The most accessible Orson Welles tribute in his native country kicks off Friday night when Turner Classic Movies unspools the first of 19 films.
The weekly TCM salute on the 100th anniversary of the late actor-director’s birth will take place every Friday in May beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The TCM showings mark the U.S. television premieres of Chimes at Midnight and the recovered and restored silent footage from the 1938 stage production of Too Much Johnson. TV audiences will also be treated to seldom seen fare like Immortal Story and Othello.
The screenings are hosted by David Edelstein, film critic for New York magazine, NPR’s Fresh Air and CBS Sunday Morning.
TCM has organized the 19 films in six questionable categories. Frankly, we are not sure how The Stranger is more of a literary adaptation than The Magnificent Ambersons or Jane Eyre.
Here is what is TCM has on tap:
May 1 – Early Films: Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Jane Eyre and Too Much Johnson
May 8 – Classic Noir: Touch of Evil, The Lady From Shanghai, Mr. Arkadin and Journey Into Fear.
May 15 – Shakespeare Adaptations: Chimes at Midnight, Othello and Macbeth.
May 22 – Literary Adaptations: The Stranger and The Trial; Made-for-Television Films: Immortal Story and F For Fake
May 29 – Acting Without Directing: The Third Man, Tomorrow Is Forever, The V.I.P.s and A Man For All Seasons
The full TCM schedule for May 2015 can found online at www.tcm.com/schedule/monthly.html?tz=est&sdate=2015-5-01
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