Welles losing final cut on "Around the world"?

[Tony]

Francoise Thomas claimed in the recent conference that:

[Welles] had been largely cut out of the editing process vis-à-vis the “Around the World” shows he’d done for ITV. (The company inserted shots into the shows, seemingly at will, some of which had been “stolen” from unknown sources; e.g., the clips of celebrities in “Paris After Dark,” adding insult to injury.)

Has anybody previously heard this?

[Roger Ryan]

Joe McBride mentions in his new book that the celebrities were added to the "Paris" episode after Welles turned in his cut. In rewatching the episode, I was struck by how unfinished it felt. I'm sure this is partially due to the odd framing device of having Art Buchwald type out his story in silence without any comment. Certainly it would have been Welles' style to introduce Buchwald or comment on his being part of the New York Times Herald's Paris bureau. One also imagines that Welles would have been willing to comment on Jean Cocteau given the mutual respect they had for each other. All of the "Around The World" episodes seem incomplete in a way ("Pays Basque" even exists in two different versions), especially when compared to the tightly edited form of "Portait Of Gina".

[Tony]

Yet another example of Welles losing control of his work, even having it yanked away from him?

Still, reading McBride's new book (finally finishing just 3 days ago) I was struck by the unintended comic aspect of Joe doggedly pursuing his thesis of Welles being screwed over while simultaneously adding tale after tale of Welles's woe as he doesn't complete yet another project by deadline, or loses interest in a project, or...etc. etc..

As they used to say about the Mennonnites, Welles was "in the world but not of it". I'm also reminded of Rita's comment that "Orson never knew the value of money", often a characteristic of the rich, or those who have been brought up rich. Of course, in some ways it's an admirable quality, though not one widely respected by film producers. He was certainly removed from the aspect of puritanism which demands that work be finished "on time" and from the aspect of capitalism that "product" be "profitable".

Our dear Orson was a purist but never a puritan!
:;):

[François Thomas]

To try and cut a long story short :

Welles did not complete any of the Around the World with Orson Welles shows in time for their announced airing dates. He was months behind, inasmuch as he had signed for twenty-six shows to be shown every two weeks, beginning on September 23, 1955. As the series marked the very beginnings of private television in Great Britain, Associated-Rediffusion (the production company) and ITV did not want to postpone it. So the first two shows were aired in a nearly completed form, though lacking some minor elements. I don't know if Welles put the final touches afterwards himself.

When Welles left Europe to go back to the United States in October 1955, the one show (apart from the one on the Dominici case) that was utterly unfinished was the one on Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Welles probably had only shot the interviews with Raymond Duncan and the letterist poets, his farewell from a train (although there is no evidence that it was meant for this particular show), and possibly Art Buchwald (although there is no evidence that he meant it as a framing device). He also had shot his counter-shots for both interviews, but not his appearances as a host.

Welles tried to convince Associated-Rediffusion to let him finish the shows in New York. Associated-Rediffusion and Filmorsa accused Welles of violating his contracts and asked him to come back and finish the shows. (Welles was under an exclusivity contract to Filmorsa, Louis Dolivet's company. Filmorsa was helping Associated-Rediffusion to produce the series though it was not a co-producer in an actual sense ; some shows were edited in London, some in France). Associated-Rediffusion asked Filmorsa to complete the Saint-Germain-des-Prés episode if Welles were not to come back. Among the shots added then :
— a couple of shots with a Welles double (or doubles) ;
— shots taken from a short film directed by Jacques Baratier, Désordre (“Disorder”). They include shots of Cocteau, Juliette Greco, Simone de Beauvoir and other celebrities, as well as numerous nightclub scenes ;
— shots of Eddie Constantine probably coming from one of his feature films (Filmorsa had just signed Constantine) ;
— typewritten introductions to the shots of the celebrities ;
— reaction shots of Welles taken from other shows in the series.

Welles's cut of the Basque episode is the one devoted to the “pelote basque.” The other version (the one in which Welles and writer Lael Wertenbaker compare American and Basque systems) was edited after Welles had left Europe. It was the “pilot” offered to American TV.

There also were two versions of the Madrid episode, although one of them is not available for viewing anymore.

[Tony]

François:
thanks so much for your invaluable information on this series!

I hope you don't mind if I ask one further question: do you know for certain if "The Third Man in Vienna" episode actually exists, or existed?

Thanks!
:;):

[François Thomas]

Yes, the Vienna episode existed. It was the first one that Welles shot, although not the first to be telecast. It probably was last shown publicly at Cinémathèque française in 1966. Apparently it was later borrowed from Archives françaises du film (French Film Archives) and never given back. It probably is to be found in some private collection someplace. Let's wait.

[Tony]

Thanks again, François.