Moonlight (2016 film)

Based on the semi-biographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Moonlight is the story of the life of a man told in three different period in time as a boy, a teenager, and as a young adult as he copes with his sexual identity and his troubled family life and environment. Written for the screen and directed by Barry Jenkins from a screen story by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the film is a coming-of-age story that is told in an unconventional style that play into a boy’s growth into a man. Starring Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali. Moonlight is an evocative and ravishing film from Barry Jenkins.

Set largely in the Liberty City ghettos of Miami, the film follows the life of a young boy named Chiron who would later endure all sorts of struggles with his identity and environment in the course of three different periods. It’s a film that play into these different periods in Chiron’s life where he lives in the ghetto trying to survive yet is facing a much bigger prejudice for the fact that he might be gay. Barry Jenkins’ screenplay uses a simple three-act structure to play into Chiron’s life as the first act is about the adolescent Chiron as he’s called Little (Alex Hibbert) with the second act is about him as a teenager (Ashton Sanders), and the third act where he’s an adult (Trevante Rhodes). The first act has Little meet up with this drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) who finds him at an abandoned crack house after being chased by bullies. Juan would be a guide to Little as he teaches him how to swim and lead his own path in life despite the verbal abuse and neglect he gets from his mother Paula (Naomie Harris) who is becoming a crack addict.

The second act has the teenage Chiron feeling lost both in his direction and in his identity where he is bullied by a schoolmate in Terrel (Patrick Decile) and whatever money Juan’s girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae) gives him would often go to his mother to support her addiction. The second act also play into Chiron’s friendship with Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) as they were schoolmates when they were kids as it would lead to some revelations for Chiron but also heartbreak. The third act is about the adult Chiron living in Atlanta where he takes the nickname Black that Kevin used to call him as he’s a big-time drug dealer with a sense of uncertainty until he receives a call from the adult Kevin (Andre Holland) that would force him to return to Miami.

Jenkins’ direction doesn’t exactly go for anything that is stylistic other than a few flowing hand-held camera shots yet it does manage to maintain a sense of beauty through its approach to grittiness. Shot on location in the Liberty City section of Miami with a few parts of the film shot in Atlanta, Jenkins’ uses the location as an important area that is known for its crime and drug culture while it’s a world that has great demands for kids and adults to be tough. For Little, it’s a bigger hurdle in not just being black in the ghetto but much more dangerous in being a young African-American kid in the ghetto who is gay. There are wide shots in Jenkins’ direction yet it’s more about creating a mood through the compositions he is creating as well as these events that would shape the life of Chiron. One notable scene at Juan’s home with Teresa is where Little asks about being called a faggot where it is presented with a simplicity but also with some low-key dramatic tension. Even as Juan is forced to realize the faults of masculinity among African-Americans as he also has to deal with the fact that he’s played a part in Little’s troubled relationship with his mother.

The second act has Jenkins take on something far more unpredictable but also in its approach to violence where the teenage Chiron has to take a stand but also see the horror of how much his mother’s addiction has become. There is also this moment on the beach as the scenes of the beach are this recurring symbol of serenity and peace that Chiron craves for. Even in the first act where Juan teaches Little how to swim as it’s this world that he can escape into while the second act has him and Kevin in an intimate scene that would mark a major change in their friendship. The film’s third act does feel more up to date but Jenkins would also change the tone a bit into something that is looser but also with elements of stylish images that play into Black’s sense of longing. Even as his meeting with the adult Kevin play into not just nostalgia but also regret into the life he was accepted for who he is. Overall, Jenkins crafts a majestic yet intoxicating film about the life of a boy becoming a man in three different parts of his life.

Cinematographer James Laxton does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of naturalistic and colorful lights for much of the film’s daytime exterior scenes is matched with its usage of filters and stylish lights for the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editors Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon do amazing work with the editing as its usage of slow-motion and other stylish cuts play into the drama with Sanders doing the film’s first two acts while McMillon does the film’s third act to create a different tone for each section. Production designer Hannah Beachler, with set decorator Regina McLarney and art director Mabel Barba, does excellent work with the look of the home that Juan and Teresa live in as well as the different homes Chiron would stay in.

Costume designer Caroline Eselin does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the school uniforms that Little would wear along with some of the clothes that Paula wore. Sound editors Joshua Adeniji and Benjamin L. Cook do brilliant work with the film’s sound as it help convey the atmosphere of the location along with the sound of waves in nearby location as it brings a calm to the dramatic moments of the film. The film’s music by Nicholas Britell is phenomenal for its rich and mesmerizing orchestral-based score with lush string arrangements that play into the drama and chaos that Chiron endures for much of his life as it’s a score that is devastating yet serene in its presentation while music supervisor Maggie Phillips creates a soundtrack that mixes hip-hop and soul music from artists like Aretha Franklin, Boris Gardiner, Goodie Mob, Barbara Lewis, Erykah Badu, OG Ron C, and DJ Candlestick.

The casting by Yesi Ramirez is great as it feature some notable small roles from Patrick Decile as the teenage Chiron’s bully Terrel, Shariff Earp as one of Juan’s dealers in Terrence, and Stephon Bron as a dealer for Black. Janelle Monae is fantastic as Teresa as Juan’s girlfriend who is a maternal figure of sorts for the young Chiron as she is also someone who is stern yet reveal the things that Chiron needs to do to be a good person in life. Naomie Harris is brilliant as Chiron’s mother Paula as a nurse whose addiction to crack leads to neglect and abuse on Chiron as she is also someone that is desperate and full of hate while becoming remorseful in the film’s third act. Mahershala Ali is amazing as Juan as a Cuban-born drug dealer who becomes a father-figure to Chiron as he also becomes troubled by Paula’s addiction while he also deals with some of the issues he’s created for the people around him.

In the role of Chiron’s friend Kevin Jones, the trio of Jaden Piner, Jharrel Jerome, and Andre Holland are incredible in their respective roles as the child, teenage, and adult versions of the character with Piner as the young Kevin trying to help Little be tough and cool. Jerome provides a charisma and coolness to the teenage Kevin as someone trying to be accepted in school but also make a discovery of his own in his friendship with Chiron. Holland’s performance is more reserved as a man trying to live a good life where he is somewhat content with where he’s going while being concerned about who Chiron has become.

