***Note: The main body of this review is based on the 99-minute Corinth version of Mr. Arkadin as there are three available versions of the film here in the U.S.***
Written, directed, costume design, art directed, and co-starring Orson Welles in the titular role, Mr. Arkadin (Confidential Report) is the story of an amnesiac billionaire who hires a smuggler to investigate his life including own life as it leads to chaotic trip around the world. Based on radio scripts Welles co-wrote with Ernest Bornemann as well as parts of Graham Greene’s The Third Man and the Harry Lime radio programs Welles did in the 1950s. The film is an offbeat mystery that play into a man’s identity as he meets a smuggler to try and piece everything in his life. Also starring Robert Arden, Paola Mori, Patricia Medina, Akim Tamiroff, Gregoire Aslan, Jack Watling, Mischa Auer, Peter van Eyck, and Michael Redgrave. Mr. Arkadin is a fascinating and strange film from Orson Welles.
Set in Europe, the film revolves a smuggler who witnessed a murder where he learns the murder is connected to the reclusive billionaire in Gregory Arkadin who would ask him to go on a journey to find out about his own life before 1927 believing he has no recollection of his life before he became a billionaire. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it is filled with complexities, twists, and turns where this young man is given a task to learn about this billionaire where there are so many things that would confuse him. Orson Welles’ screenplay is largely told by the smuggler Guy Van Stratten (Robert Arden) to a man named Jakob Zouk (Akim Tamiroff) who has just gotten out of jail and has some connection towards Arkadin. Van Stratten’s story begins in Italy where he and his girlfriend Mily (Patricia Medina) witness a murder as Mily gets information from the dying man as it relates to Arkadin.
Arriving in Spain where Arkadin lives, he meets Arkadin’s daughter Raina (Paola Mori) as he falls for her and later meets Arkadin who gives him the job due to Van Stratten’s reputation for smuggling. Arkadin gives Van Stratten instructions and conditions for the job with the one being for his daughter to not know anything about his past. Throughout this chaotic journey around the world including stops in Mexico, Tangiers, Germany, and other parts of the world. Van Stratten deals with not just the many stories about Arkadin but also the people he meets as they all have an idea of what he did before creating this air of confusion.
Welles’ direction is stylish for the intrigue that he creates as it is shot largely on various locations in Spain along with scenes set in Paris, London, Munich, the French Riviera, and the Chateau de Chillon in Switzerland. The film is a whirlwind of visuals as Welles would create a lot of stylistic shots from not just a few slanted camera angles but also some low camera angles to play into the towering presence of Mr. Arkadin. Welles’ usage of wide shots play into the vast locations that Van Stratten would be as it does feel like a film that took place around the world as there are these moments of Van Stratten in different places. The close-ups and medium shots that Welles uses in Van Stratten’s meetings with those who might know about Arkadin as there are also these moments that are offbeat yet intriguing. There is an element to the film that is messy as it relates to Van Stratten’s journey as he’s unaware that Arkadin is following him where it does hinder the film’s pacing a bit in some places.
Serving as the film’s costume designer and art director with help from set decorators Gil Parrondo and Luis Perez Espinoza, Welles would create a look that play into this lavish world that Arkadin is in as he often hosts parties where he is mysterious where no one is sure where he is. Welles would also showcase these moments that play into the mystery and the need for Arkadin to not let it go out for his daughter to know. Especially in a thrilling climax that is this race to reach Raina between Arkadin and Van Stratten as there are also these complexities into the fact that the latter knows that is his own life is on the line after being aware of how dangerous Arkadin has become. Overall, Welles crafts an exhilarating and provocative film about a billionaire who hires a smuggler to find answers about his past.
Cinematographer Jean Bourgoin does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it creates a mesmerizing look for some of the exteriors in the day and night along with the interiors at night. Editor Renzo Lucidi does excellent work with the editing as its usage of stylish dissolve montages and rhythmic cuts help play into the suspense. The sound work of Jacques Lebreton is terrific for the sound effects that are created along with some of the natural sounds although some of the post-dubbing synchronicity is off in some parts of the film. The film’s music by Paul Misraki is fantastic for its playful orchestral score that has elements that are light and upbeat to play with the locations in Spain to some eerie pieces for the film’s third act.
