Barbara Leaming Welles book

[Peter Tonguette]

I've read most of the books mentioned in this thread, but not Leaming's. What's the consensus on her book? I'm curious because I know that OW was heavily interviewed for it and even appearing w/ Leaming on Merv Griffin (?) shortly before his death.

Thanks,
Peter

[jaime marzol]

............

my 2 cents:
i read somewhere that leaming didn't have contact with welles till the book was almost finished. her meetings with welles she wrote in the book, and are the most interesting part of that book. worth reading just for that. anything else you get is just extra gravy.

also a book that i sometimes don't give credit to enough in my lists, is the mcbride book. and aanother 4 star book is the rutgers chimes at midnight by bridget something-or-other.

we talked about the mean spirited books, but no one has mentioned inane books. any one ever read F-For Fake, And The Evolution Of Orson Welles' Documentary Style, or something that sounds like that. tantallising title. what welles fan would not buy it. it was a marvel of simplicity, and fluff.

[Sir Bygber Brown]

personally i love the Leaming book.

[blunted by community]

Sir Brown, i also enjoyed the leaming book and was very surprised seeing it being bashed here. OK, leaming did come off like a giggly slut on the final merv/orson show, but i enjoyed the book.

i'm curious if wellesians have found interesting orson-isms in bios? i have found 3 bios by heston that give ample page space to welles. in the macaimbridge bio she gives a very interesting account of her experience on Touch Of Evil, and macliammoir's book, PUT MONEY IN THY PURSE is a 4 star read.

[Sir Bygber Brown]

I can't believe people who read the Leaming book didn't like it. Its filled with wonderful anecdotes straight from Orson's mouth, the final time such a book was possible, with his opinions on the events of his life. At the same time, Orson is not the only source. She consulted all sides of every question about Orson's life and ends up with a well-rounded, immensely readable and well-written book. The best thing about it is that its written in a Wellesian manner: it is structured by Orson's own advice, around the device of the investigator, like in Kane, which is Leaming herself, trying to find out about Orson. These episodes interrupt the book every few chapters, which otherwise tells the story of Orson's life (well, as much of it as could be fit into 800 or so pages. Leaming's book is wonderful.

[Sir Bygber Brown]

Besides the terrific TIOW, I really enjoyed Leamings book, since it had participation from OW himself. Its a wonderful book.

[Jeff Wilson]

If people have issues with the Leaming book, it has to do with occasional detours from the truth made by Welles. It is a fun read, no question.

[blunted by community]

still very surprised at the lashing leaming's book is taking, and even more surprised at harvey's endorsemant of the higham book, the thomson book, and kael's essay?

just a look at the dust cover of higham's FALL OF AN AMERICAN GENIUS tells you it's a pack of lies. inside flap of the dust cover has a picture of welles made up as a decrepit old man and doesn't tell you it's welles in make-up. and with a title like THE FALL OF... wonder what it is with higham that he has to degrade his subject in the worst possible way.

kael made up a lot of stuff that had she had any knowledge about filmmaking she would have never written, because her lies could be exposed by some one who has knowledge of filmmaking, and they were exposed by bogdanovich in THE KANE MUTINY. unfortunately THE KANE MUTINY was printed once, and little brown continues to print that pack of lies in the CK book.

i did not find giant departures from leaming's book to what is in other more distinguished books. and if we are worried about a few embelishments, what do we say about TIOW? TIOW is directly from the horses mouth, leaming's book is not. according to all reports she never met welles till shortly before she finished her book.

i don't think the leaming book is anywhere near as dishonest as kael, and higham, who are 2 pork-faced liars.

[Christopher]

I have the Leaming biography that was published in 1985 by Viking Penquin. I didn't know there had been a later, "revised" biography. Please explain. Thanks

Christopher

[NoFake]

The "revised" edition of the Leaming book must be the one published in 1995 and dedicated to Roger Hill "On His Ninetieth Birthday". It includes an epilogue in which she recounts his pointing out to her, on the way to what was to be their last dinner together, a boarded-up building that personified the "magic box" he had told her about.

He had first encountered the concept as a child, where at the Chicago Art Institute's "Thorne Rooms" he had seen "a series of illuminated boxes set into the wall," some of which "provided tantalizing hints of the imaginary spaces that adjoined them." Welles was eager for Leaming to see them, as he had continually used the term "to describe the artistic worlds he had created in films like Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons."

When she got back to her apartment in New York, she was surprised not to have a message from Orson, checking to see that she had arrived safely. Several hours later, there was a call -- from a reporter, asking her to comment on the death of Orson Welles...

NoFake

[Glenn Anders]

Yes, NoFake, has it right about the 1995 Edition of Barbara Leaming's book. I found in the Epilogue, the episode of the "Thorne Rooms" to be such a perfect metaphor for the artistic vision of a genius like Orson Welles.

I would only add that, according to her, when she gave him some pictures of the shadow boxes, which she had bought in the museum gift shop on a visit to Chicago, he dismissed them, throwing them on the floor, because the photographer had eliminated the "frame" for the tableaux.

He told her that his whole point was in regard to the importance of the frame.

It is nice to reflect that when you see one of those extraordinary Wellsian shots within a shot -- like old Kane walking in front of the mirror in CITIZEN KANE, the principals in THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI firing into mirrors, Macbeth or Othello looming by torchlight up a dark staircase, you are seeing how he applied what he had learned playing hookey twenty or thirty years before.

I agree with others, pretty much, about the other books discussed.

Glenn

[jbrooks]

NoFake,

Isn't the original 1985 edition of Barbara Leaming's book also dedicated to Roger "Skipper" Hill? And I believe his 90th birthday was circa 1985, not circa 1995.

JBrooks

[chrissie]

Apologies if this is obvious or already answered.

In Leaming's book, sometime around early '85 if I read the timeline right, she mentions OW going to Rome to make a film where he plays God (in a white suit). It's very specific in detailing his situation re. Cradle, etc. (i.e. not good) upon his return from this shoot.

Er, so... what IS this?! A weird bit of imagination? Orson lying about where he was/what he was doing? OW appears to have been quite busy at this time -- tons of voice work, readings, crime TV show, etc. -- but no acting roles as such mentioned anywhere. If we discount the Jaglom thing (yes, please, let's discount that), which is more an interview anyway, the last on-screen acting gig seems to have been Where is Parsifal? in '83. (Which I've never seen, and something tells me I shouldn't lose any sleep...)

Any clarification on this?

[mondo justin]

Does anyone know if this audio book for Leaming's book features any actual Welles audio, or is it just a book on the tape. I just purchased this but foolishly mis-read (A problem with Amazon) as the book review was on the page for the Audio CD, so I assumed that snippets of Welles actually talking was layered through the audio book, like it is in the print book. Is this the case? Is the audio book just read, or does it weave in Welles audio clips as well?

[mondo justin]

Here's the answer from the manufacturer...

No. Orson does not read any part of this book. No audio clips either.
Thank you
Jennifer
Blackstone Audio