Working with Orson Welles - Has anyone seen this film?

[Kube]

Is it good?

Do we see rare bits of Welles unfinished work?

[Jeff Wilson]

You can find comments about it in some of the past threads; do a general search from the beginning of the board and it should have some results. As for the documentary itself, it's worth taking a look at, as it includes interviews with several people who worked with Welles during the final 10 or 15 years of his life, and they're fun to hear. There are clips from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and the F FOR FAKE trailer is included in its entirety. It's been ages since I watched it, so there may be more I'm forgetting. I don't believe it has any clips unique to it, though. My main complaint about it would be that the way it's put together is somewhat awkward.

[jbrooks]

"Working with Welles" has a kind of rough, thrown together quality as I recall. I also haven't seen it in a long time, but I recall that I was not impressed. It does have some interesting stories, and I think it includes the entire F For Fake Trailer (which I had already seen on the laserdisc). I also seem to recall that it includes some material shot (and not used?) for Filming Othello, including Welles returning to the Venice locations where the opening of Othello was filmed. I don't believe that it includes any of The Other Side of the Wind (unless I misremember) but there is a lot of discussion about it.

In short, it is a problematic documentary, but it is well worth a look if you're a fan of Welles' later work.

[Sir Bygber Brown]

I haven't seen it, but i'm told its heavy on people chatting about Welles and light on actual Welles (ie, clips of unfinished works etc).

[jbrooks]

I just re-watched my tape of "Working with Orson Welles." My earlier comments hold up for the most part, but my re-vieing has made me far more enthusiastic about it. Yes, it is a cheaply made documentary, and it has a very rough form and very little structure. Graver jumps for one bit to another without much rhyme or reason. He throws in public domain clips from "The Trial" and "The Stranger" and trailer for "David and Goliath" at almost random times. And it was shot on video, so the production values are not high. All that said -- its still a rewarding documentary. It has some great stories about the making of the Other Side of the Wind -- really invaluable stuff -- and great stories about Welles' working style in general. There are also some very interesting clips -- we see Welles on the Tonight Show doing a magic trick. We see some photo tests for The Other Side of the Wind (and about 10 seconds of a clip from Wind itself). We also see some of Bogdanovich and Graver speaking at the Welles tribute at the DGA in 1985 after Welles' death. We also see bits of "Filming Othello" and the "F for Fake" trailer. In short, any true Welles fan would find it worth his or her time, despite its shortcomings.

[Glenn Anders]

Yes, I agree with the general drift. WORKING WITH WELLES is a kind of home movie homage to Welles by some of those those who worked with him and admired him. In addition to those personages mentioned, there are remarks by Stacy Keach, Cameron Mitchell, Susan Strasberg, Curtis Harrington, Peter Jason, Peter Bogdanovich, Frank Marshall, and the (nutty-looking and sounding) producer, Sidney Niekerk (NAKED FORCE, 1992)

At its best, WORKING WITH WELLES is like a Sunday party in the backyard, with old friends, sitting in lawn chairs with a glass of wine, remembering someone who made a huge impression upon them. I expecially like the remarks by Jason, Keach, and Marshall. The latter, in particular, who was just getting his start, remembers his experience on OSOTHW with great fondness and delight.

There is a funny-sad story about the difficulties of bringing Edmund O'Brien, a serious alcoholic, onto the set in Carefree, Arizona, and sending him out again.

Strasberg, in her girlish way, tells a sharp story about putting a stop sign in the middle of a shot.

A number of good anecdotes about Welles directing techniques, procedures, and the ambiance on his shoots. Also the "CITIZEN KANE trailer" and a bit of Oja's JADED.

Worth seeing.

Glenn

[jbrooks]

and the (nutty-looking and sounding) producer, Sidney Niekerk

Glenn,

what is Niekerk doing in the documentary at all? His inclusion is the oddest bit. As I recall, he says something like "I was glad to help Gary put this documentary together. Everyone who appears in it loved Welles." -- this might have worked as an introduction or something, but it is bizarre to include it amongst the reminiscences of those who actually worked with Welles.

[blunted by community]

i like it. i think graver should have left out his film, beggars will ride, or whatever it's called, but i like WWOW. a lot of insight, photos, etc.

and for any one interested in OSOTW, this, the afi thing, and one man band are the best films to buy.

[Glenn Anders]

Agreed entirely, Blunted.

I think, jbrooks, that they came up short of material or clearances, and so Graver just stuck in the interview. You may be right though that it was originally intended as one of those old fashioned introductions, like J. Edgar Hoover at the beginning of a 1940's crime film. Another possibility is that the interviews were done in anticipation of a final release of OSOTW, or that the documentary was prepared for a tribute or fundraiser.

Glenn

[blunted by community]

another possibilty we need to look into, is that Sidney Niekerk is european. he's very different from his american counter part. while american producers are business men that have sucked the fun out of filmmaking, a lot of european producers are guys that want to meet chicks. that might be why Sidney Niekerk forked over the cash, and appeared in WWOW.

i love european producers. fellini parodied this type of producer in ENTREVISTA.

[Glenn Anders]

Given Graver's output, other than his work with Welles, you are on strong ground, Blunted.

Glenn

[blunted by community]

yes, gary has quite a record of porn flicks to his credit. sydney looks like a guy that wants to get into porn.