Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)

A look at the life and work of the great theatre, radio and film artist.

[@MrMoggyman]

An astonishing life, that would have been even more so astonishing if the studios had recognised his tremendous talent and allowed him full freedom to make creations that would have had them and all of us rendered speechless with awe. Instead they alienated him, starved him of funds, edited his film creations, and rejected Orson. Some say a failed genius. I say a genius who was never allowed to fully open his wings and encompass his full potential but for a few narrow minded idiots and fools who should have known better. How we all miss Orson. Nobody at all today can even begin to compare to his brilliance, intellect, imagination, and style. Quite simply, he was the best of the best. Just listening to his voice almost tells you all you need to know. Talented beyond talent. Imagination beyond mind. Simply a breathtaking artist, director, and person. That was Orson Welles. Rest in peace great man. We will not soon forget you or what you achieved in this life.

[@shawnbingley5433]

I was moved almost to tears by what you wrote..you hit the bullseye..he was simply not supported as he should have been by the studios..it was all a struggle for him..what a fascinating, flawed man..so intelligent and talented..a one off..he appeared to laugh a lot..he had a rich life full of interesting relationships and adventures and travel and the theatre and the movies of course..what a guy..

[@lynnfisher3037]

I have just began to watch everything of his that I can find. You are so right in everything you've said about him.

[@James-dj4tq]

In not one picture I’ve ever seen of the man would I ever have the audacity to call him starved

[@lynnfisher3037]

@@James-dj4tq... starved of funds. Apparently you can't read.

[@James-dj4tq]

@@lynnfisher3037 and you have no sense of humor who was feeding the fat ass that was so Starved For Funds??????

[@mikestamos445]

ONE OF the most interesting men to have walked on this earth PERIOD

[@hasandurrani3747]

I got tears in my eyes as the documentary finished. A Genius, An Innovative Mind , A Revolutionary Cinematic Thinker and How Hollywood's selfish elite alienated him. Orsen was is and will eternally be bigger than life cause theres only one Orsen Welles like no other

[@markren2125]

A genius, one of the greatest speaking voices ever too.

[@darklink1113]

I play out in my head Orsen Wells and Stanley Kubrick having a conversation in heaven. Every time it ends up in a fist fight

[@michaelpresberg3817]

And Welles wins every time no doubt. Kubrick is technically dazzling but his artistic/philosophical vision isn't nearly as deep as Welles', in my humble opinion.

[@arpitdas4263]

@@michaelpresberg3817 Also Orson weighed a ton. A literal ton

[@dirkthedaring5131]

I would pay to see Welles v Kubrick v Hemingway

[@SolidSioux1987]

@@dirkthedaring5131 yes please, cage match with chairs!

[@waynej2608]

@@michaelpresberg3817 Perhaps, but I rate them pretty much on par with each other. Kubrick did enjoy more commercial success. Not that that matters to me, just pointing it out. They were both amazing artists.

[@Zanzeezeepodcast]

Of the greatest auteurs of the 20th century and forever more! Listen to anything he has in interviews! He’s utterly captivating every time

[@ricardocantoral7672]

This film features excerpts from the BBC Arena interview from 1982. An absolute must watch.

[@wally1452]

I have never tired of Orson Welles....whether in film, his interviews are priceless, especially when there were the best interviewers who had the right things to give him to reply to. One may go on and on of this finest actor and director. I watch, after more than 50 years anything re Orson. "A Touch of Evil" and "Citizen Kane" are 2 of my regulars to watch. Oh, from 1920-25 through 1960 were the great years in Hollywood and if the ones who "are :Hollywood," directors, actors, those who live and love filming from that time, they must materialize again if the great art of amazing story telling is to ever come back (& that without a dozen persons dictating what is made and not made and are in the dark of what great films are and get away from the old, best way.

[@williamdonahue6617]

Welles had the one of the most distinctive and resonant speaking voices in the history of radio, film and television. After three words, you know it's him.

[@williamdonahue6617]

The female radio counterpoint to Orson Welles was Agnes Moorehead. Totally distinctive.

[@jamesmiller4184]

@@williamdonahue6617 And a third William -- Tallulah Bankhead.

[@williamdonahue6617]

@@jamesmiller4184 Completely agree regarding Tallulah's voice, but she was not, in my view, quite equal to Welles and Moorehead in acting skills. They could play a wide variety of characters in any medium. Tallulah generally played Tallulah, and on the stage. Like Ethel Merman, her acting personality was dynamite on stage, but too large for the camera.

