Hayworth), and he pursued money for his projects. But try as he might, Italy never really became his home, even though he took an Italian wife. This is because, according to Alberto Anile, most Italians never really understood Welles and his art. After a number of years, Welles went back to America (where they also didn’t understand him). Today Welles is probably remembered in the US as much for his pitch for Paul Masson wine (“We shall sell no wine before its time”) as he is for making Citizen Kane, a dubious accomplishment Welles must have foreseen. He died in Los Angeles in 1985. His ashes are buried, along with his wife’s, on an estate in Ronda, Spain.
This book is not for the general reader. It’s more for students and scholars who already know something about the subjects and are looking for more information and sources. On this level, the book succeeds very well. My favorite section is “Reviewing Othello.”
I got interested in learning more about Welles after recently watching The Magnificent Ambersons on Netflix. While the book delves into Welles’ personal life as well as the making (and sometimes abandonment) of several films, the focus is on the Italian reception to Welles, his movies, and movie-making practices. Anile opens his book with an account of Welles’ plane nearly running out of fuel on Welles’ way to Italy. He landed safely. But his life and career in Italy, except for his marriage to Paola Mori, never really got off the ground.
My only complaint abut the book is that it should have included a chronology. Welles does so many things and meets so many people. A timeline of events would have aided the reader in keeping track of it all.
Displaying 1 of 1 review