In the roles of Chiron, the performances of Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes are phenomenal in their portrayals of this young boy who would become a man with Hibbert displaying a troubled innocence as the young Chiron in Little as he doesn’t say much but manages to convey so much through his face. Sanders’ performance as the teenage Chiron has elements of restrained but also a melancholia as someone struggling with his identity and being bullied where this emergence of rage would come out. Rhodes’ performance as the adult Chiron known as Black is low-key in its emotions as someone who is trying not to think about the past but also cope with his experiences in life as well as deal with his own loneliness and regrets in his life.

Moonlight is a tremendous film from Barry Jenkins. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, an entrancing music score and soundtrack, realistic settings, and a touching coming-of-age story told in three different periods in time. It’s a film that explores a man trying to come to terms with his identity as well as the world around him as a boy, teenager, and a man as it’s told in a rich and intoxicating style. In the end, Moonlight is an outstanding film from Barry Jenkins.

Barry Jenkins Films: Medicine for Melancholy – If Beale Street Could Talk - (The Underground Railroad (2021 Limited TV Series)) - (Mufasa: The Lion King)

© thevoid99 2018

Coco (2017 film)

Directed by Lee Unkrich and screenplay by Unkrich and Adrian Molina from a story by Unkrich, Molina, Matthew Aldrich, and Jason Katz, Coco is the story of a 12-year old boy whose encounter with mysterious ghostly spirits accidentally transports him to the Land of the Dead where he tries to find his great-great-grandfather to return him to the living world. Inspired by the Mexican holiday in the Day of the Dead, the film is look of a boy wanting to know about his family’s roots as well as those who lived before his time. Featuring the voices of Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguia, and Edward James Olmos. Coco is a rapturous and touching film from Lee Unkrich.

Set in a small town in Mexico just before the Day of the Dead, the film is about a 12-year old boy who has a love for music and idolizes a famed musician despite his family’s hatred for it as it relates to some family secrets where the boy later encounters the spirit where he finds himself in the Land of the Dead. It’s a film that play into a boy who has a love for music but doesn’t want to upset his family as he’s trying to keep it a secret. The film's screenplay by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina follows the journey that Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) embarks on as he lives with a large family who makes shoes at their small town but they have a disdain for music dating back to their ancestors when Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left his wife Imelda (Alanna Ubach) to pursue a music career as Miguel believes his great-great-grandfather is the famed musician Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt).

Wanting to participate in a talent contest, Miguel runs away from his family where he tries to borrow de la Cruz’s guitar from his tomb as he finds himself in the Land of the Dead where he would meet his relatives including his great-great grandmother Imelda who tries to get him to return only if he doesn’t become a musician. The script has Miguel not just learn about family’s importance but also what it means to be great musician where he meets a dead trickster in Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) who claims to know de la Cruz where they make a deal as Hector is eager to go to the land of the living to visit his daughter in the hopes he won’t be forgotten. During their journey together, Miguel would learn some big secrets about his family as well as why Imelda and Coco were abandoned as they reach de la Cruz’s home where he’s having his annual ceremony as more revelations occur about Miguel and his family.

Lee Unkrich’s direction is definitely astonishing in terms of the world he creates of the living as well as the Land of the Dead where it has a lot of attention to detail about the holiday that is the Day of the Dead. With the animation directors Guilherme Sauerbronn Jacinto and Nickolas Rosario, along with animation supervisors Gini Cruz Santos and Michael Venturini, Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina provide a look and tone that play into this air of tradition that is celebrated annually in Mexico. It’s a celebration of loved ones who aren’t around anymore as pictures and murals are presented with the living offering food or something special where the spirits of the dead would take it as they cross over from the Land of the Dead to the world of the living as spirits. When Miguel takes a strum of de la Cruz’s guitar, it would transport him to the Land of the Dead as it’s a world that is about the celebration of life where Unkrich’s compositions in its wide and medium shots capture it with such grand detail.

The direction also create these compositions and matching images as it play into the movies that de la Cruz starred in as well as what Miguel would match as he plays music like the man whom he believes is his great-great grandfather. The animation takes great attention to detail in some of the spiritual creatures that Miguel meets as a street dog named Dante would join him in the journey who seems to know more than he lets on. The meeting between Miguel and de la Cruz is tremendous in its scale but it also play into secrets about Miguel’s family including his great-grandmother Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguia) whose memory is fading away. It adds to the stakes of what Miguel has to do to get home with the help of his deceased relatives who deal with revelations about their misfortunes. Even as they have to accept the power of music that can bring someone back to life and bring a family together. Overall, Unkrich and Molina create a dazzling yet heartfelt film about a boy whose love for music brings him into a journey to the dead in order to help his family.

Cinematographers Matt Aspbury and Danielle Feinberg do amazing work with the look of the lighting and backgrounds of some of the interiors at the places in the Land of the Dead including de la Cruz’s home with its usage of colorful lighting and shades. Editors Lee Unkrich and Steve Bloom do excellent work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic cuts help play into the drama and humor with some flashback montages to establish key moments in the film. Production designer Harley Jessup and art director Tim Evatt do incredible work with the look of the buildings and the bridge of orange petals with help from visual effects supervisor Michael O’Brien in adding some textures including the look of the old movies starring de la Cruz.

Sound designer Christopher Boyes does amazing work with the sound as it help play into the way a guitar string is tuned as well as the sounds of the spirit creatures in the Land of the Dead. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is phenomenal for its mixture of lush orchestral music and traditional-based Mexican mariachi music that play into the drama and sense of adventure as the music soundtrack that is cultivated by music supervisor Tom MacDougall feature an array of original songs composed Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Germaine Franco and Adrian Molina with Michael Giacchino, and some traditional pieces as the music is a major highlight of the film.

The casting by Carla Hool, Natalie Lyon, and Kevin Reher is superb as it feature some notable small roles and voice appearances from Pixar regular John Ratzenberger as dental patient crossing over to the land of the living, Natalia Cordova-Buckley as the famed artist Frida Kahlo, Carla Medina as the departure agent, Cheech Marin as a corrections officer, Gabriel Iglesias as a clerk working at the Land of the Dead, Lombardo Boyar in a dual role as a mariachi Miguel meets in his small town and a musician from the Land of the Dead, Luis Valdez in a dual role as Miguel’s uncle Tio Berto and Don Hidalgo, Sofia Espinosa and Jaime Camil as Miguel’s parents, Herbert Siguenza as Miguel’s late identical twin uncles in Tios Oscar and Felipe, Selene Luna as Miguel’s late aunt Tia Rosita, and Alfonso Arau as Miguel’s late great-grandfather/Coco’s husband in Papa Julio.