The film’s marvelous cast include some notable small roles from Gert Frobe as a Munich detective, Eduard Linker as Munich policeman, Tamara Shayne as a woman who hides Zouk, Frederick O’Brady as a junkie who knew Arkadin in Oskar, Katina Paxinou as the mysterious Sophie who knows about Arkadin’s past, Suzanne Flon as a socialite friend of Arkadin in Baronness Nagel, Peter van Eyck as a man Mily meets in Tangiers with information about Arkadin, Michael Redgrave as an antiques dealer in Burgomil Trebitsch, Mischa Auer as a mysterious professor who runs a flea circus that knew Arkadin, Gregoire Aslan as the man that Van Stratten meets in Italy who is killed early in the film, and Jack Watling as an aide of Arkadin in Bob the Marquess of Rutleigh. Akim Tamiroff is superb as Jakob Zouk as a man that Van Stratten tells his story to as he also carries some crucial information about Arkadin yet remains in hiding.
Patricia Medina is fantastic as Mily as Van Stratten’s girlfriend who has some information that she received on the night of the murder that she and Van Stratten witnessed as she also knows Arkadin and warns Van Stratten to not get too close. Paola Mori is wonderful as Arkadin’s daughter Raina as a young woman who wants to have some freedom but is also concerned about her father’s domineering persona as Mori’s voice is dubbed by another actress. Robert Arden is excellent as Guy Van Stratten as a smuggler who gets Arkadin’s attention as this young man that is trying to woo Raina only to be given this immense assignment filled with confusion and befuddlement. Finally, there’s Orson Welles in an incredible world as the titular character as this billionaire that is bigger than life itself as he’s elusive yet playful but also has this dark element to him that showcases a man that is obsessed with wanting to protect his secret.
***The following is an overview of the 98-minute European version of the film known as Confidential Report***
Considered the best version of the film in terms of its visual print as the film was transferred from 16mm to 35mm, the film that was re-edited under the supervision of producer Louis Dolivet is a different take on the film though not much of it has changed from the Corinth version. Aside from the voice-over narration of Van Stratten which is more prevalent in this film than in the Corinth version which was based on Van Stratten telling Zouk his story as the narrative moves back and forth. In this version, it’s more of Van Stratten telling the story through voice-over narration. Other key elements that is changed in the film includes an extended monologue from Arkadin at the masquerade ball that play into his fascination with lore and death. Another major change in the film that is different that relates to its second act is order of film sequences.
Notably when Van Stratten travels around the world as he would meet the professor and later the antiques man in this version while the scene of Mily at Arkadin’s yacht appears after Van Stratten meets the antiques man. It’s a version that has an improved pacing and looks better though it still has a few flaws such as the post-synch dubbing and other messy moments in the film.
***The following is an overview of the 2006 105-minute comprehensive version from the Criterion Collection***
Compiled by Stefan Drossler from the Munich Film Museum and Claude Bertemes with the aid of film critic/historian Jonathan Rosenbaum and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich from various different versions of the film. It is the longest available version that is closer to what Welles had intended for the film as it has a different opening of a dead body lying on the beach as well as an ending that relates to a plane about to crash. The film itself feature an array of footage from different versions as it does play into the structure of the Corinth version with its usage of flashbacks but it has a few extended moments such as the sequence at the docks in Italy.
While there’s shots in the film that doesn’t match with parts of the film in some scenes due to the source material was used in the other films. The pacing of the film is better while there is also an element of the film that does feel fragmented which is an advantage to its pacing. It’s a film that still has a few issues in terms of the post-synch dubbing that doesn’t match up with the actors but it isn’t as noticeable in comparison to the other versions. Of the three, it is the best version in terms of its pacing and gathering everything that is needed in the story no matter how flawed it is.
Mr. Arkadin is a marvelous film from Orson Welles. While there will never be a definitive version of what Welles intended, the three versions of the film from the Criterion Collection in their different running times and presentation is still a fascinating suspense film that play into the idea of obsession and identity. Even as it showcases a story told in different versions of a man trying to find clues of a man’s past and lose himself in this journey. In the end, Mr. Arkadin is a remarkable film from Orson Welles.
Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Stranger (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - Chimes at Midnight - The Immortal Story – F for Fake - Filming Othello – The Other Side of the Wind
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 - Part 2
© thevoid99 2018
(Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1939 Cannes Film Festival Awarded Retrospectively at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival)
Based on the novel Trouble Shooter by Ernest Haycox, Union Pacific is the story of a conflict over the Union Pacific Railroad plan where a man schemes to make profits over the construction as a troubleshooter tries to stop it from happening as he’s also dealing with other foes. Directed by Cecil B. DeMille and screenplay by Walter DeLeon, Jesse Lasky Jr., and C. Gardner Sullivan from an adapted story by Jack Cunningham, the film is a western set during the final days of the Civil War to the emergence of the American West where men try to profit from what is to come with those wanting to ensure that progress emerges. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Akim Tamiroff, Robert Preston, Lynne Overman, Anthony Quinn, and Brian Donlevy. Union Pacific is a thrilling and adventurous film from Cecil B. DeMille.
Set in the mid-1860s from the final days of the American Civil War to the moment the Central Pacific railway line and the Union Pacific railway line meet on May of 1869, the film revolves around this monumental event in American history where a group of gamblers and politicians try to scheme their way in the hope that one of the companies succeed in this venture. With the more-established Central Pacific railway wanting to get the glory of being the railroad service for the U.S., President Lincoln authorizes the Union Pacific to do the job from linking the railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific as there’s individuals that want to ensure that Union Pacific fail in their mission. The film’s screenplay largely follows the lives of three individuals in a troubleshooter named Captain Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea), an Irish mailwoman named Mollie Monahan (Barbara Stanwyck) whose father is an engineer for one of the Union Pacific trains, and Dick Allen (Robert Preston) who is a gambler that works with another gambler who is hired by a banker to ensure that trouble emerges for the Union Pacific. Captain Butler and Allen are friends who are both in love with Monahan yet are working in different camps that would eventually cause trouble.
Cecil B. DeMille’s direction is astonishing in terms of its visuals and setting as it does play into the world of the American West. Shot partially on location in Iron Springs, Utah with some of the film shot in studio sets in Hollywood, the film does play into the world of the American West and the sense of change that emerges. DeMille’s direction would include some wide shots of the locations but would maintain a sense of intimacy inside the train cars as well as the saloons through medium shots and close-ups. Yet, there are these intense action sequences that would include miniatures for a sequence late in the film relating to the building of train tracks near snowy landscape would prove to be a marvel to watch. Even in scenes involving shootouts and chases would provide a sense of immediacy into the action as well as in the moments of the suspense where Captain Butler beings to suspect what Allen could be doing. There are also some elements of romance which does give the film a break from the action as it play into the tension between the three protagonists as they also have to cope with the fact that there’s forces that want to ensure that the Union Pacific doesn’t succeed. All of which play into this event that would shape American history when the two railroad companies meet. Overall, DeMille crafts a riveting and exciting film about a troubleshooter dealing with forces trying to stop a monumental event from happening.
Cinematographer Victor Milner does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography in capturing the brightness of the scenes in the day as well as how the saloons are lit. Editor Anne Bauchens does brilliant work with the editing as it has some unique rhythmic cuts for the action as well as a few transition wipes to play into the sense of adventure. Art directors Roland Anderson and Hans Dreier do amazing work with the look of the saloons as well as the interiors of the train compartments and the places the characters go to. Costume designer Natalie Visart does fantastic work with the costumes from the look of the suits the men wore as well as some of the clothing that the women wore in those times with the exception of the ragged look that Monahan has.
The special effects work of Barney Wolff is terrific for the usage of miniatures for sequences involving trains including one notable sequence set in the snow as well as some of the gunfights in the film. Sound recordists John Cope and Harry Lindgren do superb work with the sound in the way gunfire sounds as well as the atmosphere of the saloons and train compartments. The film’s music by Sigmund Krumgold and John Liepold is wonderful for its sweeping orchestral score that play into the sense of adventure as well as in some of the drama while the rest of the music feature an array of traditional music pieces from the Civil War and its aftermath.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Harold Goodwin as the telegrapher E.E. Calvin, Henry Kolker as the banker Asa M. Barrows who is the mastermind in scheming against Union Pacific, Francis McDonald as Captain Butler’s superior General Grenville M. Dodge, Robert Barrat and Anthony Quinn as a couple of Campeau’s henchmen, Lynne Overman as a friend of Captain Butler in Leach Overmile who is a comic relief in the film, and Akim Tamiroff in a terrific performance as another of Captain Butler’s friend in Fiesta as the Mexican who provides some funny commentary as well as deal with Campeau’s men. Brian Donlevy is excellent as the scheming gambler Sid Campeau as a man that works for Barrows as he is willing to do whatever he can to ensure that Union Pacific fails by any means necessary.
Robert Preston is brilliant as Dick Allen as a gambler who is a partner of Campeau as well as Captain Butler’s best friend as he’s torn over his loyalty towards the latter as well as the prospect of money from the former which he needs as he’s in love with Monahan. Joel McCrea is amazing as Captain Jeff Butler as a troubleshooter who is trying to ensure that things go well for the Union Pacific as he’s also in love with Monahan as he tries to keep his distance to do his job as he knows what is at stake. Finally, there’s Barbara Stanwyck in an incredible performance as Mollie Monahan as an Irish mailwoman whose father is an engineer for the Union Pacific that finds herself torn between two men as well as wanting to help the Union Pacific as it’s a fiery and charismatic performance from Stanwyck.
Union Pacific is a remarkable film from Cecil B. DeMille. Featuring a great cast, lovely visuals, top-notch special effects, and thrilling music. It’s a film that play into the progress of America in the west as well as what some will do to stop progress from happening for their own selfish reasons. In the end, Union Pacific is a marvelous film from Cecil B. DeMille.
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Alphaville: une etrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (A Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution) is the story of a secret agent who is assigned to an inventor of a Fascist computer in a futuristic world. The film is a mixture of science fiction with film noir as it plays into a world that is strange as a man finds himself in a world that mixes elements of the 20th Century with a world that is very foreign to him. Starring Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Howard Vernon, and Akim Tamiroff. Alphaville is a strange yet entrancing film from Jean-Luc Godard.
Set in a futuristic world that isn’t too distant from 1960s France, the film revolves around a secret agent who arrives in a dystopian city to kill an inventor who has created a computer that controls its people as ideas of love, art, and free-thinking is banned. While it’s a plot that is very simple, it is a story that is very complex as its auteur Jean-Luc Godard creates something that is very abstract as it relates to ideas of existentialism and what a man is trying to do in this dystopian world. It is largely told from the perspective of its lead character Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) who arrives to the city of Alphaville under an alias as he meets this mysterious woman named Natacha von Braun (Anna Karina) whose father (Howard Vernon) is the inventor of the computer known as Alpha 60.
It’s a script that doesn’t play into any conventions as the computer itself is a character in the story as it acts as this cold antagonist that mocks the ideas of love, individuality, and something as simple as poetry. The script is filled with a lot of ideas to set up this dystopian world as it plays into a future that doesn’t feel too distant yet it plays into a world that is the antithesis of what was happening in the 1960s. Even as cities of other countries are referred to in different languages as New York is said in its Spanish pronunciation while everything outside of Alphaville is referred to as the Outlands. It’s where Caution comes from as he brings books of poetry and a gun as his encounters with Natacha would have him going into a personal mission of his own as she had been in control of Alpha 60 as she has no idea what love is or anything else.
