By RAY KELLY
For movie lovers in the Boston area, the Orson Welles Complex in Cambridge remains a cherished memory. The complex at 1001 Massachusetts Ave. housed a movie theater, restaurant, book store and film school.
A documentary is underway to chronicle the history and legacy of the beloved complex, which opened in 1969 and closed following a fire in 1986. (From 1971 to 1978, the theater was managed and programmed by Larry Jackson, who later worked on the still unfinished Welles’ film “The Other Side of the Wind.”)
Garen Daly, a fomer manager at the theater, is the director-producer of “The Orson Welles Complex: A Documentary Film.” He took time to field a few questions about the project:
What was Orson Welles’ relationship to the Orson Welles Complex?
When the theater was named in 1969, the organizers did not do due diligence in securing the naming rights properly. Heck, it was the ’60s and things like naming rights were hardly a top priority. Over time, it was apparent that Orson Welles’ assent was needed. Larry Jackson, the programmer and driving force behind the Welles was a huge fan of Orson’s. They shared the same birthdate. Larry got Orson to agree to naming the cinema after him. However, the restaurant could not be named The Orson Welles Restaurant. Orson did not want to confuse people if he did not have a direct hand in the menu and preparation of the food. The name became The Restaurant at the Orson Welles.
Was Tommy Lee Jones really the cinema’s first house manager? Is he cooperating with the documentary?
Yes Tommy Lee was the first house manager while he was a student at Harvard. We have had the good fortune of talking with him about his time at the Welles. He has stated it was his first gig in the business, he loved Pierrot le Fou and that he was really proud of the place. He thought it was the coolest theater in New England.
The Orson Welles Complex is fondly remembered by film lovers in the Boston area. What made it so different than other art house theaters?
When the Orson Welles began on April 8, 1969 there were several other theaters in Boston and in Cambridge showing quality films. But the OWC did things differently. It ran retrospectives with unusual themes. It dug into the archives and revived films not normally seen. It curated films and brought directors like Nicholas Ray, Francois Truffaut and others. Yet it was the combination of excellent programming, plus a film school, a restaurant and a book store devoted to film that truly made the difference.
The Orson Welles was not merely a destination for all things film, a rarity at the time, but it became a place of community. You could go to the Welles, learn how to make a film, see a film, find resources for a film, and then go sit and eat while talking nothing but film with people who also had a love of film.
The Orson Welles was all about the love of film, the exploration of film and the how it brought people together. It’s influence is still being felt today.
What prompted you to make this documentary now – 17 years after its demise?
My background has been in history and film. For years I pondered making a film. There were several topics that intrigued, but I kept coming back to what advice most writers are given, write about what you know. Filmmaking is like writing. It is about telling a story. So I asked myself, what do I know? The answer was movie theaters. Then the second question I had was, what movie theater was the most interesting? That answer was the Orson Welles.
I also realized I had a distinct advantage over most people when it came to the Welles. I knew most of the people and considered many of them friends. I had access.
Equally important was the time we are in now. This is perhaps as big a transitional time in the history of film exhibition as the post World War II era. Digital migration, changing tastes, new platforms for distribution and the decline of the Boomers all lead me to believe this was the time to tell the story about a movie theater, the community it created and its impact locally and nationally.
What is the status of the documentary? Are there materials or resources Wellesnet readers can provide?
The status of the project is we will be launching our crowd funding campaign this week. This is so I can hire more people to do archival research, write some grants and secure rights to some assets. We already have about 30 hours of interviews recorded and several people have been extremely generous with their archives. Their trust is humbling.
But we need more.
We need stories, photos, films, databases for like minded people. We need people to spread the word through friends, through social media. We also need people who have talents who can help make the film.
Perhaps I am arrogant of my own talents. I have never made a film before. I have deconstructed hundreds as a critic and NPR analyst. Constructing one is different. But here’s something your readers should appreciate. Whenever I begin to doubt myself or this project, I think of the man himself, Orson Welles. He had never made a film before “Citizen Kane.” But he did his homework, surrounded himself with talented people and had a vision. That film turned out pretty good. I hope to do half as well.
Learn more about the documentary at www.OWComplex.com
Special thanks to Alan Nowogrodzki for his assistance on photo restoration.
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