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A look at the life and work of the great theatre, radio and film artist.
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Title: Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)
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2 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Orson Welles | ... |
Himself
(archive footage)
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|
| Simon Callow | ... |
Himself
|
|
|
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Christopher Welles | ... |
Herself
(as Christopher Welles Feder)
|
|
|
Joanne Hill Styles | ... |
Herself
|
| Norman Lloyd | ... |
Himself
|
|
|
|
Micheál MacLiammóir | ... |
Himself
(archive footage)
|
|
|
Ruth Ford | ... |
Herself
(archive footage)
|
| Julie Taymor | ... |
Herself
|
|
|
|
Paolo Cherchi Usai | ... |
Himself
|
| Norman Corwin | ... |
Himself
(archive footage)
|
|
| Peter Bogdanovich | ... |
Himself
|
|
|
|
James Naremore | ... |
Himself
|
|
|
William Alland | ... |
Himself
(archive footage)
|
|
|
Reggie Armour | ... |
Himself
(archive footage)
|
| Steven Spielberg | ... |
Himself
|
|
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles looks at the remarkable genius of Orson Welles on the eve of his centenary - the enigma of his career as a Hollywood star, a Hollywood director (for some a Hollywood failure), and a crucially important independent filmmaker. Orson Welles's life was magical: a musical prodigy at age 10, a director of Shakespeare at 14, a painter at 16, a star of stage and radio at 20, romances with some of the most beautiful women in the world, including Rita Hayworth. His work was similarly extraordinary, most notably Citizen Kane, (considered by many to be the most important movie ever made), created by Welles when he was only 25. In the years following Citizen Kane, Welles's career continued to change as he made film after film (some never finished, many dismissed) and acted in other projects often to earn money in order to keep making his own films. Magician features scenes from almost every existing Welles film, from Hearts of Age, (which he ... Written by Anonymous
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for brief language, some suggestive images/nudity and smoking | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
30 November 2015 (Italy) See more »Also Known As:
Il mago - L'incredibile vita di Orson Welles See more »Box Office
Budget:
$813,505 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$7,130 (USA) (12 December 2014)Gross:
$15,528 (USA) (19 December 2014)Company Credits
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company contact information
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (theatrical)Color:
Color (Black & White and Color)
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"Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles" is a documentary from 2014 about the great filmmaker, actor, magician, and personality. I must have seen and read everything there is on Welles, if that's possible, and this particular documentary borrowed heavily from the best there is -- the BBC interview with Welles, which was one of the best things I've ever seen.
Of interest here were the photos of him as a young boy, and interviews with Micheál MacLiammóir, Norman Lloyd, comments by Julie Taymor, his daughter Beatrice, and so many others, some of whom I had not seen interviewed before.
Welles was, to say the least, a complicated man. He couldn't deal with the studio constraints, but without them, he often floundered. Spielberg was interviewed here, and I remember very well from one of the books on Welles that he went to dinner with Spielberg with the idea that Spielberg could help him find a distributor for one of his movies.
When he came home, the interviewer called him, and he said, they only ever want to talk about Kane. Kane was a blessing and a curse. I think some of the people interviewed didn't give him credit for the fact that he was just as talented as he had always been, but the business had become so much tougher.
Documentaries about Welles are always worth seeing. He was one of the most charismatic and interesting people who ever lived, and he'd probably tell you that himself. And the people around him seemed to adore him. So really, as much as I have liked other documentaries better, this one is worth seeing too.