Welles, Orson

Started by modage, June 10, 2003, 03:36:08 PM

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modage

is it just me, or is there not a topic for ORSON WELLES?  re-direct me if i'm wrong, but that sounds like bad news.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

The Silver Bullet

Orson Welles is, for the most part and in my opinion, grossly overrated.
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

SHAFTR

It's tough to really measure the greatness of Orson Welles.  Citizen Kane was the only movie he had complete control of (and look what happened there).

It seems that critics and directors seem to think he is the greatest director of all time...and i'm guessing they know more than me.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

modage

i loved LOVED LOVED Touch of Evil.  i dont care who made it, i thought it was perfect.  i preffered it to Citizen Kane.  i loved the Henry Mancini score, the gorgeous black and white photography.  the cool camera moves and the great film noir characters.  LOVED.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

The Silver Bullet

See, I have not seen Touch Of Evil or Chimes At Midnight, which a lot of people say you have to see before you can really make your mind up about Welles. I loved F For Fake [A+++], but thought Macbeth [C+], The Magnificent Ambersons [B] and Citizen Kane [B] were all pretty average at best.
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

SHAFTR

I've only seen Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil, and I loved them both.  Citizen Kane gets better and better after every viewing.

I've only seen Touch of Evil once and I'm waiting around before I get the DVD (hoping for a different release).
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

Pedro

Though overrated, Citizen Kane is fucking fantastic.

Ghostboy

I agree with everyone who says that Citizen Kane and Touch Of Evil are masterpieces of cinema. Citizen Kane is one of the few films that was built up enormously for me in the years before I saw it, and then actually lived up to all the hype. Maybe it is overrated, but still...it changed the way movies are made.

The Silver Bullet

Casablanca lives up to expectation.

Citizen Kane gets raped by expectation.
Expectation makes Citizen Kane its bitch.

But to each his own.
For the record I really, really loved the Welles performance in Kane. Just not much else.
RABBIT n. pl. rab·bits or rabbit[list=1]
  • Any of various long-eared, short-tailed, burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae.
  • A hare.
    [/list:o][/size]

Gold Trumpet

I think Orson Welles is a genius myself and Citizen Kane not only lives up to expectation, but surpasses it because everytime I watch the movie I can feel every other movie made after it living through its veins. The Trial is another great film. Actually, about Touch of Evil, I am trying to relocate a letter Orson Welles sent to a British paper in which he bashed the film completely, even if his version was fulfilled by the studios. He just ripped on the entire project. When I find it, I am posting it immediately on "Everything Else Cinema" because I see a lot of flaws in the movie myself.

~rougerum

SoNowThen

I love Orson Welles. The man is a force. His voice is one of the most amazing things ever. I especially love his performance in Catch 22:

"Get in the car, you smirking slut"

Wonderful. And great with the camera as well. The man is an icon.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

children with angels

Has anyone seen Casino Royale? (One of the worst films I've ever seen, in my opinion) It was so sad to see Welles in that. Probably trying to get the money together for yet another attempt at Don Quixote...

And I too have to say I think Kane deserves all the praise it gets.
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ono

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetI think Orson Welles is a genius myself and Citizen Kane not only lives up to expectation, but surpasses it because everytime I watch the movie I can feel every other movie made after it living through its veins. The Trial is another great film. Actually, about Touch of Evil, I am trying to relocate a letter Orson Welles sent to a British paper in which he bashed the film completely, even if his version was fulfilled by the studios. He just ripped on the entire project. When I find it, I am posting it immediately on "Everything Else Cinema" because I see a lot of flaws in the movie myself.

~rougerum
I had checked out a Touch of Evil special edition DVD with some notes on the film from Welles.  Perhaps this is what you're talking about/looking for?

Mesh

Quote from: The Silver Bullet
Citizen Kane gets raped by expectation.
Expectation makes Citizen Kane its bitch.

Say what you will about personal expectations, but Citizen Kane towers over films contemporary with it; it's just monumentally different, an unparalleled and revolutionary achievement in terms of acting, narrative structure, lighting, cinematography, social critique....everything.

I've said this before:  American films can be seen as falling into two groups: Pre- and Post-Citizen Kane.

Also: Touch of Evil is the boundary line between Film Noir and Neo-Noir.  Its both an entertaining, unconventional thriller and an enormous landmark for the genre.

dufresne

Anyone see Touch of Evil only after Get Shorty?  :oops:
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