Orson Welles's The Other Side of the Wind

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Leeder
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Post by Leeder »

The footage of it on the Criteron F for Fake is quite fascinating. It'll be nice to see.
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Precious Doll
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Post by Precious Doll »

Great news. Here's hoping that the Jerry Lewis film The Day The Clown Cried is next.



Edited By Precious Doll on 1296116406
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MovieWes
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Post by MovieWes »

How cool would it be to see Orson Welles get a posthumous Best Director nomination all these years after his death?
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Reza
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Post by Reza »

Orson Welles's unseen masterpiece set for release

The Other Side of the Wind, shot in 1972, could now see the light of day

The Observer, (London) Sunday 23 January 2011

An unfinished "masterpiece" filmed by Orson Welles nearly four decades ago is finally to reach the screen.

The Other Side of the Wind portrays the last
hours of an ageing film director. Welles is said
to have told John Huston, who plays the lead
role: "It's about a bastard director… full of
himself, who catches people and creates and
destroys them. It's about us, John."

The unedited film has been hidden away in a vault
until now amid doubts that it could ever be shown.

Rumours of its release have surfaced repeatedly
since it was shot in 1972, but an ownership
dispute has always scuppered any plans. However,
a Los Angeles lawyer told the Observer last week
that the film will finally be seen.

Kenneth Sidle, a lawyer involved in the dispute
over rights to the film, said: "We are in
negotiations for the picture, which would lead to
the finishing and public exhibition. Hopefully
within the next few weeks we will know."

Sidle, of law firm Gipson Hoffman & Pancione,
represents Jacqueline Boushehri, widow of a
relative of the Shah of Iran and one of the film's producers.

Also embroiled in the negotiations is Welles's
lover, Oja Kodar, a Croatian who starred in and
co-wrote the film. Sidle confirmed that both are
selling their interests in the film.

He added that would-be buyers have checked that
he can complete the film: "They wouldn't be
putting up money if they weren't confident."

Huston's actor son, Danny, describes the footage
as "absolutely fascinating". In 2005 he recalled
that Welles had given extensive "editing notes"
on the film to actor and director Peter
Bogdanovich, who also appeared in the film.

Bogdanovich is understood to be involved in
efforts finally to bring The Other Side of The Wind to the screen.

Françoise Widhoff, a producer who collaborated
with Welles on his F for Fake, spent a month on
set of the unedited film, which she described as
a masterpiece – "the way it's shot, the way it's
acted. It's very modern and free."

However, Widhoff has reservations about anyone
editing the film; she says the raw footage should be seen.

Andrés Vicente Gómez, a Spanish film-maker who
worked with Welles on various productions,
including the unedited film, agreed that its
completion would be an "act of betrayal".

Describing it as Welles's "testament", he said:
"The main character is a mix of [Ernest]
Hemingway, Huston and himself… It was a film very
close to him. But his physical condition was
delicate. He didn't have the energy to cut it."
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