Edward James Olmos is terrific as Hector’s friend Chicharron who lives in a world of those who are being forgotten where Miguel learns about Hector’s fate if he is to be forgotten. Ana Ofelia Murguia is wonderful in her brief role as Miguel’s great-grandmother Coco as a woman whom Miguel spends a lot of time with as he’s convinced she’s waiting for someone. Renee Victor is fantastic as Miguel’s grandmother who runs the family shoemaking shop as well as be the family’s lead enforcer in ensuring that music isn’t around the family. Alanna Ubach is brilliant as Miguel’s great-great-grandmother Mama Imelda who is also Coco’s mother as a woman that is trying to get Miguel home but also carries some family secrets about why she dislikes music where she later is forced to deal with the revelations that tore her family apart.

Benjamin Bratt is amazing as Ernesto de la Cruz as the famed singer who was considered the greatest artist in all of Mexico as he is believed to be Miguel’s great-great-grandfather where he’s a man that loves what he does but is ambiguous about how he became so famous. Gael Garcia Bernal is incredible as Hector as a trickster that is trying to cross to the land of the living to see someone important whom he believes would remember him as he helps Miguel to find de la Cruz as he claims to know him leading to some major revelations for Miguel. Finally, there’s Anthony Gonzalez in a sensational performance as Miguel as 12-year old boy that loves music and wants to play music where he finds himself in the Land of the Dead and hopes to get the blessing of the man he believes is his great-great-grandfather to become a musician so he can return to the land of the living where he would learn the importance of family as well as sacrifice.

Coco is an outstanding film from Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina. Featuring a great ensemble cast, rapturous visuals, a heartfelt music soundtrack, and touching themes about the importance of family. It’s unquestionably one of Pixar’s best films but also a film that manages to embody the idea of family and how to celebrate those who are no longer around but remain alive in spirit and through love. In the end, Coco is a magnificent film from Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina.

Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug's Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) – (Finding Nemo) – The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Monsters University - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) – (Cars 3) – The Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - Soul (2020 film) - (Luca (2021 film)) - Turning Red - (Lightyear) - (Elemental (2023 film)) - Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)

© thevoid99 2018

Monty Python's Life of Brian

Directed by Terry Jones and written and starring Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin), Monty Python’s Life of Brian is the story of a young man who is born on the same day as Jesus Christ at the hut next door where he is later mistaken to be a messianic figure. The film is a satire of sorts that discusses some of the fallacies of religion as well as ideas of faith and life itself. Also starring Python cohorts Carol Cleveland and Neil Innes along with Terence Blayer and Sue Jones-Davies. Monty Python’s Life of Brian is an outrageous yet hilarious film from Monty Python.

It’s 33 A.D. Judea where a young man whose disdain for the Romans has him join a group only to get himself into a series of misadventures where he is mistaken to be a messiah as people listen to him and misinterpret what he’s saying. That is what the film is about as it play into people trying to find some meaning in life while creating their own interpretations into its ideas as a young man is caught in the middle of all of this chaos as well as a conflict between Romans and various anti-Roman factions. The film’s screenplay by the Monty Python troupe focuses largely on this young man in Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) who was born on the same day at a hut next to Jesus Christ where three wise men mistake him for the Messiah on his birth date only to realize it’s the wrong baby.

Brian is smitten with a young woman in Judith Iscariot (Sue Jones-Davies) who is part of anti-Roman faction in the People’s Front of Judea who spent more time coming up with ideas and arguing amongst with one another and other separate factions rather than fight the Romans. Brian would prove himself for PFJ yet an attempted invasion of the home of Pontius Pilate (Michael Palin) would go wrong with Brian get himself into these misadventures involving aliens and all sorts of shit. The script play into these ideas of faith and religion and how they can be misinterpreted and used for the wrong reasons with Brian being a martyr and scapegoat of sorts when he never did anything wrong. Even to the point that his mother (Terry Jones) tries to tell his followers that he is not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.

Terry Jones’ direction definitely plays with the ideas that is expected with religious iconography and imagery while infusing it with some humor. Shot on location in Tunisia, the film does play into the period of those times where it opens with the three wise men going into a hut where Brian’s mother is watching after her newborn baby thinking it’s the Messiah only to realize it’s at the next hut. The film would also feature Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount where it is presented in a medium shot and then the camera pulls back into a wide shot as it play into this historical moment yet there’s people shouting “speak up” as they misinterpret what he’s saying leading a funny moment of confusion. While much of Jones’ compositions in the close-ups, medium, and wide shots are straightforward with some long takes to play into the humor. It still add to this offbeat humor where scenes such as an old man being stoned for saying Jehovah’s name with women dressed up as men wearing fake beards or an argument among the PFJ about the Romans where some reminded that Romans brought many things to Judea.

Jones’ direction also play into this air of absurdity about the idea of messianic figures where there’s a street in Judea of a row of messiahs trying to spread their ideas while Brian is trying to hide from the Romans at the PFJ’s secret compound. Jones also play into some of the silliness of the Roman empire as Pontius Pilate is a man with a bad speech impediment while there’s other things that do make the Romans somewhat incompetent. It is all about these ideas of people trying to follow an idea or look for something to be guided by yet Brian is trying to say some of the most sensible things out there in a world where no one has any common sense. Overall, Jones crafts a witty yet whimsical film about a young man who is mistaken as the Messiah.

Cinematographer Peter Biziou does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in its usage of natural lighting as well as some stylish bits for some of the scenes at night that help play into the atmosphere of the locations. Editor Julian Doyle does excellent work with the editing as it uses rhythmic cuts to play into the humor as well as some of the absurd aspects of the film. Animation/production designer Terry Gilliam and art director Roger Christian do amazing work with the look of the homes of a few of the characters as well as some of the exteriors of the Roman buildings while Gilliam’s animation for the film’s opening credits and a sequence of Brian briefly meeting aliens is just hilarious. Costume designers Charles Knode and Hazel Pethig do fantastic work with the look of the Roman uniforms and robes to the more ragged look of the common folk including some of the more posh look of some of the rich people in Judea.

Hair/makeup designers Elaine Carew and Maggie Weston do terrific work with the look of the wigs and hairstyle of the characters as well as the fake beards the women wear to participate in the stoning. Sound recordist Garth Marshall does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of some of the sermons as well as the chaos that goes in involving large crowds. The film’s music by Geoffrey Burgon is wonderful for its mixture of bombastic orchestral music that is synonymous of biblical films while it features a couple of original songs including its theme presented in a style similar to James Bond films and the playful Always Look on the Bright Side of Life that play up into the idea of existence and life itself.

