Gold Hugo |
| Best Feature |
This is just a wonderful doc on the making of Orson Welles's Othello. It's basically Orson Welles telling anecdotes about Othello for one hour, but the man is so captivating, funny, intelligent, charming and charismatic that is just a joy to watch for any film buff.
The final film of Orson Welles is perhaps his quietest, most reflective piece of work. "Filming Othello" is not, as the title might suggest, a "making of" documentary about putting the Shakespeare play onto film.
Filming 'Othello' (1978) *** (out of 4)This Orson Welles film isn't really a documentary but instead a video essay where the director talks about his film OTHELLO, the play that it was based on and various other things related to Shakespeare.If you're familiar with the film in question then you'll know that it went through a variety of money issues and it actually took years to finish it.
Filming 'Othello' (2017)*** 1/2 (out of 4)This twenty-one minute interview with Orson Welles' biographer Simon Callow has him taking a look at the making of OTHELLO. If you're a fan of Welles or of the film in question then you'll certainly enjoy this featurette as it shines a light on a lot of the problems that haunted the production.
There are those and I am amongst them who would cheerfully listen to Orson Wells recite the Farmers Almanac, but that is because that like Richard Burton, for example, he is blessed with a magnificent vocal instrument and it is undoubtedly true that both actors - at their best unsurpassed - have more made more than their sure of clinkers. At least Welles did it in a good, nay, honourable cause, in order to generate funds to finance a series of independent productions many, sadly aborted and/or unfinished, whilst Burton just didn't care.
It's odd now to think of this film and know that I really did enjoy it. I had the pleasure a few years back at the Seattle Art Museum.
A wonderful, private oration with Orson Welles for once talking about his vast visual artistry and visual imagery. Welles always shied away from discussing such things, that his fans would have much loved to hear.