Godard’s direction is definitely stylish as he definitely goes for something that is very off-the-wall as he shoots the film on location in Paris without the need to really do anything different to the locations. It’s shot as if Alphaville is stuck in the 1960s even though it is the future as Godard’s use of wide shots and very offbeat angles help play into this strange world that is the future. The film also features these gazing images that play into the future as the computer Alpha 60 is played an electric fan with a light in the background. There is something that feels absurd about what the future is as objects from the time are present such as a camera that Caution carries which was new at the time of the film’s production. Godard also uses some very intricate compositions such as close-ups and medium shots to help play into the suspense and drama while going for some very engaging camera angles to play into something that feels off and otherworldly. While there is a lot that goes on where it can be hard to follow at times, it does play into Caution’s own adventure to try and stop the ideas of a computer from spreading the rest of the free world. Overall, Godard crafts a very engaging yet off-the-wall film about a man killing a computer inventor in a futuristic world.
Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as he uses some intricate lighting schemes and textures to play into the world that is Alphaville for scenes at night as well as some moods for the daytime scenes. Editor Agnes Guillemot does brilliant work with the editing to create some very disconcerting jump-cuts to play into suspense along with other stylish cuts for its sense of drama and action. Production designer Pierre Guffroy does fantastic work with the design of the hotel rooms that Caution would stay in as well as some of the places he goes into including the secret office of Professor von Braun.
The sound work of Rene Levert does superb work with some of the sound effects as well as the distorted voice of the Alpha 60 computer. The film’s music by Paul Misraki is wonderful for its myriad of orchestral music from suspenseful themes to lush and evocative pieces to play into Caution’s love for Natacha.
The film’s phenomenal cast includes some notable appearances from Jean-Pierre Leaud as a breakfast waiter, Christa Lang and Valerie Boisgel as a couple of seductresses, Jean-Louis Comolli and Jean-Andre Fieschi as a couple of professors respectively named Jeckell and Heckell, and Akim Tamiroff in a terrific performance as a friend of Caution in Henri Dickson who was supposed to do the mission but succumb to the traps of Alpha 60’s ideas. Howard Vernon is excellent as Professor von Braun/Leonard Nosferatu as the inventor of Alpha 60 who tries to remove elements of his own humanity as he offers Caution to join him.
Anna Karina is remarkable as Natacha as a woman who had been in Alphaville for too long as she accompanies Caution to the world as she starts to attain elements of humanity including the idea of love. Finally, there’s Eddie Constantine in an incredible performance as Lenny Caution/Ivan Johnson as a spy posing as a journalist who is assigned to kill an inventor as he copes with the strangeness of his surroundings and the ideas of Alphaville as it is a very chilling yet intoxicating performance from Constantine.
Alphaville is a sensational film from Jean-Luc Godard that features great performances from Eddie Constantine and Anna Karina. While it maybe one of Godard’s more offbeat and inaccessible features during his New Wave period. It is still a fascinating film that plays into the idea of dystopia as if it was set in a modern world where things have unknowingly changed. In the end, Alphaville is a tremendously provocative yet exhilarating film from Jean-Luc Godard.
Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys Are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - My Life to Live - The Carabineers - Contempt - Band of Outsiders - A Married Woman - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the novel by Franz Kafka, The Trial is the story of a bureaucrat who is accused of a crime he has no clue what he committed as he is targeted by those in society. Written for the screen, directed, and starring Orson Welles, the film is a look into the world of totalitarian society where a man tries to figure out what he did wrong as it leads to all sorts of questions about the way life works. Also starring Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli, and Akim Tamiroff. The Trial is a strange yet visually-astonishing film from Orson Welles.
Set in a futuristic world in an unnamed country, the film revolves around a man trying to figure out why he is being targeted by authorities where he asks questions into what he is charged with. It plays into a world where a man goes into a journey to figure out why he has been arrested as it leads all sorts of strange left turns and places as he has no clue what is going on. Even as his encounter with a trio of women would get him into places he has no idea what is going on as his attempts to seek help become more confusing. Orson Welles’ screenplay definitely plays into the abstract writing style of Franz Kafka where it is more about a man trying to understand a world that he is in and how his life had been defined by playing a role in society where there aren’t any ideas of individualism. Even as characters are people who aren’t exactly as they seem as it plays into the world that Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is surrounded with.
