So far, Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, Lady from Shanghai, Othello and MacBeth, Mr. Arkadin and The Trail are out.
There's also a tv series that Orson W. narrated called Around the World with Orson Welles.
What are we likely to see next? Magnicficent Ambersons?
Will we ever see the theatrical release of Touch of Evil on DVD? Or is that not in the studio's interest? After they spent all that money creating a new cut? And the doc about the "restoration"?
Will we ever see F is For Fake? Or Journey into Fear? or Filmming Othello? (which I don't think is even available on VHS.)
There was a great, long (four hour?) interview with Welles. Is that out?
jmoneta
06-19-03, 10:04 AM
don't forget Transformers The Movie!
boston george
06-19-03, 10:06 AM
Originally posted by jmoneta
don't forget Transformers The Movie!
:lol:
marty888
06-19-03, 10:08 AM
The one I want the most....
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0059012
<b>CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT</b> (aka <i>Falstaff</i>)
markdclark43016
06-19-03, 10:11 AM
F IS FOR FAKE is rumored (but only rumored at this point) as a possible upcoming Criterion. And AMBERSONS is supposedly in the works from Warner.
CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT is available on a very nice Spanish disc, if you have a multi-region player. The short film oddity HEARTS OF AGE is available on a double-bill with THE STRANGER and THE TRIAL.
I would love to see better versions of MR ARKADIN, THE TRIAL and THE STRANGER; none of the existing discs are adequate. I would also love to see JOURNEY INTO FEAR, MACBETH, IT'S ALL TRUE and the other unreleased Welles films on disc. But what I would like to see and what I'm likely to get are very different things.
At this point I doubt seriously we will ever see the original release cut of TOUCH OF EVIL on DVD, unless perhaps they reissue the current disc as a 2-disc set including both versions. That would be cool -- but I wouldn't hold my breath. Luckily, I have a pristine prerecorded VHS tape of the original theatrical version, which I am hanging onto.
As far as documentary stuff, there's a ton of that material out there, as well. Hopefully some of that will turn up on the AMBERSONS disc, if Warner gives it the same 2-disc deluxe treatment they gave KANE.
jmoneta
06-19-03, 10:13 AM
... also The Third Man
Brain Stew
06-19-03, 10:17 AM
Originally posted by jmoneta
... also The Third Man
That's not really an Orson Welles movie, just a movie he starred in.
jamieoni
06-19-03, 10:21 AM
Originally posted by markdclark43016
CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT is available on a very nice Spanish disc, if you have a multi-region player. The short film oddity HEARTS OF AGE is available on a double-bill with THE STRANGER and THE TRIAL.
Any details on where to pick this stuff up?
F For Fake
06-19-03, 10:32 AM
Originally posted by markdclark43016
F IS FOR FAKE is rumored (but only rumored at this point) as a possible upcoming Criterion.
They did the laser (so we know they have the materials), and I doubt anyone else is really clamoring for the rights, so hopefully we'll see this.
And guys, listen, it's "F For Fake", without the "is". Trust me. ;)
Ginwen
06-19-03, 10:33 AM
Originally posted by Brain Stew
That's not really an Orson Welles movie, just a movie he starred in.
True, but it's part of the whole Orson Welles mythology/worship thing. Plus, can you imagine an Orson Welles fan NOT owning this movie?
Numanoid
06-19-03, 10:52 AM
Originally posted by Brain Stew
That's not really an Orson Welles movie, just a movie he starred in.
Well, there's been a debate about that very subject for decades. Many people think Welles had a huge hand in the direction and look of the film and say that it is basically a Welles film, though credited to Carol Reed. Others say that isn't true at all, though Welles is known to have written several bits of his own character's dialogue, particularly the famous "Cuckoo Clock" speech.
Kube
06-19-03, 11:01 AM
What is that short film Hearts of Age? Is it a narrative film that he directed?
Does anyone remember the name of that lonnnnggg interview with O.W.? It aired in the US in a truncated form.
