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The Eyes of Orson Welles

Mark Cousins dives deep into the visual world of legendary director and actor Orson Welles to reveal a portrait of the artist as he's never been seen before.

Director

Mark Cousins

Year

Genre

Box Office

$10,253

Production

BofA Productions,BBC,FilmStruck

Awards

3 wins & 5 nominations

Homepage

https://dogwoof.com/orsonwelles

Self

Orson Welles

Self

Beatrice Welles

Self

View All Cast

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The world has become more Wellesian Orson - The Eyes of Orson Welles

The world has become more Wellesian Orson

Old-school technique,
dipping into an inkwell. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Old-school technique, dipping into an inkwell.

Where would you start the story
of your drawing life, Orson? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Where would you start the story of your drawing life, Orson?

You said that at nine, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You said that at nine,

You could look at Chicago square on,
like this. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You could look at Chicago square on, like this.

But, surely, the city
of the first great skyscrapers - The Eyes of Orson Welles

But, surely, the city of the first great skyscrapers

And you became the greatest ever
filmmaker of looking upwards. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And you became the greatest ever filmmaker of looking upward...

You lived here and had a drawing studio
here on Rush Street. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You lived here and had a drawing studio here on Rush Street.

It was just big enough for your bed
and a large drawing board. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

It was just big enough for your bed and a large drawing boar...

Your teacher said that you did
thousands of sketches here, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Your teacher said that you did thousands of sketches here,

Do you remember, as a boy,
sitting on the tail of its famous lions? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Do you remember, as a boy, sitting on the tail of its famous...

Translucent ceilings lit from above?
A technique you'd use in The Trial. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Translucent ceilings lit from above? A technique you'd ...

You talk about the people
as though you own them. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You talk about the people as though you own them.

Years later, if you knew someone
who was going to the Art Institute, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Years later, if you knew someone who was going to the Art In...

Did their look, their wideness, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Did their look, their wideness,

You're supposed to train her voice,
Signor Matiste. Nothing more. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You're supposed to train her voice, Signor Matiste. Not...

If you could be here now,
your eyes would be darting, Orson. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

If you could be here now, your eyes would be darting, Orson.

So, there were at least a thousand
of your artworks. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

So, there were at least a thousand of your artworks.

Many are in Michigan, in Ann Arbor,
which was named after its trees. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Many are in Michigan, in Ann Arbor, which was named after it...

Here, in the University of Michigan's
archive they have your relics. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Here, in the University of Michigan's archive they have...

A coat you wore as Rochester
in Jane Eyre. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

A coat you wore as Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Letters from you. And to you. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Letters from you. And to you.

Another place where I found
your artworks was here. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Another place where I found your artworks was here.

She's in her 60s now,
but is still a rocker chick. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

She's in her 60s now, but is still a rocker chick.

And sometimes drives with no hands. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And sometimes drives with no hands.

All those should be his paintings,
if I remember right. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

All those should be his paintings, if I remember right.

- That is gorgeous, that, isn't it?
- Isn't that fabulous! - The Eyes of Orson Welles

- That is gorgeous, that, isn't it? - Isn't that f...

And that's about a producer saying, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And that's about a producer saying,

- And he's saying, "How about my play?"
- Yes, exactly, that's him. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

- And he's saying, "How about my play?" - Yes...

And see, "Where did the money go to?"
See, it's just... It's like my father . - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And see, "Where did the money go to?" See, it'...

Some... Sign he put here,
some Broadway blues. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Some... Sign he put here, some Broadway blues.

This was in Munich, when he was travelling
with his father around the world. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

This was in Munich, when he was travelling with his father a...

And that's in Munich. And then here,
he's... I don't know. Our dearest family. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And that's in Munich. And then here, he's... I don...

A drawing of you painting, Orson, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

A drawing of you painting, Orson,

And I just went, 'Wow, look at this
picture', and then I remembered - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And I just went, 'Wow, look at this picture', and ...

- Which is this one?
- Yeah. And you can see the anger in it. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

- Which is this one? - Yeah. And you can see the anger in it...

You took a line for a walk. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You took a line for a walk.

Portraits, sketches in letters,
costume designs, stage layouts, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Portraits, sketches in letters, costume designs, stage layou...

You drew compulsively,
a lifetime of lines. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You drew compulsively, a lifetime of lines.

Were you in the zone when you drew, Orson,
like sports people? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Were you in the zone when you drew, Orson, like sports peopl...

Do your sketches
show us your unconscious? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Do your sketches show us your unconscious?

Can we glimpse in them the story of
your life, its politics, love and power? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Can we glimpse in them the story of your life, its politics,...

GUITAR PLAYS - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Ordinary people, Orson,
the 20th century was theirs. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Ordinary people, Orson, the 20th century was theirs.

Many got to vote for the first time,
old elites lost power. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Many got to vote for the first time, old elites lost power.

Was the extraordinary Welles
ever ordinary? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Was the extraordinary Welles ever ordinary?

