Orson Welles at Work

by Cahiers du Cinema (Contributor), Jean-Piere Berthomé

Welles is one of the legendary film directors whose persona has been created through a myriad of myths and legends. Enfant terrible of American cinema, his groundbreaking entry into Hollywood with Citizen Kane propelled him to fame as a young prodigy and unfailing genius. Many studies to date have focused on this aspect of Welles, highlighting his clashes with film studios to paint a turbulent picture of an artist repressed by his producers. In this book, however, by returning to the original works and analysing the primary sources, the authors strip back the myths and rumours (many of which were created and fanned by Welles himself) to draw a realistic portrait of this most remarkable filmmaker at work. All of his works are discussed, with in depth analysis on key works and projects.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title should be "Orson WELLES at Work" but so it goes. This is a pretty amazing piece of research detailing all of Welles' projects from his early radio days through Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Journey Into Fear at RKO and then the woolly days in exile in Europe (with The Lady from Shanghai and Touch of Evil as notable exceptions back in Hollywood). Instead of a tale of "decline" or "desperation" (the commonly told version of Welles' work life after Hollywood) what shines through in this report is Welles' creativity and inspiration and choices despite difficult working conditions and a persistent lack of funds. In some ways, it even seems that Welles preferred the freedom and autonomy he had to play loose with the rules (post-dubbing his own voice for numerous minor characters, shooting footage all over Europe and in his own home but editing it to look like part of the same location, improvising chunks of plot based on serendipity). The honing of these skills eventually led to his pioneering of the "essay film" in "F for Fake" and "Filming Othello" which use found footage and purposefully shot short clips to great effect. Berthome and Thomas have managed to definitively identify how Welles put each film (or TV show or unfinished effort) together, who contributed what, when, and where, and the current status of most projects since Welles' death in 1985. Really astounding with a great array of photos, a Phaidon specialty.

[I.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning and comprehensive, this book will give you loads of insight into how Welles worked and how he was innovating even under dire financial straights. You won't get a biography so much as a detailed examination of his methods and skills. Super valuable and helps you to better appreciate some of the flawed versions of his stuff that remain. Totally worth it for any fan!