Josh Z
06-19-03, 12:20 PM
Originally posted by Kube
What is that short film Hearts of Age? Is it a narrative film that he directed?
It's a very primitive silent short that he "directed" as a teenager with a home movie camera. It's fascinating, but don't expect a mini Citizen Kane or anything.
bboisvert
06-19-03, 12:23 PM
Originally posted by markdclark43016
F IS FOR FAKE is rumored (but only rumored at this point) as a possible upcoming Criterion. And AMBERSONS is supposedly in the works from Warner.
I would love to see better versions of MR ARKADIN, THE TRIAL and THE STRANGER; none of the existing discs are adequate.
F For Fake is available on a region free disc from Brazil. As far as I know, it is a legitimate release... if it's a bootleg, it's a damn good one.
And, have you seen the Image Entertainment edition of The Trial? Or the Roan edition of The Stranger? While neither would win disc-of-the-year awards, I consider both of these to be at least "adequate". Maybe even "good". :)
F For Fake
06-19-03, 01:36 PM
Originally posted by bboisvert
And, have you seen the Image Entertainment edition of [b]The Trial? Or the Roan edition of The Stranger? While neither would win disc-of-the-year awards, I consider both of these to be at least "adequate". Maybe even "good". :)
I would definitely call "The Trial" good. Maybe not a feature-loaded disc, but the transfer is as nice as you're likely going to get. :thumbsup:
Kube
06-19-03, 03:09 PM
Is Hearts of Age a silent film? - like the shorts in It's All True?
astrophore
06-19-03, 08:42 PM
If you are interested, you should check out www.wellesnet.com. It's a very good site, and updated on a fairly frequent basis. (One of the message boards contains a comprehensive delineation of the multiple versions of Mr. Arkadin, for example.)
Some random thoughts:
<b> Citizen Kane </b> -- In addition to the marvelous R1 version, a special edition is coming out in R2 with some different extras.
<b> Working with Orson Welles </b> and <b> The Dominici Affair </b> are probably for completists only.
<b> F For Fake </b> came out in a very good Japanese edition, although I don't know if it still in print.
And I believe <b> The Immortal Story </b> is coming out in Italy soon, if it isn't already out.
And finally, Welles narrates a documentary on the arty caveman epic, <b> Quest for Fire </b>.
BTW, for those keeping score at home, I believe the canon of completed Orson Welles films includes the following 12:
Citizen Kane
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Stranger
The Lady from Shanghai
Macbeth
Othello
Touch of Evil
The Trial
Mr. Arkadin (Confidential Report)
Chimes at Midnight
The Immortal Story
F For Fake
gutwrencher
06-19-03, 10:07 PM
Originally posted by Ginwen
True, but it's part of the whole Orson Welles mythology/worship thing. Plus, can you imagine an Orson Welles fan NOT owning this movie?
:thumbsup:
markdclark43016
06-20-03, 08:28 AM
>>Any details on where to pick this stuff up?<<
You can pick up the R2 CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (under the title FALSTAFF: CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT) from Luminous Film & Video Wurks and some other import DVD dealers, but it's pricey.
BTW -- I know there's no IS in F FOR FAKE but I just reflexively typed it in. Sorry.
I haven't seen the Roan STRANGER; the Image TRIAL is so-so but still less than the film deserves.
devilpants
06-20-03, 11:02 AM
Originally posted by markdclark43016
At this point I doubt seriously we will ever see the original release cut of TOUCH OF EVIL on DVD, unless perhaps they reissue the current disc as a 2-disc set including both versions. That would be cool -- but I wouldn't hold my breath. Luckily, I have a pristine prerecorded VHS tape of the original theatrical version, which I am hanging onto.
Yeah, I realize it's not a cool thing to cop to, but I rather like the "tampered" version myself. -smile- Two reasons: Henry Mancini (sorry, Orson).
