[PDF] Orson Welles; Volume 3: One-Man Band by Simon Callow at Arts-Photography

Review

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A fine volume by any standardBy Tom From NYFascinating and eminently readable. vastly informative from start to finish. The third volume of Callows biography of Orson Welles covers a period encompassing such works as TOUCH OF EVIL. THE TRIAL. and the sublime CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT. Welles ability to inspire and infuriate is amply documented. but never descends into sensationalism. A fine volume by any standard.One thing. though. The book. in its first edition from Viking. gives every indication of being a hardcover version of the uncorrected proof. Typos abound. names are mis-spelled (the great actor Marcel Dalio is misidentified as Dallio twice. once in the text and again in the index). the words "vintage Welles" "quintessential Welles" and "quintessentially Wellesian" appear far too frequently (even appearing all in the same paragraph). and a melancholy couple of sentences about TOUCH OF EVIL being "one for posterity" appears on one page and then again. almost verbatim. seven pages later. Come on. Viking. this book is too important for such sloppiness.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. After Kane and Hollywood. Welles in all his complexityBy CustomerThis is Orson Welles in all his complexity. from filming his landmark Othello and MacBeth through his European exile. the making of Touch of Evil. The Trial and Chimes at Midnight. and struggles as an actor. director and celebrity. Resuming his multi-volume bio after the Hollywood years. Simon Callow is honest enough to show the flaws (and there were many). but never loses sight of Welles originality and genius. Must-read film history.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Orson Welles: Volume 3 One Man Band is the third of a projected four volume biography of the director geniusBy C. M MillsOrson Welles was a big man weighing almost 300 pounds. Welles was also the possessor of a giant ego. intellect and gusto for life in all of itsforms.. Welles Renaissance Man life is being extensively chronicled by Simon Callow. Callow is a British actor. author and expert on Welles.In this volume we follow Welles career and personal life from 1947 through 1968. The protean Welles directed such masterpieces in this era asMr Arkadin. Othello. Moby Dick on stage. a ballet. A Touch of Evil and won widespread fame for his eleven minute turn as the evil Harry Lime in the David Lean classic "The Third Man." This was the period of Orsons European exile during the blacklisting era in Hollywood. Welles was notorious for his left wing views. He absorbed much during his self-imposed European film career. Welles was always trying to make money to make his films such as Macbeth and Don Quixote.Welles was a one man band of rebellion against staid Hollywood slick productions and Victorian era morality. Welles could be selfish. combative and behave like the consummate narcissistic personality he was. He was also a great artist. Simon Callows erudite prose and analysis of Welles makes this one of the best biographies ever written of an entertainer in print. Not for everyone but film buffs. Welles fans and anyone wanting to learn more about the magical world of moviemaking will enjoy this third installment.