[@jamesmiller4184]

@@williamdonahue6617 Well, OK I'll take that, William. There was another along that line of uniqueness-inimitable, Martha Raye her name was. I'd recognize it anywhere. (In her later years some young guy took advantage of her dough. It was all over the news of that time. Sad.) A good deal of my discernment here was/is remembrance left over from hearing radio before TV got going. It's wonderful that some many Welles interviews are available. Bye-the-way, Tallulah's father I believe was Speaker of the House of Representatives! Did I get that right? Best . . .

[@williamdonahue6617]

@@jamesmiller4184 You nailed it on all counts. William Brockman Bankhead, Tallulah's father, was the Speaker of the House, i.e. the Kevin McCarthy or Nancy Pelosi of his time. I never really appreciated the talents of Martha Raye ("The Big Mouth") until I saw historical performance footage of her on KZbin. She was a one-woman entertainment machine: singing, dancing, comedy, facial contortionist equal to Jim Carrey, and zany class. There was a whole generation of quirky talent that transitioned from vaudeville and radio to early TV never to be seen again: Martha Raye, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Oscar Levant, you name them. Welles was an autodidact and developmental prodigy, sprung from the womb as an adult. He left, on his own as a teenager, to Europe to act and direct. Amazing. Cheers...

[@arpitdas4263]

Man made movies the way they ought to be made

[@Republic4ever714]

So much better than the crap today for sure!😢

[@philipbunney9445]

Fascinating individual. An icon of humanity.

[@willsworld57]

I am so sorry we lost him. There are so many films I would love to see his treatment of. Can you imagine him doing even A Christmas Carol?

[@steverhodesvideos6244]

He did A Christmas Caro on the radio in '38 and '39.

[@annalisavajda252]

He does an excellent narration of The Cave it's available on you tube and it's like stop motion animation.

[@tomdegan6924]

Fantastic. That was a gem.

[@sclogse1]

The Simon Callow book, (or is it two books?) is easily the best Welles bio. He also did a bio on Charles Laughton, which is a must read.

[@emmanuelgilliot6128]

WELLES WAS A GENIUS !!!!!!!

[@cynthiahawkins2389]

Long, long before the power of social media today (2021) to persuade, to shame, to enroll, enlist and pretty much scare the living crap out of people - Orson Welles instinctively understood it as well - DECADES earlier. Gotta give the man credit..

[@spockboy]

Almost a Century earlier. Think of that.

[@annaclarafenyo8185]

That's nothing to do with social media, social media just does it faster.

[@aisnota5192]

Let's not forget the masterpiece that was his drunk blooper reel for the wine commercial Paul Masson. "AaAaAaAh the French."

[@Mark-zu6oz]

It has always been known for its excellence!

[@aisnota5192]

@@Mark-zu6oz INSIPRED..... BythatsameFrenchexcellence.

[@TheFaustianMan]

thank you for posting this. It means so much to me.

[@dougduchateau443]

"I had the confidence of ignorance." Strangely poignant these days...

[@Ballsarama]

Living in northern IL, I've been to Woodstock and the Operahouse there to see people like Leo Kottke. I also have been through Grand Detour where Orson experienced a sort of "golden" summer. Quite interesting places.

[@NxDoyle]

I've looked at a bunch of newspaper stories published in the days after War of the Worlds was broadcast. Each one of them reports that there were four occasions _during the play_ that listeners were reminded that 'this is a fiction'.

[@Deepbluecat]

Beautifully done documentary! What an amazing artist!

[@Thesavageeye]

One time in a film/cinema class during college years a teacher said he didn’t now who Orson Welles was…… so you can imagine the level of intelligence in there…. I said to him loud and clear “He is a GENIUS….. and before you pronounce his name: QUIET YOURSELF!

[@matthewstokes1608]

What a beautiful montage of clips many of which many of us have seen before - but truly never before so well assimilated into a life verging on near coherence… ! He truly was a giant wasn’t he? There was only one of him… My Lord how I pray for him… even regardless of the bullfighting nonsense…. May God Bless him now in heaven. I do wish his films like Chimes at Midnight would be SHOWN - in lieu of the pap we have to endure today.