Kube
06-20-03, 04:34 PM
That Mancini film does a great job of setting up the movie. I love it and miss not hearing it when I watch Touch of Evil.
But I think the other edits are good ones. For example, the Heston's story and Janet Leigh's story are now more balanced.
I even wished they put the deleted scenes that Welles did NOT shot as an extra. Even though the original cut is not his, it's the way I love the movie. Jonathan Rosenblum makes an interesting case that this new version isn't any more a "director's cut" than the old version.
blkdragon6
06-22-03, 04:58 AM
I'd love to see the fragments of the Don Quixote film he was working on.
jamieoni
07-02-03, 12:03 PM
Originally posted by markdclark43016
You can pick up the R2 CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (under the title FALSTAFF: CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT) from Luminous Film & Video Wurks and some other import DVD dealers, but it's pricey.
Actually, there are several regularly on eBay, it seems, for about half the price.
Kube
07-06-03, 10:14 PM
DDD is also selling something called: THE DOMINICI AFFAIR
DVD Description
When a family on holiday was brutally murdered in the French countryside in 1952, filmmaker Orson Welles was fascinated by it. He made a film studying the slaying of the ten year old girl and her parents for British television. This video presents the entire 26 minute film of the "Dominici Affair," as it was named after the peasant Gaston Dominici who was convicted of the murders, as well as new archival materials and testimony from the journalist who was Welles' assistant
Shiv Shankly
07-07-03, 10:11 AM
THE DOMINICI AFFAIR was to have been an episode of Welles' Around the World With Orson Welles television show (also on DVD from Image), but it was unfinished. The DVD doesn't present the entire thing, but it does have everything that was finished before production on it stopped. It's interested, but the casual moviegoer probably won't be interested.
As for Welles' DON QUIXOTE, you can see the abhorrent version that uber-hack Jess Franco cobbled together on either of two DVDs, one available in Spain and the other in France. Given Beatrice Welles' penchant for threatening lawsuits against those wanting to release most Welles projects in the US, it's unlikely we'll see it here, even though she owns no rights to it.
The best version of THE TRIAL is a brand new French release from Studio Canal/Universal, which has a much superior picture to the Milestone/Image release, if you can play PAL discs. It also includes a deleted scene.
THE IMMORTAL STORY came out in a nice edition from Italy, which includes the English version, the Italian version, and the French version of the film. Forced Italian subs, but it's the only version of the film available anywhere on disc.
HEARTS OF AGE is a very short silent film Welles made as a gag with some school friends in 1934. It's amusing. Once can look for hints of the future in it if one likes, but I don't ascribe huge importance to it. The presentation of HEARTS on the STRANGER/TRIAL set (which is crap, incidentally) is marred by having Jeffrey Lyons' commentary over it with no way to switch it off, aside from muting the sound.
vanmunchen
07-08-03, 10:13 AM
There's also IT'S ALL TRUE which hasn't been mentioned. Welles directed this uncompleted documentary/travelogue after MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS and it was put together and restored some years ago and has had TV showings. It contains some great photography.
Shiv Shankly
07-08-03, 01:59 PM
IT'S ALL TRUE was indeed never finished, and the documentary about the film only attempts to re-construct one of the planned segments, and even that didn't have Welles' sound work. The surviving footage remains at UCLA, awaiting preservation after it was discovered in the early 80s.
Johnny Zhivago
04-19-05, 03:59 PM
Bumping this thread... Anyone hear a peep on a new, R1, edition of The Trial? The Milestone/Image release appears to be OOP and OOS pretty much everywhere. :(
naitram
04-20-05, 01:15 AM
Bumping this thread... Anyone hear a peep on a new, R1, edition of The Trial? The Milestone/Image release appears to be OOP and OOS pretty much everywhere. :(
I'll pick that up for sure if it comes out.
