Unfinished projects Orson Welles

1 unfinished projects

1.1 don quixote
1.2 merchant of venice
1.3 other side of wind
1.4 other unfinished films , unfilmed screenplays

unfinished projects

welles s reliance on self-production meant many of later projects filmed piecemeal or not completed. welles financed later projects through own fundraising activities. took on other work obtain money fund own films.

don quixote

in mid-1950s, welles began work on don quixote, commission cbs television. welles expanded film feature length, developing screenplay take quixote , sancho panza modern age. filming stopped death of francisco reiguera, actor playing quixote, in 1969. orson welles continued editing film 1970s. @ time of death, film remained largely collection of footage in various states of editing. project , more importantly welles s conception of project changed radically on time. version of film created available fragments in 1992 , released negative reception.

a version oja kodar supervised, jess franco, assistant director during production, released in 2008 mixed reactions.

frederick muller — film editor trial, chimes @ midnight , cbs special orson bag fortunate work on editing 3 reels of original, unadulterated version — asked opinion in 2013 journalist of time out, reply felt if released without image re-editing, addition of ad hoc sound , music, have been rather successful.

the merchant of venice

in 1969, welles given tv commission film condensed adaptation of merchant of venice. although welles had completed film 1970, finished negative later mysteriously stolen rome production office. restored , reconstructed version of film, made using original script , composer s notes, premiered @ 72nd venice international film festival alongside othello part of pre-opening ceremonies in 2015.

the other side of wind

in 1970, welles began shooting other side of wind. film relates efforts of film director (played john huston) complete last hollywood picture , largely set @ lavish party. 1972 filming reported welles being 96% complete , though welles had edited 40 minutes of film 1979. in year, legal complications on ownership of film forced negative paris vault. in 2004 director peter bogdanovich, acted in film, announced intention complete production. of 2009, legal complications on welles estate had kept film being finished or released.

on october 28, 2014, los angeles-based production company royal road entertainment announced had negotiated agreement, assistance of producer frank marshall, , purchase rights complete , release other side of wind. bogdanovich , marshall complete welles s finished film in los angeles, aiming have ready screening may 6, 2015, 100th anniversary of welles s birth. royal road entertainment , german producer jens koethner kaul acquired rights held les films de l astrophore , late mehdi boushehri. reached agreement oja kodar, inherited welles s ownership of film, , beatrice welles, manager of welles estate; @ end of 2015, efforts complete film @ impasse.

in march 2017, netflix acquired distribution rights film. same month, original negative, dallies , other footage arrived in los angeles, resuming post-production process.

some footage included in documentaries working orson welles (1993) , orson welles: 1 man band (1995).

