Locarno Wrap-Up

[Wilson]

Regarding CHIMES and Miramax, if that company ever planned anything with CHIMES, I would imagine that the scumbag Weinsteins leaving the company would quash any chance of that. Nothing is going to happen with CHIMES until the rights issues are sorted out between the two parties. Once that is done, then we'll probably see something happen.

IN THE LAND OF DON QUIXOTE was a nine episode TV series, and it was finished and exists. There was a complete screening of it at Locarno, but I was not there then. It was essentially a travelogue of Spain, with Welles, Paola Mori, and Beatrice travelling through the country. Home movies in a sense.

[GM]

"In the Land of Don Quixote" sounds like it's an extension of Welles's "Around the World" series. Those shows had a home-movie feel to them too.

It's a pleasure to have Jonathon Rosenbaum on board here. I always enjoy reading his Welles-related posts at Yahoo groups. Speaking of which: Vidamonte asked about "Other Side of the Wind", and there's some amazing info on it in the latest "a_Film_By" Welles thread.

[Eve_h]

To Store Hadji,

(just a small 'add' on IN THE LAND OF DON QUIXOTE): first I (altough only a simple fan) want to congratulate Andrej for making 'Nella Terra' accessible in the form it was shown in Locarno (and hopefully soon elsewhere). In another thread on Locarno he summed up the sad circumstances of the project:

Orson directed for RAI 9 episods and he offered himself for the commentary with his own voice. But in RAI someone told that his italian had a bad american accent (!). So Orson finished the edition, and consigned to RAI nine reels of 16mm with international soundtrack and music. RAI asked a journalist to write a comment, in the movie read by Arnoldo Foà. I have found in the archives the original negatives of soundtrack and image and put together. Roberto Perpignani, at the time young editor of NELLA TERRA DI DON CHISCIOTTE, has seen a part of that in a moviola, and had exclaimed "this is how Orson left the film!". Now, without that disturbing and unuseful commentary, it is an experimental movie, free and powerful, very rich in the editing. I hope that you and other people in the Forum will have an occasion to see it. Please remember: it is not the Welles' final cut, but HOW he left the film before others had thought to "make it better" !

The whole nine episodes - FERIA DE ABRIL A SIVIGLIA, ITINERARIO ANDALUSO, LA FIERA DI SAN FERMIN, LE CANTINE DI JEREZ, L'ENCIERRO DI PAMPLONA, ROMA E ORIENTE IN SPAGNA, SIVIGLIA, SPAGNA SANTA, TEMPO DI FLAMENCO (not the correct order) - were shown without intermission (3 hours 48 min.) and it was just marvelous - and to me quite a different approach compared to the AROUND THE WORLD series. As Andrej stated, it isn't fully 'completed' in a sense - yet even only with the music it works just wonderful.
The first of the series begins actually like a travelogue, showing Welles and his family traveling through Spain, with Paola and Beatrice looking at shop windows - of course also with Don Quixote / Sancho Pansa - souvenirs. After this short 'introduction' however unfolds - what Andrej described as - "an experimental movie, free and powerful, very rich in the editing". People, bullfights, festive parades, religious processions, architecture, landscape, excursions to Flamenco (with Beatrice taking lessons and performing in the evening - beautifully and very energetic), the sherry-cantines of Jerez and many other things - the editing melting everything together in an absolutely divine and terrific way, especially in the scenes with the bulls running through the streets and the Spaniards parading on horses and carriages - it really becomes something like a breathtaking celebration ... (the continous viewing may have added a little bit to this perception) Welles and his family are rather seldom seen and if - then they are often photographing or filming, or there are shots of Paola and Beatrice walking through the streets.

To try to answer your question about possible footage of 'DON QUIXOTE': jugding from my marginal knowledge (I've only seen the horrible Franco-version and the material shown at the workshop in Locarno, combined with my not so good memory) I dare say that there's no footage of Don Quixote in the TV episodes and that it's an entirely orginal work - yet it's tempting to think that some material of 'IN THE LAND OF DON QUIXOTE' might have ended up in 'DON QUIXOTE'.
Does anybody know whether the original narration Welles intended to do for the episodes was preserved in some way?

