When you have a great figure of myth like Don Quixote, like Falstaff, it is a silhouette against the sky of all time…
—Orson Welles to Juan Cobos.
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A beautifully written and moving memoir which should have a most special place in the extraordinary world of Orson Welles.
–Peter Bogdanovich
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Orson Welles’s eldest daughter, Chris Welles Feder has written an intimate memoir about Orson Welles that is due out on November 3rd. In her book, she describes the Orson Welles she knew from her earliest childhood, until the day he died.
Chris Welles Feder has long been a friend and supporter of Wellesnet, and in 2006 she allowed Wellesnet to sell the last 12 copies of her privately printed book of poems, The Movie Director.
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Here is the complete itinerary for Chris Welles Feder’s tour supporting the release of IN MY FATHER’S SHADOW:
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November 2, 2009 — 7:00 PM
San Rafael Film Center
1118 Fourth St.
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-454-1222
There will be a screening of Orson Welles’s film noir masterpiece co-starring Rita Hayworth, The Lady From Shanghai, shot in San Francisco and Marin County, which Chris Welles will introduce. After the screening, Chris will participate in a Q & A with the audience and a book signing.
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November 3, 2009 – 7:00 PM
Book Soup
8818 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-659-3110
Chris Welles will participate in a talk and reading event.
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November 5, 2009 — 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street)
New York NY 10021
212-632-2285
Chris Welles will participate in a talk and reading event.
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November 14, 2009 — 1:00 PM
Clinton Bookshop
33 Main Street
Clinton, NJ 08809
908-735-8811
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November 15, 2009 — 5:30 PM
Darien Public Library
1441 Post Road
Darien, CT 06820
203-655-1234
Chris Welles will participate in a talk and reading event. A wine and cheese reception will follow the presentation.
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December 2, 2009 — 7:30 PM
Cinema Arts Center
423 Park Avenue
Huntington, Long Island, NY 11743
631-423-7611
Chris Welles will introduce a film screening of The Lady From Shanghai. After the screening, there will be a discussion with Chris, followed by an on-site reception and book signing.
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In explaining why she decided to write a book about her father, Ms. Welles said, “I wanted people to know my father as I knew him—to give them the essence of Orson Welles—and I also wanted to tell the story of our times together, the great impact my father had on me from an early age and how much I owe to him.”
Chris Welles memoir was wisely acquired by Algonquin Books editor Chuck Adams, who has edited many celebrity titles during his days as senior editor for prestigious New York publishing giants, such as Dell/Delacorte and Simon & Schuster.
Among the authors whose work Mr. Adams has edited are titles by Charlton Heston, Elizabeth Taylor, Cher and Richard M. Nixon.
When I visited with Chris Welles in New York, I asked her how she came to appear in one of her father’s pictures. Chris fondly remembered asking her father if she could appear in a movie, and Orson duly warned his young daughter that being in a picture wouldn’t only be fun and games. It actually involved a lot of very hard work! Undeterred, Chris persisted and got her father to give her a featured part in Macbeth. And the young Christopher Welles gave a very credible performance as Macduff’s child, especially considering she was a mere ten years old at the time!
Since Chris Welles Feder is one of the last people around who can comment about the making of Macbeth, it also seems like it would be a good idea for the rights holders of Macbeth (Paramount) to conduct an interview with her for a supplementary feature for the eventual DVD release of Macbeth.
One of the most interesting aspects of Ms. Welles book is the intimate portrayal of her father, that it contains. This is a view that only could be told by a member of Orson Welles immediate family.
Which means, out of all the many books that have appeared to date on Welles, this will be the first to offer us that very unique perspective.
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