Welles on the Power and Corruption of Macbeth

[Store Hadji]

Apparently from a print of the Polanski film, chopped up and interpolated with commentary by Welles, and intended for use in schools.

Looks like Gary Graver camerawork for the Welles portion

http://youtube.com/watch?v=H51Omsr8gy4

[philly]

Apparently part of a series for school's which also included MAN AND WOMAN,with clips from Zefferelli's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, and AUTHORITY AND REBELLION with clips from THE CAINE MUTINY.
Did he direct these ? Did it inspire him to make FILMING OTHELLO? They were made circa 1974

[Glenn Anders]

Yes, philly -- and welcome, btw -- this series, produced for use in High School level English and social science classes by The Learning Corporation of America, a spin-off from Columbia Pictures. Great Themes of Literature (1973), as it was called, consisted of six 33 minute feature film-based study unit introductions : "The Caine Mutiny," "A Man for All Seasons," "Lord Jim," "The Taming of the Shrew," "In Cold Blood," and "Macbeth."

Each, as you suggest, was entitled with an antithetical theme, and was introduced by Orson Welles in his seemingly off-the-top-of-his head style. If you ponder on the films and themes, you may notice that almost all of them have a career or interest connection to Welles . . . Moby Dick, Cardinal Woolsey, "The Heart of Darkness," Compulsion, of course, MACBETH, etc.

The series, which was sold, leased or rented to school districts, has been touched upon before in these pages, but I taught all of them as study aids in my high school English classes, or as part of my pioneer "Film and the Mass Media" course, out here in California during the 1970's and 1980's. My personal favorite was "In Cold Blood," perhaps because Richard Brooks' film was in black and white, contrasted well with Welles in living color, and had a Wellsian feel to it.

The clip we have in front of us, thanks to Hadji, like a couple of others available, are promotional excerpts made by the Phoenix Learning Group, which has taken over some of LCA's items from the series. The full introductions for those in the Phoenix holdings are evidently available on DVD.

Glenn