Also for those who don't know, the 5-disc film noir set that has The Stranger in it is completely worth getting, even if it was just for that film (but the rest are great movies too). The Stranger actually has a pretty decent transfer, and the whole set is really cheap.
chente
04-20-05, 11:25 AM
The Trial will be shown with a bunch of other Welles movies on TCM next month. Get your DVR's ready.
chente
04-20-05, 11:32 AM
I'll pick that up for sure if it comes out.
Also for those who don't know, the 5-disc film noir set that has The Stranger in it is completely worth getting, even if it was just for that film (but the rest are great movies too). The Stranger actually has a pretty decent transfer, and the whole set is really cheap.
I agree that the set is a good value for the money. People shouldn't expect great tranfers though. Most of the transfers are pretty good with the Stranger being the best but the one for Scarlet Street is poor.
Scott Connors
04-20-05, 06:21 PM
I realize that this is a film Welles only starred in, but Barrel Entertainment is supposedly releasing Harry Kumel's MALPERTUIS sometime this year. I understand that a commentary has been recorded for it, and it will include an interview with Kumel. It will also use the original Cannes Film Festival version shown only in 1971, IIRC. Right now this is only available in a Orson Welles French boxset (sans subtitles), although bootlegs show up with distressing regularity on Ebay.
Cameron
04-24-05, 01:34 PM
the trial is also on the citizen welles dvd
The Bus
04-24-05, 04:17 PM
What of that footage of him reading Moby Dick? That's an edge-of-your-seat thriller!
dave_d
04-24-05, 04:54 PM
What? No love for "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow"? You know, the documentary about Quasimodo predicting Hitler, World War III, etc. that Welles narrated?
(btw, I hope you Sopranos fans catch the reference...)
inri222
04-24-05, 06:44 PM
Bumping this thread... Anyone hear a peep on a new, R1, edition of The Trial? The Milestone/Image release appears to be OOP and OOS pretty much everywhere. :(
Othello is also OOP
Kube
05-06-05, 10:50 PM
Glad that F For Fake has One Man Band.
Not happy they only show 60 minutes of the doc.
Shiv Shankly
05-07-05, 09:22 AM
One Man Band is the full, original 88 minute German version on the F for Fake Criterion set.
MBoyd
05-07-05, 09:30 AM
Just found this on IMDB -
There are two version of this documentary: a German version released in 1996 and an american version narrated by Peter Bogdanovich released in the US on showtime in 2003. There are a couple of scenes in the German version not included in the US version. There are a couple of scenes in the US version from the Other side of the Wind, Don Quixote, and Filming Othello not included in the German version.
Egon's Ghost
06-10-06, 12:50 PM
Super bump--
Roger Ebert has an article on Chimes at Midnight:
Chimes at Midnight (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060604/REVIEWS08/606040301)
And at the end he writes:
Note: A restoration of "Chimes at Midnight" is said to be in progress, with a possible release in a year or two. If this is true, perhaps a Region 1 DVD will see the light of day...
Cameron
01-04-07, 01:45 AM
Jane Eyre (1944) is coming 04.24.07 also a new Third Man dvd from criterion is coming up in 2007
Ethan VanSciver
01-04-07, 06:47 AM
Jane Eyre (1944) is coming 04.24.07 also a new Third Man dvd from criterion is coming up in 2007
A new version of THIRD MAN? The Criterion version was just fine. I wonder what else they've rounded up...?
Mikael79
01-04-07, 08:51 AM
What? No love for "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow"? You know, the documentary about Quasimodo predicting Hitler, World War III, etc. that Welles narrated?
(btw, I hope you Sopranos fans catch the reference...)
I'm not a Sopranos fan, but I know who you're talking about.
I'd really love to see The Man Who Saw Tomorrow released on DVD sometime soon. It scared the hell out of me as a small child!
Steve
01-04-07, 01:01 PM
I'll pick that up for sure if it comes out.
Also for those who don't know, the 5-disc film noir set that has The Stranger in it is completely worth getting, even if it was just for that film (but the rest are great movies too). The Stranger actually has a pretty decent transfer, and the whole set is really cheap.
Buy: