To mark the 100th anniversary of Orson Welles’ birth, the Film Institute at Montclair State University is presenting Welles at 100, two free programs on November 2-3 that delve into Welles’ life and work.
James Naremore, author of The Magic World of Orson Welles, and Chuck Workman, director of the documentary, Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles, will speak at the New Jersey college. The lectures are free and open to the public.
“We are pleased to host ’Welles at 100,’ two exciting evening events that bring fresh insights and understanding to the remarkable career of Orson Welles,” said Montclair State University College of the Arts Dean Daniel Gurskis. “These programs are wonderful opportunities to learn about this creative genius and why his artistic accomplishments continue to inspire and influence contemporary filmmakers, writers and actors.”
On Monday, November 2, Naremore, a foremost authority on Welles and one of the most distinguished scholars in cinema studies, will discuss his book, The Magic World of Orson Welles. Weaving together Welles’ personal and political biography, his fascinating studio history and his distinct visual style, Naremore’s presentation will deepen understanding of this great filmmaker and storyteller. The 2015 edition of The Magic World of Orson Welles includes a new section on Welles’ unfinished film, The Other Side of the Wind.
Naremore lectures nationally and internationally. His honors and awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Gallery of Art Fellowship and an Academy Scholar’s Fellowship from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Besides The Magic World of Orson Welles, his books, which have been translated into four languages, include The World Without a Self: Virginia Woolf and the Novel; Filmguide to Psycho; The Films of Vincente Minnelli; and the award-winning More than Night: Film Noir in its Contexts. A former contributing editor at Film Quarterly, he is currently writing a book about African American film director Charles Burnett.
The event will take place at the University’s Alexander Kasser Theater at 7:30 p.m.
Workman will screen his latest documentary, Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles on Tuesday, November 3 followed by an audience Q&A session.
Filled with details about the life and vision of the legendary auteur, Magician features scenes from nearly every film he made – and those he was unable to finish – and commentary by such acclaimed filmmakers as Peter Bogdanovich, William Friedkin, Richard Linklater and Paul Mazursky.
A former president of the International Documentary Association, Workman has written and directed numerous fictional films, including the 1986 short, Precious Images, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and which is the most widely shown short in film history. His direction and editing of short films and openings for 20 Academy Awards and two Emmy Awards shows earned him his own Oscar and Emmy Award nominations.
The film will be screened in the University’s John J. Cali School of Music, Leshowitz Hall, at 7p.m.
Both events are free and open to the public. To reserve a seat, visit https://www.montclair.edu/calendar/view-event.php?id=37751
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