The film’s incredible cast include some notable small roles and appearances from Spike Milligan as a prophet speaking with other prophets, John Young as the watchmen for the PFJ, Neil Innes as a weedy Samaritan, Gwen Taylor as the wife of Big Nose, Terence Bayler and Carol Cleveland as a rich couple in Mr. and Mrs. Gregory respectively, Kenneth Colley as Jesus Christ, and one of the film’s executive producers and financiers in George Harrison in a cameo appearance as a mount owner in Mr. Papadopoulos. Sue Jones-Davies is fantastic as Judith Iscariot as a member of the PFJ who falls for Brian as she tries to make sense of all of the chaos while believing that Brian is doing some good for the world.

In multiple role, the members of Monty Python all do tremendous work in the multiple characters they play with Terry Gilliam as a man misinterpreting what Jesus said as well as small roles as a dirty prophet, a follower of Brian, a jailer, and a deaf aide of the crucifixion ceremony. Terry Jones’ performances as a silent holy man who fails his vow of silence, a saintly passerby who stupidly carries someone else’s cross, and Brian’s mother is hilarious with him being at his funniest as Brian’s mother. Eric Idle is great in the various roles as PFJ member Stan who wants to be a woman named Loretta, a Jewish prankster, a haggler, the woman who threw the first stone, a dumb youth, a member of the crucifixion ceremony, and a man crucified who leads the sing-a-long.

Michael Palin’s performances as a man named Big Nose, an ex-leper, one of the wise men, a prophet that doesn’t say anything exciting, a member of the PFJ, and other various roles including Pontius Pilate with a speech impediment is just so funny in the way he makes Pilate look like a fool. John Cleese is amazing in the roles of one of the wise men, a high priest who organizes the stoning, a centurion leader, an overzealous follower of Brian, and PFJ leader Reg who tries to get some ideas going only to not go through with them. Finally, there’s Graham Chapman in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as this young man who is mistaken as a messiah while trying to rebel against the Romans while Chapman also does some funny brief roles as one of the wise men and Pilate’s friend Biggus Dickus.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian is an outstanding film from Monty Python. Featuring gorgeous visuals, soaring music, amazing set design, a great cast, and compelling themes about faith, religion, and the faults of humanity using faith in the worst ways. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to take shots at some of the ideas of religion and do it in a way that is extremely funny. In the end, Monty Python’s Life of Brian is a tremendous film from Terry Jones and Monty Python.

Monty Python Films: (And Now for Something Completely Different) – Monty Python and the Holy Grail - (Live at the Hollywood Bowl) – Monty Python's the Meaning of Life - (Almost the Truth (Lawyer’s Cut))

© thevoid99 2018

Thursday Movie Picks (TV Edition): Comedies

For the 52nd and final week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. We close the year with a simple subject for TV in TV comedies. There’s shows that many people like to watch as I’m going to focus on TV sketch comedies. Here are my three picks.

1. Monty Python’s Flying Circus




From 1969 to 1974 comes the mother…. or father…. Or…. Godfather…. YES! YES! Godfather of sketch comedies. Five British men and an American animator create a show that is undoubtedly one of the silliest, stupidest, offensive…. STOP THAT! STOP THAT! Let’s try that again…. A show with dead parrots, cross-dressing lumberjacks, silly walks, upper-class twits of the year, philosophical footballers, fish-slapping contests, and all sorts of shit. There’s two kinds of people when it comes to Monty Python. Those who love and those who hate it. The ones who hate it are practically fucking dumb.

2. In Living Color




From Keenan Ivory Wayans comes one of the greatest sketch comedy shows ever made as it gave audiences more of the Wayans in Damon, Shawn, Marlon, and Kim as well as introduce audiences to Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx. A show that for the first three-four seasons had no boundaries in what they wanted to do and who they wanted to insult. Yet, it was too much for FOX to handle prompting the Wayans to be gone after the fourth season leading a fifth season that had Foxx, Carrey, Tommy Davidson, and David Alan Grier to carry on with all that was left. Yet, it is one of the best as it had no bounds in what they wanted to do whether it had gay film critics, a pyromaniac, gossiping old ladies, music video parodies, an ugly-ass woman, and all sorts of shit.

3. House of Buggin’




From John Leguizamo comes a sketch show that only lasted one month from FOX before they cancelled it and later turned it into MAD TV with the only white guy from Leguizamo’s show to appear on the series. Yet, it was a show that was severely underrated as it focused on attracting a Latino audience where it was a place for Leguizamo to do funny things that also included Luis Guzman as a regular. It had all sorts of silly stuff involving gang members, a Mariachi band saying insulting things, parodies, and all sorts of crazy shit that was pretty much ahead of its time.

© thevoid99 2018

Blog News: Blog Plans for 2019

2018 is now coming to an end as it's been a crazy though fruitful year as I've managed to do a lot though not everything has been fulfilled. There has been a few things that I've been unable to achieve and do while there's a lot of others around me that's also preventing me from fulfilling these goals. Still, there's a lot that I want to do but I'm once again going to take a step back further and not do as much. Largely because I'm going to be an uncle next year and that's going to be much more important though I still hope to have the time to watch films and such.

On the music front, The Void-Go-Round is still alive but it's been dormant for a while as I do plan on finishing up the entire Nine Inch Nails discography as well as related work from NIN. After that, I hope to do more into the works of such bands/artists as Radiohead, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Velvet Underground, XTC, Joy Division/New Order, Led Zeppelin, and many others of groups/acts that I really love. That is pretty much it as it's just something I'm going to every once in a while.

In the world of film, I didn't fulfill everything I wanted to do though I did see a lot of great films in 2018 as I hope to see much as I can based on my never-ending DVR list as well as what is on TV, my local library, and the Internet. Now that the 2018 Blind Spot Series has been fulfilled and the time is once again ready for the next Blind Spot Series for 2019 as I have more than half of the films available right now. There is still a lot that I hope to do based on the following:

Finish up on a few unfinished projects such as Twin Peaks and The Story of Film.

Finish up on certain period of filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard, Roberto Rossellini, Martin Scorsese, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, and several others.

Do more films by women based on the 52 Films by Women pledge and reach the goal of 52 films.

Watch an array of different films and genres from all sorts of place to diversify.

