The Eyes of Orson Welles [DVD]

An intriguing documentary on the drawings of the master of the cinema. Whereas before even taking an interest in theater, radio and cinema, Welles dreamed of becoming a painter at a young age; He confessed elsewhere in F For Fake.He has undoubtedly succeeded indirectly in this field too, by applying it to his pre-productions for his projects to shoot.This is what we discover in Mark Cousins' film, using a very personal narrative form.

Very simply - I was shocked, after looking at this fine documentary on television to find that, all of a sudden, I had actually BOUGHT it and that this had been down-loaded into my Downloads on my computer without asking me. I then felt, when looking at it, that the quality was not as good on my Mac as it was on my TV. Fortunately I had recorded it anyway but I really wanted an actual DVD to play back onto TV and not on my computer, so this was irritating and a shame. So, should I now buy the DVD? I don't think so....

If you regard Wells as a genius then you can bear even the irritating breathy narration but, if like me you think him very over rated, then this is pointless. He is not significant enough to devote a documentary to his paintings and his mothers political influence. This would work with a real genius like Shakespeake but here its not important.

well done if not too long and lost totally towards the end. Brilliant Orson still worth a watch

Especially good on the visual aspects of Welles' films and the link with art.Cousins is a talented and diffident critic and film-maker.

Fascinating man fascinating film. Everything about O.W. is interesting and worthwhile. See it.

very fast great blu ray thank you.

This is a gift for Orson Welles enthusiasts and students. I am one of those and so for me ‘The Eyes of Orson Welles’ is fascinating stuff. For those who don’t know, some say that Orson Welles was the greatest movie maker of all time, or the most misunderstood movie maker of all time. It depends on who you ask. His greatest work, ‘Citizen Kane’, is the movie that most frequently ends up at the top of lists of most critic’s favourite films. But he made many others and also infamously appeared in a sherry ad and voiced a Dutch beer commercial for many years.But in this documentary there is considerable attention paid to his Shakespeare films. Perhaps that is because Mark Cousins, the writer, director and (unseen) voice of this documentary, sees a connection between Welles’ prolific output of sketches, drawings and paintings and his Shakespearean productions. Welles’ daughter, Beatrice Welles, made a huge collection of these visual references as well as letters available to Mark Cousins - and it was that archival treasure trove that was the reason for this new documentary.Is there anything new here? Certainly the idea that his original passion was as an artist and that his films were merely alternative expressions of those ideas is new. And definitely the idea that Welles, creator of ‘The Trial’ and ‘Citizen Kane’, were he alive today, would rail against the current upsurge of bullying potentates in western democracies and elsewhere, is new, and very instructive.For such a major new look at the work of Orson Welles, this doco feels short at just 110 minutes - you sense that it could have run far longer with no loss of interest. But maybe that’s just Mark Cousins bowing to diminishing attention spans in modern times, combined with his wish that the duration is suitable for theatrical presentation, such as the setting where this film was recently premiered. Whatever, this is a fine documentary which will find distribution in arthouse cinemas, schools and colleges, festivals and amongst the millions of casual movie goers, like myself, who believe that Orson Welles is the sole auteur of the greatest movie ever made. 5 stars.