B2MP President Bruce Venezia tells Wellesnet that U.S. audiences will soon be able to see Around the World with Orson Welles: The Complete Series.
Venezia is awaiting physical inventory for the Blu-ray and DVD combo set. It will be available through B2MP.net and Amazon.com The set carries a $29.98 list price.
Welles, who wrote and directed this 1955 British television series for Associated Rediffusion, brings his inimitable style to this tour through Europe, meeting up with celebrities and ordinary people, discussing everything from bullfighting to Sacher Tortes. This Blu-ray / DVD set contains all six episodes for the series, including the previously lost Revisiting Vienna aka The Third Man Returns To Vienna, where he take viewers to some of the locations of The Third Man.
The documentary, The Dominici Affair, tells the story of and reconstructs the unfinished episode also known as The Tragedy of Lurs, and is included as a bonus. The cast includes Welles, Jean Cocteau, Juliette Greco, Art Buchwald, Kenneth Tynan, and Elaine Dundy.
The high definition transfer is from the 35mm inter positive, Venezia said. The set includes a new essay by journalist and film critic Peter Tonguette (Orson Welles Remembered).
Included in the Blu-ray / DVD set are:
- Pays Basque I (1955) 26 minutes
- Pays Basque II (1955) 26 minutes
- Revisiting Vienna aka The Third Man Returns to Vienna (1955) 26 minutes
- St-Germain-des-Pres (1955) 26 minutes
- Chelsea Pensioners (1955) 26 minutes
- Madrid Bullfight (Corrida Madrid) 1955) 26 minutes
- The Dominici Affair aka The Tragedy of Lurs (2000)(standard definition)(Directed by Christophe Cognet) 52 minutes
Welles tackled Around the World with Orson Welles shortly after the filming of Mr. Arkadin. He was initially signed to produce 25 episodes. He took on the task while at the same time staging Moby Dick – Rehearsed.
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