That is pretty much it as I'm trying to take on smaller things but also fulfill some long-gestating goals as there's some things I still want to do but it's likely I'm going to do another time. I'm still going to do the Cannes Marathon from May 14-25 during the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as well as contribute to the Thursday Movie Picks series and my traditional horrors/suspense month in October. I'm still unsure about the Favorite Film series as my attempts to restart it hasn't gone well as I'm just waiting to really be inspired so that is on hold once again. One possible project I might do is again outside the box for me as I'm thinking of doing a summer-based marathon relating to the works of Andy Sidaris who is known for these B-movies with Playboy Playmates and such. I have a DVD box set of most of his work though I'm unsure if I plan on doing the project.

Then there's the Auteurs series as I'm once again scaling back this time around due to the extensive work I did on Orson Welles. I've covered some major figures and giants but no one was as challenging as Welles where it was supposed to be finished in October but it ended up being much longer than that. I'm glad the Welles piece is finished but the next person that was supposed to be the next subject of the Auteurs series in David Lean is now being pushed to November/December of 2019. Doing two titans in a row is too much and extremely demanding for me as I'm likely to not have the time to do that. Pushing Lean towards the end of next year can give me a chance to breathe and more time to seek and watch a few of his films that aren't widely available. For 2019, I'm going to do six filmmakers as it's going to be a bi-monthly thing from now on as I can have more time to work on the essays and explore a filmmaker's body of work. Here are the six filmmakers I will be discussing for 2019:

January/February-David O. Russell

March/April-Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

May/June-Kelly Reichardt

July/August-J.C. Chandor

September/October-Michael Mann

November/December-David Lean

That is all for what is ahead in 2019. Let's just hope it'll be a good year.

© thevoid99 2018

The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles (Part 2)

(Part 2: 1958-1985 and beyond)

Touch of Evil

Following a long period in Europe and the desire to return to America, Welles would appear on the hit TV show I Love Lucy in 1956 for an appearance as well as act in Jack Arnold’s western Man of the Shadow. The film’s producer Albert Zugman enjoyed what Welles had done in the film as he approached him in starring in a project based on Whit Masterson’s novel Badge of Evil that would also star Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh. Welles would play the role of the Hank Quinlan while Zugman was searching for someone to direct the film as Heston suggested Welles should direct it. Welles agreed to direct only if he would re-write the script as Zugman agreed to Welles’ demands as Welles would reunite with cinematographer Russell Metty from The Stranger while also getting Akim Tamiroff as a drug lord’s brother and a cameo from Joseph Cotten as a coroner.

The cast would also include an array of actors including Joseph Calleia as Quinlan’s partner, Mercedes McCambridge as a hoodlum, Dennis Weaver as a motel night clerk, Zsa Zsa Gabor as a strip club impresario, and Marlene Dietrich in a small role as the brothel madam Tanya as he casting shocked Zugman and many others. Welles decided to rehearse with the cast just weeks before the shooting began in mid-1957 as Welles wanted their input while writing the script to give the film a sense of realism even though the story is more akin to film noir. While Welles knew that the film is being presented as a B-movie rather than a Hollywood release which meant having to use a smaller budget and appeal to niche audience. Welles did have ideas of wanting to stray from the B-movie conventions while wanting to keep the $829,000 budget intact.

Among these ideas was the film’s opening tracking shot that lasted three-minutes and twenty-seconds which was an elaborate scene shot in wide and medium shots on a camera crane as it remain uninterrupted on a single take. It’s a moment that allowed Welles to create something that would feel different while also emphasizing on the attention to detail in scenes as it would help play into the suspense and drama. While Welles had misgivings about Heston playing the role of a Mexican narcotics officer, Heston was able to provide the sense of morality in his role as Vargas as a man trying to do what is right as opposed to Welles’ performance as Quinlan who has his own ideas of justice as he represents a man that is becoming more out of step with the times. Welles finished a rough cut of the film in late 1957 hoping it would put him back in the good graces of Hollywood but the film’s distributor in Universal-International were not impressed as they brought in Harry Keller for re-shoots without Welles’ consent though he did leave behind a 58-page memo about his final version of the film which Universal-International threw away.

The film in its 93-minute running time was released in February of 1958 where it received mixed reviews in the U.S. as it was presented as a double-bill with another Zugman production in The Female Animal starring Hedy Lamaar. Though it did OK commercially in America, the film was better received critically and commercially in Europe despite the fact that the film wasn’t presented with what Welles intended. In 1976, Universal Studios found a version at 108-minutes as a version that felt more true to Welles’ version despite the fact that it didn’t look like it had been restored despite its claims. Then in 1998, film preservationist Rick Schmidlin decided to create a restored version with the Universal’s film restoration head Bob O’Neil, and the studio’s vice president of sound operations in Bill Varney that was based on Welles’ 58-page memo. They contacted renowned film editor Walter Murch, known famously for his work with Francis Ford Coppola and Anthony Mingella, as it would have a 111-minute running time as many considered it to be the definitive version of the film.

The Trial

Following the troubled release of Touch of Evil as well as the first of many attempts in trying to produce a version of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Welles would return to Europe to shoot the project while taking on acting jobs to fund his film as well as do a TV series shot in Spain that chronicled the country where de Cervantes’ story was told with wife Paola Mori and daughter Beatrice. The TV project wouldn’t be unveiled until 1964 as Welles was approached by film producer Alexander Salkind about doing an adaptation of any public domain literary work. Originally, Salkind wanted Welles to do Nikolai Golgo’s Taras Bulba but a production of that story was in the works with Yul Brynner in the titular role directed by J. Lee Thompson. Welles instead chose to do Frank Kafka’s story about a man who is accused of a crime he is unaware of as he’s targeted by a futuristic society.

Though Kafka’s story was not available for public domain making the property rights difficult to obtain, Salkind was able to get permission for the film to be made with Welles having complete control of the film as he would play a small role as the Advocate after Jackie Gleason turned down the part. With financing coming from various sources in Europe, Welles felt the film’s setting should be in Europe as he would have a diverse cast of actors to be in the film with Anthony Perkins in the lead role of Josef K. Along with Welles regular Akim Tamiroff, the cast would include Elsa Martinelli, Romy Schneider, and Jeanne Moreau in small roles as the collection of talent provided Welles with a lot of confidence in what he wanted to do. Welles got the services of cinematographer Edmund Richard and production designer Jacques Mandaroux to help him with the visuals as Welles wanted to create something that played into the imagery of Kafka’s novel while taking a few liberties with Kafka’s story to play into his own interpretation. Realizing that shooting in one city isn’t suitable for the story, Welles decided to shoot the film on various locations in Europe such as Rome, Milan, Paris, Zagreb, and Dubrovinik to give the film a mixture of old-school European architecture mixed in with this new futuristic world that is emerging.