Welles’ direction definitely plays to not just a sense of style in its homage to film noir but also infuse this very entrancing style of framing and camera angles that is akin to the style of European cinema of the times. Much of the direction plays into the world of Kafka where Josef would go into this journey where he walk into one building and then find himself in a building he knows but wonders how he got there. The direction definitely has this abstract tone not just in some of the compositions where there’s some high camera angles and low ones but also in its use of wide shots. Much of it involves these intricate ideas of framing in the way buildings are presented to make it feel like a futuristic world while Welles’ approach to low angles with its close-ups play into the drama as well as the suspense.
The crowd scenes are also effective to play into this feel of totalitarianism and bureaucracy where Josef K. is someone trying to fit into that world but there’s aspects of him that makes him a very dangerous threat to society. Even as he is forced to play into allegories such as this story that opens the film that Welles narrates as it would have a lot of metaphors for what Josef K. has to go through. Overall, Welles creates a very thrilling and provocative film about a man who is a target for a crime he has no idea what he committed.
Cinematographer Edmond Richard does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography with its use of lights to play into some of the film‘s dark moods and textures as well as some of the exteriors that add a futuristic feel to its locations. Editors Yvonne Martin and Frederick Muller, with additional and un-credited work from Orson Welles, do amazing work with the editing with its approach to fast-cutting in some of the very intense suspense scenes along with other stylish cuts to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Jacques Mandaroux does excellent work with the set pieces from the offices as well as the design of the courtrooms and how some of them are strangely connected to one another.
Costume designer Helene Thibault does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of some of the stylish clothing the women wear. The sound work of Guy Villette is fantastic for the atmosphere it conveys in some of the scenes involving crowds as well as the office building that Josef K. works at. The film’s music by Jean Ledrut is superb for its mixture of eerie orchestral music that is mixed in with frenetic jazz music where the former plays into the drama while the latter adds energy to its suspense.
The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Max Haufler as Josef’s uncle, Naydra Shore as Josef’s young cousin, Michael Lonsdale as a priest, Arnoldo Foa as a lead inspector who arrests Josef, Fernand Ledoux as a chief law clerk, Suzanne Flon as a mysterious woman dragging a luggage that Josef meets, Madeleine Robinson as the landlady that Josef is friendly with, William Chappell as a mysterious painter whom Josef meets late in the film, and Akim Tamiroff in a terrific performance as a client of a mysterious lawyer. Elsa Martinelli is wonderful as a courtroom guard’s wife who flirts with Josef as she gives him odd answers. Romy Schneider is fantastic as a mysterious lawyer’s mistress named Leni who seduces Josef as she would also bring in some questionable suggestions for Josef’s quest.
Jeanne Moreau is excellent in a small role as Josef’s neighbor Marika Burstner who is a nightclub dancer that is trying to cope with her job as she is aware that she is being evicted. Orson Welles is amazing as the mysterious lawyer known as the Advocate as he is this very strange individual who tries to get Josef to work with him only to make him confused and such. Finally, there’s Anthony Perkins in a pretty good performance as Josef K. where Perkins does bring a lot of energy though he’s sort of miscast as he tends to overact some of his emotions while he doesn’t bring enough gravitas to make his character that compelling.
The Trial is an excellent film from Orson Welles that explores the world of the unknown set in a futuristic society. While it does have some flaws that includes a somewhat weak performance from Anthony Perkins, it is still a very engaging film for the way it explores totalitarianism and bureaucracy as well as presenting it with such style. In the end, The Trial is a superbly rich film from Orson Welles.
Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Stranger (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin - Touch of Evil - Chimes at Midnight - The Immortal Story - F for Fake - Filming Othello – The Other Side of the Wind
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 - Part 2
© thevoid99 2014