[@Nicksonian]

My grandmother was friends with Orson’s mother in Kenosha. She was also friends with a local portrait photographer. In her later years, my mother gave me a photo of Orson Welles as a young child taken by my grandmother’s friend. I always wondered if the photo was worth anything. No matter. Ten years ago, going through divorce with my wife…she threw out the original Orson Welles photograph.

[@willyp3036]

well at least you know you made the right decision to divorce such a woman

[@JCO2002]

What I was always most impressed by was his perfect impersonation of John Candy. Absolutely brilliant.

[@WilliamByronIs]

102:41 is the actor Vincent D'Onofrio, who has played Orson more than once. Usually I'd chalk this up to a glaring error on the editor's part but now I'm thinking it's the director's homage to Orson's own "F For Fake" where he has a moment of Don Ameche standing in for Howard Hughes.

[@MikeJohnson-hp8lr]

Also, D'Onofrio did not provide Wells' voice. That was dubbed in by voice actor Maurice LaMarche, who among other voices, provides the voice of the Wells-like character "Brain" in the animated "Pinky and the Brain" segments of the "Animaniacs" animated series.

[@rickarra1833]

Over the years I've spoken to many people about owning/operating, a business. I explain many of the greatest ideas come from ignorance, and lack of knowledge, especially in the early stages. You don't know what you don't know, so their aren't barriers

[@natarajrangayana]

A Great doc Great tribute to Master of cinema!

[@djelalhassan7631]

Beautiful man

[@UTuberz04]

Great documentary. Loved it!

[@ganazby]

Makes an excellent companion piece to the Arena documentary (from which this one liberally borrows). Thanks for posting.

[@cathythomas250]

Handsome, charismatic, gifted, warm, funny.................a worthwhile human being.

[@theflorgeormix]

Control...the struggle of the individual vs. the team. He fought them too much. Great innovator

[@latterdate]

Joanne was my first grade teacher

[@nickroberts-xf7oq]

I remember him. 🎉 He was one of a kind ! 🎭

[@Menapho]

Chimes At Midnight is on HBO/MAX right now. I think through Criterion

[@MrGordonSims]

It was appropriate not to mention his last film role, that of a giant planet-eating transformer called Unicron. It’s sentimental for me because it was the first role I saw him in (in my defense, I was 8 at the time).

[@bonzii420]

Love hearing my hometown of Woodstock getting a shout out by O.W.!!!

[@christopherbrownmaaga4668]

Congratulations, Orson

[@AndyMangele]

A highly interesting man I don't know enough about - and therefore a much appreciated documentary. 👍

[@davidgalvan1084]

This is beautiful

[@rodocar2736]

35:47 fantastic! .................completos y radiantes.......sellados por el fuego

[@dcdel1]

A compelling, intelligent man, he has inspired me to write my memoirs, beside a very famous woman. I will let you know when it’s released

[@65g4]

I enjoyed that me and orson welles film the guy that played him was so like him

[@hyperTorless]

Absolutely stunning sequence at 58:28 This was a great documentary, thank you!

[@Republic4ever714]

A true genius!they just don’t make them like this anymore!ernest Hemmingway and Brando,Newman,Eastwood and Stewart and Redford all masters of their trade!!

[@joeoconnor5400]

Orson Welles had the better of Peter Sellers during the production of Casino Royale. He teased Sellers about meeting Princess Margaret. Sellers couldn't handle it and insisted his scenes with Welles were shot separately. The full account is in Roger Lewis's biography of Peter Sellers.

[@andyniklaus5695]

Yes, the world the cinma is long time ago missing him. So we go one to wait for the next come.

[@sera1917]

thank you so much

[@TRIChuckles]

Thank you.

[@jasonbeard4713]

I found one of his appearances in the radio series "Inner Sanctum". None of them were known to exist.

[@Playsinvain]

This guy scared the hell out of me in 1976!

[@billharris1847]

Excellent just don't bother with the other directors comments

[@billharris1847]

Who is the female director

[@stephaniekeyes2928]

🎉🎉🎉wow thank you!

[@oriraykai3610]

REALLY crappy balance between talking and music in this thing. The music is WAY too loud... Too bad it ruins what could be an interesting documentary.

[@walkertongdee]

That's a real man

[@lliamjurdom9505]

Bravo Orson RIP

[@moracomole8090]

great man

[@DReyesNYC]

Amazing

[@toussantlbisso]

Thank J. Ford ! Thank O.Welles ...and tv junkie !