Welles wanted to create something that is visually stylistic as well as play into the paranoia and confusion that Josef K. endures as he has no idea what he’s being accused of. Notably in some striking compositions such as Josef running through a hallway along with the shots of offices where Welles had 850 secretaries typing on 850 typewriters to create this abstract yet offbeat look for the film. While Salkind was unable to get some capital for the financing in securing a Parisian studio for the interiors, Welles was able to use the abandoned Gare d’Orsay railway station for the sets as it played into the many lessons Welles had done in filming with limited resources. Even as he used to his advantage given that he was also working on a modest 650 million Francs ($1.3 million in 1962 currency) for its budget.

The film was supposed to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the fall of 1962 but Welles wasn’t finished as it finally premiered in Paris on December of 1962. The film would divide critics as some loved Welles’ visual style and abstract ideas while others had issues with what Welles had done with Kafka’s story. The film was a hit in France as well as being well-received in Europe with Welles winning a best film award from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics in 1965. The film’s U.S. release came in 1963 where it didn’t really go anywhere yet the film would later find an audience with some critics calling it one of Welles’ best films.

Chimes at Midnight

While working on other projects, Welles met Spanish film producer Emiliano Piedra about doing a project in Spain that would be financially beneficial. Welles wanted to do a Shakespearean project but Piedra believed it wouldn’t work instead convincing Welles to do a film version of Treasure Island. Welles agreed to do it while also working on his new project that Welles had first staged in 1939 and had performed again in 1960 to great acclaim. While Welles would fool Piedra in thinking he was doing production for both the Shakespeare film and Treasure Island, Welles focused more on the former as he would play the role of Falstaff as the project was based on various plays of William Shakespeare and Ralph Holinshed’s Holinshed’s Chronicles. Welles would use the limited $800,000 budget to design the costumes himself as well as write, star, and direct while he was able to get a massive ensemble to appear in the film including Sir John Gielgud, Keith Baxter, Margaret Rutherford, Jeanne Moreau, Norman Rodway, Marina Vlady, and Fernando Rey as well as Ralph Richardson to do the narration.

Production began in September of 1964 and end in April of 1965 with breaks during December through late February as Moreau and Gielgud had to work on limited days due to other commitments while Rutherford was on set for four weeks. Working with cinematographer Edmond Richard and production designer Mariano Erdozia for the film as it was shot on location in Spain. The production went through difficulties with Welles low on finances forcing the production to be halted during the breaks until Welles was able to get money from film producer Harry Saltzman to finish the film that involved Keith Baxter’s monologues as he plays the role of Prince Hal who is caught between two men he admire who are trying to influence his decisions.

After the shooting finished in April of 1965, plans for the film to premiere a month later at the Cannes Film Festival was delayed as Welles wanted more time to edit as well as work on the film’s sound since it wasn’t recorded properly during production. With the help of Luis Castro, Welles was able to get the film finished where it premiered in Spain in December of 1965. Six months later in France, Welles presented the film at the Cannes Film Festival where Welles won the festival’s 20th Anniversary prize and a technical prize as it was well-received in Europe. A year later, the film was released in the U.S. where despite Harry Saltzman’s involvement to get the film released. It didn’t do well in America critically nor commercially although its reputation would become more favorable in the coming years with some calling it Welles’ best film leading to a widely-successful 2016 restoration following a period of legal issues on who owned the film’s rights.

The Immortal Story

Following a break between films where he did a series of short sketches known as One Man Band that had Welles travel around Europe and play various parts himself. The project would have Welles be accompanied by Olga Palinkas who would be re-named Oja Kodar as she would become not just one of Welles’ closest collaborators but also his life partner while still being married to Paola Mori. Along with an appearance in the James Bond spoof film Casino Royale and Fred Zinneman’s Oscar-award winning film A Man for All Seasons, Welles had interest in working on another project relating to the works of Karen Blixen. Wanting to make a series of films relating to her work, Welles traveled to Hungary to make a film based one of Blixen’s story about a merchant who decides to fulfill a legend by paying a sailor to impregnate a woman for his own pleasure. The film was meant to be part of a two-part anthology film series along with another Blixen story in The Deluge at Nordenay but Welles only had enough money to make one film.

Though he initially wanted to shoot the film in Hungary, Welles ended up shooting the film in the small Spanish town of Chinchon as well as at his own home in Madrid in order to keep the budget low. With a cameo appearance from Fernando Rey, the film would have Welles play the merchant Mr. Clay while its small ensemble included Jeanne Moreau as Miss Virginie, Roger Coggio as Clay’s accountant Elishama Levinsky, and Norman Eshley as the sailor Paul. The shooting began in late 1966 with Welles setting the film in 19th Century Macao as it play into this man wanting a legend to be fulfilled while being aware that he’s dying. Welles chose to use the music of Erik Satie as its score rather than hire a composer to create an original score.

The film premiered on French television in a slightly-shortened version of 48 minutes in French in late May of 1968 that was followed months later in an expanded one-hour version in English for its premiere at the New York Film Festival. Though it was well-received in Europe and was given a lavish premiere in June of 1968 at the Berlin Film Festival. The film wasn’t given a wide release in America though its theatrical release was part of a double-feature bill with Luis Bunuel’s Simon of the Desert as it only attracted an art-house audience. The film would be the last narrative-based film Welles would release in his lifetime just as the filmmaker was venturing into more experimental territory.

Attempted Productions of The Deep and Don Quixote

For much of the late 1960s, Welles would create a series of projects that were unreleased or unfinished such as another Karen Blixen adaptation in The Heroine with Oja Kodar as it was shot on one entire day in April of 1967 with cinematographer Willy Kurant and an inexperienced Hungarian film crew that proved to be problematic making the film lost after Welles left the production after a one-day shoot. It would be one of several projects during the late 1960s that was left unfinished including a dramatic short film version of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice that had Welles in the role of Shylock as it also starred Charles Gray as Antonio. Though the latter would have a premiere in its unfinished version in 2015 despite its restored and reconstructed version, it remains another of many unfinished projects of Welles as he was struggling to get projects made with the limited funding he would have from acting gigs. Among them was an adaptation of Charles Williams’ novel Dead Calm that he would re-name as The Deep which Welles felt would be a film that had a lot of commercial potential.

