tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post829634974859063347..comments2023-10-31T09:55:24.612-05:00Comments on The Night Editor: Orson Welles and The Other Side Of The WindJake Hinksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-18851287208500670752009-04-14T15:03:00.000-05:002009-04-14T15:03:00.000-05:00Would "prudish" be a better word than chaste? Eith...Would "prudish" be a better word than chaste? Either way, I think you hit it on the head with "distant" anyway. Welles never seemed very interested in sex as a subject until he got a little older. I think it started with Touch of Evil. From there on you can see him becoming a little more interested in sex as a possible area of concern. Prior to that, he seemed far more interested in politics and the disintegration of old men.<br /><br />The sex scene in TOSOTW certainly looks to me to be about the emotional distance involved. <br /><br />You make a good point about the close ups in the clips from TOSOTW. I hadn't thought about that. Of course, a lot of that footage from One Man Band had close ups, and I seem to recall reading somewhere that he was thinking of doing more and more of that kind of thing (like his Moby Dick experiment). <br /><br />Which makes me wonder (and I'll throw this out there to anyone who might be reading): what is the most tantalizing uncompleted or unfilmed Welles project you've heard of? If you could go back in time and bankroll an unfullfilled Welles project, what would it be?Jake Hinksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-47746128673519190112009-04-14T14:35:00.000-05:002009-04-14T14:35:00.000-05:00Hmmm...it appears the comment I typed last night w...Hmmm...it appears the comment I typed last night wasn't saved. Don't really remember what I typed, but I'll try to recreate it.<br /><br />Not sure if “chaste” is the right word, but I always thought Welles was a bit distant. There is almost no connection between CFK and the first Mrs. Kane. Rita Hayworth, while stunning (can she be anything else?), seems unattainable and more of a dream in Shanghai. It could be the editing style or Oja Kodar’s performance, but the scene in TOSOTW is more of a physical coupling than an emotional one.<br /><br />I thought the car scene and the Hannaford birthday scene - also in One Man Band - were both interesting. They used lots of close-ups (rare for Welles) and very short shot length. The only other film I can think of where he used such short shots was in certain sequences of Othello. The clips weren’t very Wellesian in composition, but did carry his tone. They were certainly riveting.WellesFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16063771443019228190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-57017580130432915282009-04-13T15:16:00.000-05:002009-04-13T15:16:00.000-05:00As near as I can tell, Welles never shot an uninte...As near as I can tell, Welles never shot an uninteresting foot of film in his life, but I agree that the reception of TOSOTW could be rough. There are nonWellesians out there who would probably greet the movie with less enthusiasm than us, but then again, Welles dealt with apathy toward his work for most of his career.<BR/><BR/>I'm interested to know what you think of the footage from the film in One Man Band. It's interesting to me because it shows that after F for Fake Welles was going even further with the sexuality in his films. Welles' view of sex has always been interesting to me. I think of most of his work as being rather chaste (even The Lady From Shanghai is curiously unerotic). You start to see that turn late in his career (maybe starting with Touch of Evil). I'll be interested to see where he goes with that in TOSOTW.Jake Hinksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-84151658255295572352009-04-13T10:23:00.000-05:002009-04-13T10:23:00.000-05:00Aside from the fact that TOSOTW is a Welles film, ...Aside from the fact that TOSOTW is a Welles film, I think the fact that everyone involved in production says it's so close to completion is one of the reasons the film remains so tantalizing nearly 40 years after filming started and 25 after its creator's death. The film clips (from One Man Band and the AFI Tribute) and recently released script excerpts do even more to whet our appetites.<BR/><BR/>I'm not worried about hurting Welles's reputation by having the film released, but you do have to wonder about its reception. After so long a build up, there is bound to be some disappointment. Though, knowing Welles, he'll probably still be able to blow us away.WellesFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16063771443019228190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-55638207962094828582009-04-09T18:58:00.000-05:002009-04-09T18:58:00.000-05:00I totally agree that Welles kept getting better. C...I totally agree that Welles kept getting better. Chimes at Midnight is a complete masterpiece. I want to write about it soon. <BR/><BR/>I've learned from trying to show F For Fake to friends that it's an acquired taste, but I think it's delightful. The scene outside the Chartres Cathedral is the most beautiful thing he ever wrote or filmed.<BR/><BR/>The Immortal Story and The Trial have always been somewhat linked in my mind. They're both allegories and both have very cold surfaces, but there's so much going on underneath.<BR/><BR/>Welles is someone who rewards obsession. He just gets more interesting the more you watch him and think about him.Jake Hinksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12959106997436699346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3961352325595827919.post-38225946764650947292009-04-09T17:48:00.000-05:002009-04-09T17:48:00.000-05:00As a huge Welles fan, this has been one of those "...As a huge Welles fan, this has been one of those "dream" films I've wanted to see more than most anything else. I really hope they finally release it.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for all the background info and links, and for helping spread the word.<BR/><BR/>I personally believe Welles kept getting better and better - The Trail, F For Fake, Chimes at Midnight, and even The Immortal Story are among his very finest, in my opinion. Then again, you could really put any Welles film in front of me and I'd probably say the same thing.Cullen Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14236957954996740924noreply@blogger.com