[@zabdas83]

Actors probably make the spies, probably the best cover of all to travel. Like Leslie Howard etc. What about Orson?

[@spockboy]

"No limitations, is the ENEMY of art" ORSON WELLES One note to the sound editor. Respectfully, when your music is deep, full of bass and in stereo and the dialogue source material is thin, treble and mono, be especially cognizant of the sound levels because the music OFTEN dominates the dialogue in this DOC. After all, it's called "background music" for a reason. : )

[@Orsonzilla]

Hey! I’m in this! 😂

[@westaussie965]

his poor daughter got his looks and none of her mothers

[@JesusEmmanuelChrist]

Orson Welles is not exactly dead. If you believe in the after-life. He's down here tearing up the place.

[@thomassommerfeld8494]

Orson Welles was simply too smart and free minded for Hollywood

[@bobbest1611]

33:00 flat feet, bad back, and nelson rockefeller.

[@johnheath4305]

brillance

[@Johnconno]

You'd never guess who lived in that house...

[@anthonyc7045]

I'm trying to make "heads or tails" out of what Mr. Welles was trying to claim in this video. . . Did he not understand that the company that he was working for existed to make a profit ? Or was Mr. Welles happy that all the other directors' movies followed the rules and made a profit so that he could have a free hand and possibly lose money ? If all the other directors acted in the same manner as Mr. Welles, where would the movie company be financially ? Seems totally selfish to me on the part of Mr. Welles to think that his projects could lose money because the other directors projects made a profit.. I wonder if Mr. Welles ever invested any money into another director's work? And if so, was Mr. Welles worried that his investment would be returned to him because it's not likely that an investment in a movie or play will be returned if the director is reckless. This is all "dollars and sense". Maybe Mr. Welles was right when he stated that he was probably better off just being an actor and leaving the directing and producing to others ?

[@ferociousgumby]

"AHHHHHH, the French!"

[@joemarshall4226]

As an old fat man, he looked like old fat Jackie Gleason a little. They remind me of each other...two fine artists. I'll bet Orson like the Honeymooners, and I KNOW Jackie would have liked everything Orson did.

[@EricVoegelin]

Welles gave Gleason The Great One moniker.

[@8TENASTER8IDS]

.....NO my friends, George Orson Welles was always meant to be 'the destitute king'.....a 'destitute king', not because he was thrown away from his kingdom, but (because) on this Earth, the way the world is, there is NO kingdom good enough for Orson Welles!!!.....as everyone here already knows, Orson DID have FULL control from the studios, BUT only once, RKO, and the rest is HISTORY ('his-story').....George Orson Welles was always independently alternative, never cliched, probably one of his greatest summations is from Citizen Kane, within the scene between Bernstein, Kane and Thatcher..... Charles Foster Kane: "You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man". Thatcher: "Don't you think you are?" Charles Foster Kane: "I think I did pretty well under the circumstances". Thatcher: "What would you like to have been?" Charles Foster Kane: "Everything You Hate". * On the 10th October 1995, on the 10th anniversary of Orson's death, I visited his grave on the El Recreo De San Cayetano ranch of the bull fighter Antonio Ordonez near Ronda in Andalusia, Spain. George Orson Welles remains are buried within a dry well with bullring sand on top of his ashes.

[@omkhuperkar5949]

58:38 - simply satie 😭

[@lidijabasanovic9779]

No one stidios did permit to do anything and everything they liked..unforgivable and unfortunately!

[@emmanuelgilliot6128]

Houseman was jalous of Welles.

[@ferociousgumby]

Frozen peas. . .

[@janeobrien3578]

Like Jupiter, only more so...

[@meganveronica5155]

He has a daughter named Christopher lol

[@hackbritton3233]

I love Orson Welles. However during the war years considering his talents couldn't have provided some hope instead of a tragedy movie. Most people at that time was bathed in poverty and or tragedy. They most likely didn't want to be boiled yet one more hour in tragedy but were looking for relief. As I said I love Orson but he seemed to be wrapped up far to much in his own self at least during the war years than he should have. Punctuation omitted purposely just be cause

[@walterschott8070]

Wo knows he was a mansion

[@walterschott8070]

a meanwhile lost place in the middle of france - anybody heard of it Bein abandondened? there is a dokumentary made of it...wo knows about?

[@brando9508]

Godfather? No no no no!