[tonyw]

This is quite an amzing day to read all these interesting mails concerning Locarno and CHIMES. I have a reasonable copy of the latter which I run in my Welles class since Beatrice has not got wind of it yet. I'll refrain from Hitchcock vulgar puns refeering to the blessed lady as the "other side of the wind" since the master of suspense could do it much better.

However, I'm really looking forward to finally receiving another AMBERSONS "reconstruction" soon from one member of this group. I've used Roger Ryan's on two occasions and often refer to the very educative mailings from this group in class sessions.

[Gordon]

More from J. Rosenbaum on TOSOTW

[catbuglah]

Chimes" played at The Magic Bag in Ferndale

They had a couple of screenings of Chimes in Montreal around 2000 - good quality print - a few sound dubbing issues and some lines on rare occasions - well attended - sold out both times (a small repertory hall) - and people gave it a standing ovation at the end (?!) The only time I've seen that at a film.

Cordially,

Mark

[GM]

Three excerpts from the Yahoo thread that I was particularly struck by:
***********************
HotLove666:
"The chunk most people have seen - about 40 mins - was edited by OW, and rumors have long persisted of a full workprint - Joe Dante saw it, for example, years ago. I see no reason why Welles wouldn't have finished it once he had his hands on the material. Apparently Gary has now confirmed that."


Richard Modiano:
"Gary Graver claims that he has the complete print. According to another source, Welles completed "90 percent" of the editing on "The Other Side of the Wind." I can't vouch for or dispute the validity of these assertions myself, but maybe someone else can."


Jonathon Rosenbaum:
"Dominique Antoine, the producer, maintains she saw a version over 2 1/2 hours long edited by Welles, in Rome, and mainstains it was a masterpiece. Oja confirmed the existence of this version when I first met her, a few months after Welles's death, but denies that it exists today, saying that only 40 minutes or so were fully edited by Welles. I tend to believe her about most things, but I'm stumped on this issue.
********************
One has to wonder whether the people cited above are telling the truth about having seen the "complete workprint", and if not, why they would lie.

Here's another excerpt from J. Rosenbaum:
**********************
"Oja came very close to signing a contract with Showtime around last Christmas, but then backed away from it when she noticed a clause indicating that final control could be taken away from her and Gary and--Abb Dickson confirms this--handed over to Peter Bogdanovich, who has been maintaining for some time that he's the one who should finish the film, and has some money invested in it--as well as molre clout with Showtime than Oja does. (Another motivation, I suspect, is the fact that the character he plays in the film, Brooks Otterlake, is a fairly cruel caricature of himself, and he may want to exert some damage control about this.)"
****************************

I was under the mistaken impression that Beatrice was the only real obstacle, and that Bogdanovich and Oja were allies on this. Now it seems clear that they're at odds too. What a mess. One more thing:

Something J Rosenbaum said about the Franco cut of Quixote being "the worst thing that ever happened to a Welles film", reminded me of a web-based controversy awhile ago concerning Franco's involvement as second-unit director on "Chimes At Midnight". A recent issue of Video Watchdog reviewed some new DVD releases of Franco's movies, including a medieval action epic that I forget the name of. Anyway, the reviewer said that the battle scenes in that movie "leave little doubt as to who directed the Battle of Shrewsbury scene from Chimes at Midnight".

Rereading this thread, I noticed that the family of Bond producer Harry Saltzman is one of the parties fighting over the rights to the film in Europe. An earlier Filmfax article claimed that Franco was the one who had secured the end money for Chimes from Saltzman, but as part of the deal Franco had promised Saltzman that his producing credit would go above the title of the film. When Welles found out about this, he angrily took Franco's name off the credits in retaliation. Maybe Franco's cut of Don Quixote was his own counter-retaliation, now that Welles is no longer around to do anything about it. The Filmfax article did also say however, that Franco was Welles's own personal choice to complete Don Quixote.

[Wilson]

Rather than any sort of revenge, I imagine Franco's own incompetence achieved the dismal result that was his cut of QUIXOTE. And I enjoy reading Video Watchdog for the most part, but their endless championing of Franco and a couple other Euro-trash hacks makes me gag. To each their own...

As for the ongoing mysteries of OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, I think a documentary about the film would be utterly fascinating, in the right hands, and assuming they could get enough people to talk candidly.

[Gordon]

After 30 - 35 years, all the lore about The Other Side of The Wind is as interesting as the plot of the film itself.

[NoFake]

As to GM's and Jeff's speculations regarding "Franco's revenge" (or incompetence), after seeing Kristian Petri's "Brunnen" at Locarno, I'm inclined to think it may be more of the former (though I'd never discount the latter). Franco comes off as small-minded and vindictive, describing Welles in the most unflattering (if not insulting) terms. It was nothing short of mind-blowing.

[GM]

And yet the latest issue of Video Watchdog has an extended interview with Franco in which he has glowing praise for Welles, who he says, "taught him everything". I guess we're dealing with some duplicitous people in the world of Welles. I agree with you Jeff, that VW has a tendency to treat Franco as if he's one of the patron saints of Euro-trash cinema. If Welles did indeed pick him to finish "Don Quixote", it may have been another strategic piece of revenge, knowing that Franco would probably make a fool of himself in the process (I actually don't hate Franco's Quixote - it's an amusing mess).

I also agree with Gordon that the story surrounding the battle for "The Other Side of the Wind" has become more interesting then the story of the film itself. I thing the docu route is the way to go for both "Quixote" and "Wind".

[Glenn Anders]

GM: It has been my experience with artists, especially those of the second rank, never more true of the Latin temperament, that they tend to consider themselves unrecognized geniuses, but attach themselves to anyone of known merit, and of course, list those individuals glowingly on their resume. That may be only an anecdotal generalization, but often an accurate one, I think.

As for THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, if the footage only lacks "an explosion," as Graver has maintained for years, I would like to see the edited film released first. Then, if the critics called it a masterpiece or "evidence of the long, sad decline," either way, the documentary would be fascinating and valuable.

To only turn out documentaries about Welles and his work, when a completed work such as THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND is within reach, smacks to me of exploitation, and a cheapness in regard to his memory which he would have found sad.

After all, according to Bogdanovich, Welles told him that he wanted it finished, and wanted Bogdanovich to do it.

Glenn

[Christopher]

To return for a moment to CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, I am greatly relieved to report that the scratches I saw on the print shown in Locarn are scratches on the print itself and not on the negative. Stefan Drossler had prepared an excellent print of CHIMES to be shown in Locarno but it had to be withdrawn due to the legal entanglements that continue to plague this film; and so an inferior print was substituted when the widow of What's His Name who owns the rights finally consented to let CHIMES be shown this one time in Switzerland. My eyes glaze over when I hear all the legal complications which go straight out of my head after they have been explained to me yet again. What matters to all of us, finally, is that the negative of CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT has not been damaged and this great film will go on.

[GM]

Glenn, I would like to see a completion of the film as much as anybody, and if a complete workprint exists, by all means, they should do a completion. But I had always assumed that that completion would be done by Oja, Graver, AND Bogdanovich. If only 40 minutes were edited by Welles, I would have a hard time thinking of an Oja/Graver completion of the film as "a film by Orson Welles", unless Bogdanovich was involved as well (and I'd be willing to bet most money people would feel the same way). Apart from their work with Welles, neither Oja or Graver has much in the way of film credentials. Having Bogdanovich's involvement would give a completion of the film much more credibility with audiences, critics, and potential investors too.

On the other hand, you say Bogdanovich claims that Welles wanted him to finish the film, and I would be skeptical of that unless he has some kind of proof. He's on record as saying that he and Welles were not very close the last few years of Welles's life, and as J Rosenbaum pointed out, Welles's will specifically left the unfinished "Wind" to Oja.

It's hard to believe these people can't work out some kind of compromise, and work together for the sake of getting the film done, finally. If they can't, as looks the case at this point, there's always the documentary. But I'm not holding my breath for either scenario.

[Store Hadji]

I don't care who finishes it, as long as Jess Franco isn't allowed to touch it. Since Oja gave him Quixote to botch, I'd say her track record should prohibit her having the senior decisions on TOSOTW. Speaking of botch, our friend BWS shouldn't be allowed near it either. Peter and Gary should, I guess. But if they're all having a power struggle, then maybe the footage could be given to Rick Schmidlin to assemble, or to those guys who did Four Men on a Raft. Peter and Oja aren't the only ones with an interest or any superior ability to edit a Welles film.