My own allegiance
is stronger to the idea of citizenship, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

My own allegiance is stronger to the idea of citizenship,

I don't take art as seriously as politics - The Eyes of Orson Welles

I don't take art as seriously as politics

And then your laugh,
and that trademark cigar. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And then your laugh, and that trademark cigar.

But where did your belief
in citizenship start? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

But where did your belief in citizenship start?

She co-founded the Women's Alliance
to help Chicago's poor. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

She co-founded the Women's Alliance to help Chicago...

Her activism was inspired by
this Unitarian church, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Her activism was inspired by this Unitarian church,

The Women's Alliance hosted speeches
on the persecution of Jews in Russia. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

The Women's Alliance hosted speeches on the persecution...

Your mother was the first woman
in your hometown of Kenosha - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Your mother was the first woman in your hometown of Kenosha

She had a community tree planted - - The Eyes of Orson Welles

She had a community tree planted -

One of the reasons you painted and
drew Christmas trees so often, Orson? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

One of the reasons you painted and drew Christmas trees so o...

A black line helix
daubed with green and red. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

A black line helix daubed with green and red.

A gothic black ink tree in the sunshine. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

A gothic black ink tree in the sunshine.

An eight-second felt-tip pine. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

An eight-second felt-tip pine.

The helix in white now,
reduced to a hieroglyph. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

The helix in white now, reduced to a hieroglyph.

All distant reminders of your mother,
perhaps? What a woman she was! - The Eyes of Orson Welles

All distant reminders of your mother, perhaps? What a woman ...

And then the Wall Street Crash came. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

And then the Wall Street Crash came.

The Depression brought new realism
in American art. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

The Depression brought new realism in American art.

But something more personal
happened to you, Orson, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

But something more personal happened to you, Orson,

You took a boat, the SS Baltic,
to Ireland - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You took a boat, the SS Baltic, to Ireland

PEN SCRATCHES - The Eyes of Orson Welles

There are four lookers alone in this small
section of one of your drawings. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

There are four lookers alone in this small section of one of...

What you saw on the boat was people. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

What you saw on the boat was people.

Real people,
like you'd seldom seen before. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Real people, like you'd seldom seen before.

What about this woman's twisty jawline
and pursed lips? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

What about this woman's twisty jawline and pursed lips?

PEN SCRATCHES - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Your background was privileged, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Your background was privileged,

You later became fascinated by ageing,
sagging faces. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You later became fascinated by ageing, sagging faces.

Aged just 23, in the play
Heartbreak House, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Aged just 23, in the play Heartbreak House,

Were you in a hurry to get old, Orson?
Did youth bore you? - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Were you in a hurry to get old, Orson? Did youth bore you?

You wrote,
"Our very landing was dramatic... - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You wrote, "Our very landing was dramatic...

Men and women got on their knees,
weeping for joy. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

Men and women got on their knees, weeping for joy.

"It's almost beyond belief
that two days' journeying - The Eyes of Orson Welles

"It's almost beyond belief that two days' jou...

The words you used
about the Irish were rich indeed. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

The words you used about the Irish were rich indeed.

You wrote, "In 16 short years of living, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You wrote, "In 16 short years of living,

You bought a donkey - Sidheog -
and cart and roughed it. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You bought a donkey - Sidheog - and cart and roughed it.

You wrote, "I curled up under the cart
and fell asleep". - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You wrote, "I curled up under the cart and fell asleep&...

"There were nights too, spent in cottages,
wakes, weddings and matchmakings. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

"There were nights too, spent in cottages, wakes, weddi...

"My week with the band of gypsies,
my mountain climbs, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

"My week with the band of gypsies, my mountain climbs,

You spoke of, "these people who produced
and flourished in Tutankhamun's time". - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You spoke of, "these people who produced and flourished...

You painted hundreds of landscapes here,
but destroyed them. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You painted hundreds of landscapes here, but destroyed them.

It was the people and faces
that you preferred. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

It was the people and faces that you preferred.

You went to the Aran Islands - The Eyes of Orson Welles

You went to the Aran Islands

It's here that the documentarist
Robert Flaherty had made this film, - The Eyes of Orson Welles

It's here that the documentarist Robert Flaherty had ma...

His eyes scanned between faces, too.
The camera pans between them. - The Eyes of Orson Welles

His eyes scanned between faces, too. The camera pans between...

The Eyes of Orson Welles poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mark Cousins dives deep into the visual world of legendary director and actor Orson Welles to reveal a portrait of the artist as he's never been seen before.

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: Mark Cousins

Writer: Mark Cousins

Production: BofA Productions,BBC,FilmStruck

Genre: documentary

Year: 2018

MetaScore: 75/100

ImdbRating: 6.7

BoxOffice: $10,253

Released: 15 Mar 2019

Awards: 3 wins & 5 nominations

Homepage: https://dogwoof.com/orsonwelles