other unfinished films , unfilmed screenplays

too johnson, 1938 comedy film written , directed welles. designed cinematic aspect of welles s mercury theatre stage presentation of william gillette s 1894 comedy, film not edited or publicly screened. johnson considered lost film until august 2013 news reports pristine print discovered in italy in 2008. copy restored george eastman house museum scheduled premiere october 9, 2013, @ pordenone silent film festival, u.s. premiere follow. single performance of johnson, on february 2, 2015, @ film forum in new york city, great success. produced bruce goldstein , adapted , directed allen lewis rickman, featured film forum players live piano.
heart of darkness: welles s projected first film in 1940, planned in extreme detail , test shots filmed. (the footage lost.) planned entirely shot in long takes point of view of narrator, marlow, played welles; reflection seen in window boat sailed down river. project abandoned, because not delivered on budget, , citizen kane made instead.
santa: in 1941, welles planned film partner, mexican actress dolores del río. film adapted novel mexican writer federico gamboa. film marked debut of dolores del río in mexican cinema. welles made correction of script in thirteen extraordinary sequences. unfortunately, high salary demanded del río threw overboard project. in 1943, film done settings of welles, led norman foster , starring mexican actress esther fernández.
the way santiago: in 1941 welles planned mexican drama dolores del río, gave rko budgeted. film movie version of same name novel calder marshall. in story, dolores del río play elena medina, beautiful girl in world , welles playing american becomes entangled in mission disrupt nazi plot overthrow mexican government. welles planned shoot in mexico, mexican government had approve story, , never occurred.
the life of christ: in 1941, welles received support of bishop fulton sheen retelling of life of christ set in american west in 1890s. after filming of citizen kane complete, welles, perry ferguson , gregg toland scouted locations in baja california , mexico. welles wrote screenplay dialogue gospels of mark, matthew , luke. every word in film bible — no original dialogue, done sort of american primitive, welles said, set in frontier country in last century. unrealized project revisited welles in 1950s when wrote second unfilmed screenplay, shot in egypt.
it s true: welles did not want direct 1942 documentary on south america, after abandonment rko, spent of 1940s attempting buy negative of material rko, edit , release in form. footage remained unseen in vaults decades, , assumed lost. on 50 years later, (but not all) of surviving material saw release in 1993 documentary s true: based on unfinished film orson welles.
monsieur verdoux: in 1944, welles wrote first-draft script of film, intended direct. charlie chaplin agreed star in it, later changed mind, citing never having been directed else in feature before. chaplin bought film rights , made film himself in 1947, changes (welles said gallows scenes written chaplin, of film unchanged own script). final film credits chaplin script, based on idea orson welles .
cyrano de bergerac: welles spent around 9 months c. 1947-8 co-writing screenplay along ben hecht, project welles assigned direct alexander korda. began scouting locations in europe whilst filming black magic, korda short of money, sold rights columbia pictures, dismissed welles project, , sold rights on united artists, in turn made film version in 1950, not based on welles s script.
around world in eighty days: after welles s elaborate musical stageshow of jules verne novel, encompassing 38 different sets, began shooting test footage in morocco film version in 1947. footage never edited, funding never came through, , welles abandoned project. 9 years later, stage show s producer mike todd made own award-winning film version of book.
moby dick—rehearsed: film version of welles s 1955 london meta-play, starring gordon jackson, christopher lee, patrick mcgoohan, , welles ahab. using bare, minimalist sets, welles alternated between cast of nineteenth-century actors rehearsing production of moby dick, scenes moby dick itself. kenneth williams, cast member apprehensive entire project, recorded in autobiography welles s dim, atmospheric stage lighting made of footage dark unwatchable. entire play filmed, presumed lost. made during 1 weekend @ hackney empire theatre.
histoires extraordinaires: producers of 1968 anthology film, based on short stories edgar allan poe, announced in june 1967 welles direct 1 segment based on both masque of red death , cask of amontillado omnibus film. welles withdrew in september 1967 , replaced. script, written in english welles , oja kodar, in filmmuseum munchen collection.
one-man band: monty python-esque spoof in welles plays 1 of characters (including 2 characters in drag), made around 1968-9. welles intended completed sketch 1 of several items in television special on london. other items filmed special – included in 1 man band documentary partner oja kodar — comprised sketch on winston churchill (played in silhouette welles), sketch on peers in stately home, feature on london gentlemen s clubs, , sketch featuring welles being mocked snide savile row tailor (played charles gray).
treasure island: welles wrote 2 screenplays in 1960s, , eager seek financial backing direct it. eventually, own screenplay (under pseudonym of o.w. jeeves) further rewritten, , formed basis of 1972 film version directed john hough, in welles played long john silver.
the deep: adaptation of charles williams dead calm. picture entirely set on 2 boats , shot in close-ups, , filmed off coasts of yugoslavia , bahamas, between 1966 , 1969, 1 scene completed. planned commercially viable thriller, show welles make popular, successful film. put on hold in 1970 when welles worried critics not respond favourably film theatrical follow-up much-lauded chimes @ midnight, , welles focused instead on f fake. abandoned altogether in 1973 due death of star laurence harvey.
dune: attempt @ adapting frank herbert s sci-fi novel dune chilean film director alejandro jodorowsky star welles evil baron vladimir harkonnen, whom jodorowsky had chosen role. however, planned film never advanced past pre-production.
saint jack. in 1978 welles lined long-time protégé peter bogdanovich (who acting welles s de facto agent) direct adaptation of 1973 paul theroux novel american pimp in singapore. hugh hefner , bogdanovich s then-partner cybill shepherd both attached project producers, hefner providing finance through playboy productions. however, both hefner , shepherd became convinced bogdanovich himself more commercially viable director welles, , insisted bogdanovich take over. since bogdanovich in need of work after series of box office flops, agreed. when film made in 1979 bogdanovich , hefner (but without welles or shepherd s participation), welles felt betrayed , according bogdanovich 2 drifted apart bit .
filming trial: after success of 1978 film filming othello made west german television, , consisting of monologue camera, welles began shooting scenes follow-up film, never completed it. welles did film 80-minute question-and-answer session in 1981 film students asking film. footage kept welles s cinematographer gary graver, donated munich film museum, pieced welles s trailer film, 83-minute film screened @ film festivals.
the big brass ring: 1982 screenplay, written welles oja kodar adapted , filmed director george hickenlooper in partnership writer f.x. feeney. both welles script , 1999 film center on u.s. presidential hopeful in 40s, elderly mentor — former candidate presidency, brought low homosexual scandal — , italian journalist probing truth of relationship between these men. during last years of life, welles struggled financing planned film; however, efforts @ casting jack nicholson, robert redford, warren beatty, clint eastwood, burt reynolds , paul newman main character unsuccessful. of actors turned down role various reasons.
cradle rock: welles planned on writing , directing film 1937 staging of cradle rock. rupert everett slated play young welles. however, welles unable acquire funding. tim robbins later directed similar film, not based on welles s script.
king lear: @ time of death, welles in talks french production company direct film version of shakespeare play, in play title role.
an adaptation of vladimir nabokov s novel ada welles flew paris discuss project russian author.




^ estrin, mark w., , orson welles. orson welles: interviews. jackson: university press of mississippi, 2002. isbn 1578062098
^ cite error: named reference mcbride invoked never defined (see page).
^ roffman, michael (august 7, 2015). lost orson welles film premiere @ 72nd venice international film festival . consequence of sound. retrieved august 7, 2015. 
^ cite error: named reference brady invoked never defined (see page).
^ cite error: named reference rosenbaum invoked never defined (see page).
^ hollywood ending near orson welles s last film . carvajal, doreen, new york times. october 28, 2014. retrieved 2014-10-29. 
^ beatrice welles on completing other side of wind . kelly, ray, wellesnet. october 29, 2014. retrieved 2014-10-30. 
^ other side of wind remains on christmas wish list . kelly, ray, wellesnet. december 1, 2015. retrieved 2015-12-13. 
^ barnes, brooks (march 14, 2017). unfinished orson welles film gets netflix commitment . new york times. retrieved march 14, 2017. 
^ fleming jr, mike (march 14, 2017). netflix finish orson welles last pic other side of wind . deadline.com. retrieved march 14, 2017. 
^ raup, jordan (march 14, 2017). orson welles other side of wind officially coming netflix . film stage. retrieved march 14, 2017. 
^ unfinished orson welles film found in italy . telegraph. retrieved august 9, 2013. 
^ cite error: named reference welles tiow invoked never defined (see page).
^ ramón (1997),vol. 1, p. 59
^ welles, orson, , peter bogdanovich, orson welles. harperaudio, september 30, 1992. isbn 1559946806 audiotape 1a 13:07–14:46.
^ see relevant entries moby dick in kenneth williams autobiography williams . str.org.uk. retrieved march 20, 2012. 
^ french, lawrence (august 30, 2009). cinefantastique (august 30, 2009) . cinefantastiqueonline.com. retrieved march 20, 2012. 
^ orson welles: one-man band . imdb. retrieved october 5, 2009. 
^ peter bogdanovich , orson welles, orson welles (new york, 1992, revised 1997 edition) pp.xxi-xxii