The project would star Kodar, Jeanne Moreau, Michael Bryant, Laurence Harvey, and Welles as it would be shot sporadically off the coast of Yugoslavia in the course of three years with cinematographer Willy Kurant shooting the film. The production was fraught with financial and technical problems during the sporadic three year shoot as Welles would halt the shooting in 1969 with hopes to come back to it. Yet, it would eventually be shelved due to Laurence Harvey’s death in 1973 as the film never released though footage of the film would be shown in various documentaries about Welles in years after his death.

One major project Welles had been working on since 1957 was an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote that starred Francisco Reiguera in the titular role with Welles regular Akim Tamiroff as Sancho Panza. Rather than make the film with a script, Welles would use the book as an outline wanting to create something that relied more on improvisation rather than the traditional stage and dramatic elements of acting. Early aspects of the production was shot in Mexico but financial reasons would halt the production for the next 12 years as Welles would shoot sporadically with different cinematographers and editors on board to assemble the film. Welles would move production to Spain and Italy as it would include elements of surrealism such as Quixote and Panza riding on the streets of modern-day cities as well as a scene of Panza and the character of Dulcie, who is portrayed by Patty McCormack, watching a film that has Quixote attacking the screen.

Filming ended in early 1969 just before Reiguera’s death in March of that year as Welles would go back and forth into trying to finish a version of the film for a possible release. Yet, Welles was distracted by other projects and such to ever get the film finished as Welles even suggested making a project entitled When Are You Going to Finish Don Quixote? In 1986 just one year after Welles’ death, a portion of existing footage of the film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival that year under the supervision of filmmaker Costa-Gavras as it consisted of 45 minutes of material that was shown. In 1992, Spanish filmmaker Jesus Franco got the permission of Welles’ estate including his longtime partner Oja Kodar in assembling a version of the film that would include new footage Franco would create as the eventual version was poorly-received by audiences and critics during its premiere at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. While there is no word into whether the film would be released publically, the legend of its production would continue to grow among film buffs and filmmakers who believe Welles would’ve made an incredible version of the novel.

F for Fake

Seeing the work that is happening in American cinema, Welles returned to Los Angeles in 1970 where he met cameraman Gary Graver who would become a key collaborator for Welles for much of the 1970s and 1980s as Welles and Oja Kodar took part on a project that became The Other Side of the Wind as would have a sporadic six-year shoot. During a break from the production, Welles was asked by French filmmaker/producer Francois Richenbach to help him make a film about the art forger Elmyr de Hory. With Kodar’s help in writing an outline and script for the documentary, the film would eventually grow into Welles’ own project that he made in France where it took on a life of its own. With Graver on board as a cinematographer as well as direct some scenes with Richenbach and Kodar providing some un-credited work in the directing. Filming on various location in Europe and at the Beverly Hills hotel in Beverly Hills, Welles would create something that played into the art of forgery and the idea of reality and fantasy.

Along with the story on de Hory, Welles would also shoot profiles on Kodar, himself, and author Cliff Irving as he believes that three individuals he’s profiling all have something to offer. Kodar herself who had attracted the attention of artist Pablo Picasso while her grandfather is known to have painted forgeries himself. Welles would also play into the fact that he’s known for playing with the ideas of reality and fantasy where he would film his own magic tricks while having Kodar walk around Paris with men getting a glance at her as they’re unaware they’re being filmed. The material de Hory would show a man who lives in Ibiza creating these forgeries despite the fact that he’s being watched by authorities where de Hory would live a life of being watched until his death in December of 1976 just three years after the film’s premiere.

The story on Cliff Irving would prove to be the most recent and shocking event of the film as it relates to Irving’s claims he met and would write a biography on Howard Hughes. Throughout the entirety of the film, Welles ask big questions and then dares to challenge the audience into everything they had just seen whether it was true or it was false. The film’s presentation definitely played with the form of what a documentary is while Welles would utilize a cutting style with the aid of editors Marie-Sophie Dubus and Dominique Engerer as it would be considered an innovation that would later pre-date the editing style common with 1980s mainstream cinema and music videos.

The film premiered at the 1973 San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain as it confounded audiences and critics into what they were seeing. The reaction polarized audiences while Welles created a nine-minute trailer to appeal to U.S. film studios in distributing the film as it would come out in the U.S. in 1976 but the film didn’t go anywhere upon its release. Like several of Welles’ films from before, the film was considered ahead of its time as it introduced to the concept of the film essay as many would cite the film as a key influence in non-fiction filmmaking.

Filming Othello

A year after the premiere of F for Fake and three years into the on-going production of The Other Side of the Wind, Welles would take a break from the project to create a project that was meant to be a series of film essay documentaries about his experiences in making films. The first of these projects would be a documentary about his time making Othello as he and cinematographer Gary Graver spent nearly three years filming at Welles’ home with a moviola editing machine as Welles talks about his experiences in making the film. The film would also have Welles travel to Venice to discuss his attempts to shoot the film there as well as the many troubles the production went through that forced Welles to create a film that took years to make.

The project would also include a conversation Welles would have with Micheal MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards who both appeared in the film as their footage was shot both in Paris and in Beverly Hills to get insight into their experiences on the production. In 1977, Welles attended a screening of Othello where he did a Q&A as it was filmed where Welles would use the footage to have audiences discuss the film and also dispel myths that had been created about himself. The screening and Q&A session would prove to be an enjoyable experience for Welles who is aware that there are audiences who are still interested in his work.

Produced for West German television, the film made its premiere at the 1978 Berlin Film Festival where it was well-received and lead to a brief limited release a year later in the U.S. as part of a double-bill with a re-release of Othello. The film would be the last completed projects Welles would release in his lifetime as well as the last film shown in theaters that he would see. In 1981, an attempted documentary on the making of The Trial was made following a Q&A screening for the film that Welles and Gary Graver filmed. Yet, Welles never got around to edit the film as he was struggling to juggle various projects and other issues both creatively and personally.

Final Unrealized/Unreleased Projects

Throughout the 1970s and the first half of 1980s, Welles had tried get a bunch of projects going that never came into fruition while his attempts to finish The Other Side of the Wind were hampered by legal issues. While Welles would continue to act in appearing various films and TV projects as well as be offered a key role in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempted production of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Welles would still work on projects of his own as one of them was an unfinished TV special relating to his mastery in magic as it would lead to an unsold TV pilot Welles did in 1979 that was part talk-show and comedy act. Yet, various TV stations were uninterested as the magic projects would remain unfinished and unreleased.

