Malpertuis (Belgium, 1971, aka ‘The Legend of Doom House’) is a
movie that has been described as ‘bizarre, lurid and baffling;’ ‘a mysterious curiosity;’ and ‘exquisitely bonkers.’ An international cast led by Mathieu Carrière and Susan Hampshire (playing
five rôles) also included Orson
Welles. Its director, Harry
Kümel, is otherwise best known for his stylish
lesbian vampire
flick Les Lèvres Rouges (aka ‘
Daughters of
Darkness’). The
movie was adapted from an
unusual gothic
novel, first published in wartime Brussels—the
work of Jean
Ray (aka Raymond Jean-Marie de Kremer): a convicted embezzler & prolific
hack, who was, nevertheless, one of the foremost
exponents of the
fantastique in French-language fiction. Please note that some of the links above are
NSFW (some nudity) & several contain
SPOILERS.
[more inside]
posted by misteraitch
on Nov 14, 2011 -
7 comments
Just wait till we're alone together. Then I will tell you something new, something cold, something sleepy, something of cease and peace and the long bright curve of space. Go upstairs to your room. I will be waiting for you... As a rare October blizzard drifts a blanket of white across the Northeast just before Halloween, what better time to settle in and read (or watch)
Conrad Aiken's most famous short story,
"Silent Snow, Secret Snow." About a small boy who increasingly slips into an ominous fantasy of isolation and endless snow, it could be viewed as a metaphor about autism, Asperger's syndrome, and even schizophrenia before such conditions even had names. In addition to the 1934 short story, the tale has also been adapted as a
creepy 1966 black-and-white
short film (also at
the Internet Archive) and as a
Night Gallery episode (
1,
2) narrated by Orson Welles. Or for a more academic take, see the essay
"The Delicious Progress" examining Aiken's use of white as a symbol of psychological regression.
posted by Rhaomi
on Oct 29, 2011 -
9 comments
The long take, an uncut, uninterrupted shot in film, is
seen by some as the counter to CGI, the last great field for cinematic art. The linked page features six clips from 1990 on, plus
the opening shot from Orson Welles' 1958 film,
Touch of Evil. Alfred Hitchcock's film from a decade earlier,
Rope, took the long cut further, with the whole film shot in eight takes of up to 10 minutes each,
a decision shaped by the limit of the physical recording media. With digital media, the long take could be pushed further, as with
Russian Ark, from 2002. The movie was shot in one long take, with the narrative working through the history of Russia,
set within The State Hermitage Museum, and captured in one day on the 4th take. If the long takes are a tad long for you, try the "short" long takes that are
one-shot music videos [videos inside]
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on Dec 28, 2010 -
74 comments
F for Fake (French: Vérités et mensonges) is the last major film completed by Orson Welles, who directed, co-wrote, and starred in the film. Initially released in 1974, it focuses on Elmyr de Hory's recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory's story serves as the backdrop for a fast-paced, meandering investigation of the natures of authorship and authenticity, as well as the basis of the value of art. Loosely a documentary, the film operates in several different genres and has been described as a kind of film essay. [more inside]
posted by KokuRyu
on Sep 5, 2010 -
26 comments
Seventy years ago today was the original broadcast of "The War of the Worlds". Listen to it, uninterrupted,
here. The program reportedly caused a mass panic across much of the Northeast.
[more inside]
posted by backseatpilot
on Oct 30, 2008 -
13 comments
The Other Side of the Wind is the
lost last film of Orson Welles, a reputed
unseen masterpiece, that may
finally see the light of day in late 2008. The film tells the story of Jake Hannaford (played by
John Huston), an aging movie director who has to film a low budget sex-and-symbolism flick to avoid getting overtaken by the
Movie Brats of the Spielberg/Coppola generation. After providing voiceovers to two documentaries on the
Persepolis ceremonies of 1971 and an intimate portrait of
the Shah of Iran, Welles obtained
Iranian financing to finish The Other Side of the Wind. Unfortunately, after
the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the bank accounts of his Iranian financier were seized, which led to the negatives for the film getting locked in a French vault. After Orson Welles died in 1985, his lover/collaborator
Oja Kodar had to settle his estate with Orson's estranged (but never divorced) wife
Paola Mori. There the matter might have rested, if not for an unfortunate coincidence. (More inside.)
posted by jonp72
on Apr 15, 2007 -
50 comments
Orson Welles may be best known as the director and star of
Citizen Kane, but before he made movies he was a star of the radio. Although he gained notoriety by narrating
War of the Worlds in 1938, he was also the voice of
Lamont Cranston,
The Shadow, and had a successful run as the
creator and star of the
Mercury Theater On The Air, which, after gaining sponsorship, became known as the
Campbell Playhouse. Even after the heyday of radio, Welles provided his voice for
The Black Museum series (based on real-life cases from the files of Scotland Yard), and
The Lives of Harry Lime, a prequel to his role in the film
The Third Man.
posted by supercrayon
on Jan 10, 2007 -
38 comments
Life Beyond Earth and the Mind of Man. Direct Google Video link to a fruitcake-tastic half-hour film of "a symposium held at Boston University on November 20, 1972 that explores the implications of the possible existence of extraterrestrial life within the galaxy and the universe. " Well worth scrubbing through for some good moments if you don't have time to watch the whole thing.
Other cool old NASA videos on google video include
Who's Out There?, starring a cigar smoking Orson Welles squinting a lot and reading off the cue cards, and
Debrief: Apollo 8: "Happiness is bacon squares for breakfast".
posted by 6am
on May 11, 2006 -
7 comments
War of the Worlds (this is not about Bush) Don't own a television? Want an alternative? Live performance, live orchestra, no net. October 30, 2002 8-9 PM Eastern. Glenn Beck recreates Orson Welles chilling performance that captivated a nation along with full orchestrations and foley effects.
this is a radio broadcast
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors
on Oct 29, 2002 -
6 comments
Magnificent Wellesian Flop to Be Remade as Mini-Series Ok, have I got something for you. Well, I think so. Actually, the title could have read : "Teenagers ruin Orson Welles' carrier", or there are a couple of other ideas, not going to bore you with them.
A&E to remake The Magnificent Ambersons at $14 mil, it will star Madeleine Stowe, Jennifer Tilly, James Cromwell, Jonathan Rhys-Myers and Thora Birch (Talk about a bad cast. Tilly? Each!)
"For those who don't
know, Welles' second film was cut by over 40 minutes (mostly at the end)
by order of his studio while he was away making (or trying to make)
"It's All True" in Brazil. The loss of these 40 minutes is generally
considered one of the great tragedies in film history, as much for the
effect on Welles' subsequent career as for the masterpiece that might
have been. (Not that it isn't a masterpiece of sorts, as it is.)"
Problems with this? Chances are that the original Welles script will be buried under too much new content. Then again, We could see the 40 minutes worth of cut content (Damn Teenagers). A&E claims that they have the technology and the resources to make the script better, stronger, and more agile with better reflexes than befoure. Heh. I'm goofy that way.
posted by tiaka
on Jul 31, 2000 -
3 comments
