By MIKE TEAL
Here’s a terrific edit of Orson Welles’ Too Much Johnson footage by Nicolas Ciccone, a self-professed “film nerd,” who aspires to be a preservationist and filmmaker.
Using the silent footage intended for a 1938 Mercury Theatre stage production, the 31-minute short was created as an alternative to the official Scoot Simmon edit that accompanied the debut of the footage in 2014. (More than 66 minutes of Welles’ footage is available online from the National Film Preservation Foundation for those interested in attempting their own cut.)
In my opinion, this is definitely the best Too Much Johnson edit I’ve seen so far — and one of the best homemade Welles projects I’ve seen anywhere!
I love the way used the original Paul Bowles music score, and very cleverly too.
The title cards also give the scenes a nice sense of context as well.
A great job by by Nicolas Ciccone!
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