In the early 1980s that was shot in the span of two years was a project that was based on the stories of Karen Blixen. The project entitled The Dreamers, the film would star Oja Kodar and shot by Gary Graver as Welles received support from filmmakers Henry Jaglom and Hal Ashby as the latter had a production company that was interested in Welles work but stopped funding once they read Welles’ script. Welles still did the film at his Hollywood home with Kodar for the span of two years in sporadic moments as it would be a project that was close to Welles’ heart as he worked closely with Kodar whom she had become his closest collaborator and person in his life. The project was put on hold in 1982 as Welles hoped to get more money to create a full-length version as 20 minutes of material with Kodar had been shot. Yet, nothing came on board as the project would remain unreleased and unfinished.

In 1984, Welles made a three-minute short film with Gary Graver shooting the project entitled The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh as it was intended to be a private short film for a longtime friend in accountant Bill Cronshaw who was ill at the time. The short had Welles on a typewriter typing a letter to Cronshaw and quoting journal passages from the famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. The short wasn’t meant to be seen publicly as it was something private for Cronshaw as Welles was also becoming ill by the time of the shoot and its completion. Welles in his remaining years would appear in films, TV, and do voice work including for such films as Transformers: the Movie and an appearance in Henry Jaglom’s film Someone to Love. On October 9, 1985, Welles appeared on The Merv Griffin Show for an interview as he would die the next day at the age of 70 of a heart attack. Less than a year later on August 12, 1986, Welles’ widow Paola Mori died in a car accident just before she and Oja Kodar were making a settlement that eventually lead to Kodar and Welles’ youngest daughter Beatrice to watch over his estate.

The Other Side of the Wind

In the years since Welles’ death, there have been many stories about the making of a comeback Welles was doing in the 1970s as there had been desire by many who were close to Welles that wanted to finish the film as Welles had only 40 minutes of the film completed until legal, financial, and political issues prevented him from finishing it. Upon Welles’ return to Los Angeles in the early 1970s and seeing what Hollywood was becoming, Welles who had this idea dating back in the 1960s about a filmmaker trying to present his comeback film at a screening party in the hopes of getting more money as the day would be his last day in life. Having made friends and admirers who were part of the New Hollywood era that included Henry Jaglom, Dennis Hopper, Peter Bogdanovich, and many others. Welles asked the filmmakers if they would be part of this project as Welles would try and get funding.

With Oja Kodar co-starring in the film as an actress in this movie that this filmmaker is making, Kodar would also co-write the project as she helped Welles come up with a concept of a film-within-a-film as that film would emulate the European films of the 1960s and 1970s that had been dominating the art house circuit. While Welles would film footage with cinematographer Gary Graver from 1970 and 1971 with Bogdanovich playing a cameraman. Welles would get funding from various sources including money from businessman Mehdi Boushehri who was the brother-in-law of the Shah of Iran in the 1970s. Welles would halt productions periodically to get ideas going as he wanted to create something that felt improvisatory with actors given more freedom to act in the film.

Production went into full-swing once John Huston agreed to play the lead role of filmmaker Jake “J.J.” Hannaford after years of trying to find the right person to play the role while comedian Rich Little was cast as Hannaford’s protégé in filmmaker Brooks Otterlake. Little’s inexperience and scheduling conflicts in his work as a comedian forced Welles to get Peter Bogdanovich to play the role with Little making a cameo appearance in the film. The film had a documentary feel to the project as Welles would shoot the film at various locations as well as on studio sets for the film-within-a-film. Production was mired by set-backs due to finances where Welles would present a clip of the film at the American Film Institute in 1975 where he was honored as it was a moment of Welles needing money to finish the film.

In 1976, shooting was finished as Welles would spend time trying to edit the film yet by 1979 as he had forty-minutes of footage completed. Problems emerged with the Iranian Revolution of 1979 with Boushehri out of the picture and legal issues emerged with all of the footage of the film locked in a vault in France forcing Welles to be unable to finish the film. After his death in 1985 where all footage of his unfinished work went to Oja Kodar, attempts to finish the film was mired by legal issues including a lawsuit from Welles’ daughter Beatrice believing it would be disastrous following the troubled 1992 release of Welles’ unfinished version of Don Quixote by Jesus Franco. In 2004, Peter Bogdanovich expressed interests in completing the film with help from cinematographer Gary Graver who had a work-print version of the film as well as other footage yet it would be stalled by legal issues and Graver’s death in 2006.

Finally in 2014 after years of legal battles and ownership rights, plans to finish the film went underway under the supervision of Bogdanovich, producer Frank Marshall who was a unit production manager during the making of the film, and Polish filmmaker Filip Jan Rymsza. With Beatrice Welles and Oja Kodar setting long-standing issues, they gave the trio permission to finish the film as they were aided by film editor Bob Murawski, sound editor/mixer Scott Millan, and visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Joe Ceballos, and Brian Meanley to finish the film. Though there were plans to release the film in 2015 to celebrate Welles’ 100th birthday, financial issues once again halted its progress forcing Bogdanovich, Marshall, and others to seek other sources including crowdfunding. Then in 2016, Netflix offered to help finish the film with a deal in place for a documentary about the making of the film entitled They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead that would be directed by Morgan Neville as an accompanying release.

In March 2018, music composer Michel Legrand who had written music for F for Fake announced that he was making new score music for the film as ultimately lead to the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2018. Following screenings at the Toronto Film Festival and the New York Film Festival in the intervening months, the film ultimately premiered in a limited theatrical release in November that year with a wide release on Netflix. While critical reception has been mostly positive, some felt the film didn’t live up to the hype in its final form yet many were relieved that film had finally come out and felt that it’s the closest thing to what Welles would’ve intended it to be.

More than 30 years since his passing and with a legacy that is unmatched in the world of cinema. There’s no question in what Orson Welles had done to the medium through the stories he told as well as the innovations he’s created. There is no question that like many before and since the release of Citizen Kane that had made an impact in cinema were influenced by him. While he never had the kind of support that other filmmakers in Hollywood would’ve gotten. His willingness to do things himself and not compromise despite the many trials and tribulations he faced makes him a towering figure that remains inspirational. Yet, Welles was more than just a man who played roles, staged plays, did magic tricks, and make films. He was a true artist that had a love for performance and wanted to share that as well as tell stories of those who wanted to matter in a world that of immense expectations and ideas. There are few that can be called giants in the world of cinema and one of them that lives up to that stature both literally and figuratively is Orson Welles.

Related: Orson Welles: The One-Man Band - The Eyes of Orson Welles - They'll Love Me When I'm Dead - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Part 1

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