Orson welles in Drama DVDs & Videos

Description:

CITIZEN KANE is Orson Welles's greatest achievement--and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newspaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castle-like refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, was based on a composite of Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst--so much so that Hearst tried to have the film suppressed. Every aspect of the production marked an advance in film language: the deep focus and deeply shadowed cinematography (from Gregg Toland); the discontinuous narrative, relying heavily on flashbacks and newsreel footage (propelled by a script largely written by Herman L. Mankiewicz); the innovative use of sound and score (sound by Bailey Fesler and James G. Stewart, music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann); and the ensemble acting forged in the fires of Welles's Mercury Theatre (featuring the film debuts of, among others, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, and Agnes Moorehead). Every moment of the film, every shot, has been choreographed to perfection. The film is essential viewing, quite possibly the greatest film ever made and, along with THE BIRTH OF A NATION, certainly the most influential.

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Cervantes' epic novel DON QUIXOTE is notoriously un-filmable--several major directors have tried, only to be left with half of a finished project after a series of disasters. The most mysterious of these incomplete attempts belongs to Orson Welles; the legendary director began shooting his adaptation in 1955, but a final product was never released. This presentation of ORSON WELLES' DON QUIXOTE is a simulation of the auteur's vision, crafted after his death by assistant director Jess Franco using Welles's extensive notes and copious raw footage.

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Long shrouded in secrecy, the life of Nikola Tesla is artfully illuminated in this fascinating film. His achievements led to the discovery of radio and television as well as the development of the first hydroelectric dam, remote control, radar tracking for the military, x-ray and the manipulation of matter and energy. His discoveries are also the basis for the emerging science of free energy. Encyclopedia Britannica lists Nikola Tesla as one of the most fascinating people in history. So why is he virtually unknown to the general public? This movie is a penetrating study of the life and mind of a scientific superman who, against all odds, dedicated his life to the task of designing and improving technology for the service and advancement of humanity. Source: UFO TV

Description:

Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL is nothing short of a masterpiece. Beginning with a three-minute-plus tracking crane shot, the film explodes onto the screen, literally--the marvelously expressive opening shot ends with a car blowing up, and that detonation sets into motion a classic noir tale of betrayal and murder. In a complex exploration of character and morality, Welles plays the racist Captain Hank Quinlan, a grotesque, troubled, and powerful figure who runs his small U.S. border town according to his own version of the law. Quinlan's brutishness and vulgarity contrast starkly with the idealism and playboy good looks of Charlton Heston as Mike Vargas, a Mexican detective trying to put away the leader of a dangerous family of drug dealers--the Grandis. In the U.S. with his new bride, Susie (Janet Leigh), Vargas becomes consumed with exposing Quinlan and his highly questionable methods--too busy to see that his own beautiful blonde bride is in serious danger from both Quinlan and the Grandis. In 1998, Welles's film was restored closer to its creator's original vision, and it is a joy to behold. Every shot is impeccably crafted, every word of dialogue concise and pointed. The camerawork (by Russell Metty and John Russell) is stunning, particularly in the opening scene and the long single take in which Vargas believes he has caught Quinlan planting evidence. The supporting cast, led by Marlene Dietrich, Dennis Weaver, Akim Tamiroff, and Joseph Calleia, gives exhilarating performances. TOUCH OF EVIL, Welles's last studio film, is a near-perfect examination of the dark underbelly of society and the tragic downfall of a once proud man.

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This film noir collection offers 10 crime drama classics, showcasing the legendary directors and performers who made their mark on the dark, stylish genre including Orson Welles, Glenn Ford, and Humphrey Bogart. THE DARK SIDE OF HOLLYWOOD includes THE STRANGER (1946), THE GREEN GLOVE (1952), HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948), CALL IT MURDER (1934), THE HITCH-HIKER (1953), D.O.A. (1950), DETOUR (1945), THE BIG COMBO (1955), SCARLET STREET (1945), and THE HOODLUM (1951). See individual titles for additional details.

Description:

THE STRANGER: Orson Welles directed and starred in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Spiegel. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart. Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when Spiegel reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still multilayered, complex, and fascinating. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel.

Description:

THE STRANGER: Orson Welles directed and starred in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Spiegel. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart. Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when Spiegel reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still multilayered, complex, and fascinating. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel. SCARLET STREET: In this remake of Jean Renoir's controversial 1931 film, LA CHIENNE, Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson), a quiet, staid cashier and dedicated Sunday painter, feels consumed by passion for the first time in his life when he meets pretty, manipulative Kitty. The two become involved, but Kitty is really in love with a petty crook named Johnny, and she keeps Christopher around simply for his money. In order to impress his mistress, Cross embezzles funds from his employer. He doesn't realize, however, that Kitty and Johnny are also getting rich on his paintings, which are becoming a huge success under Kitty's name. When Christopher's theft comes to light, he loses his job and his dignity. And when he seeks out Kitty for solace, he discovers her in Johnny's embrace. The film explodes in its violent climax, and with it Lang creates perhaps his most chilling film noir work. The tightly structured story and the evocative paintings that lie symbolically at the center of the plot create a visual and psychological atmosphere of suspense, filled with double meanings and games of representation and appearance, all pointing toward a brutal final act, motivated by Cross's inner demons and repressed emotions.

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Historical and biographical films from the Golden Age of Hollywood are collected in HISTORIC CLASSICS 50 MOVIE MEGA PACK. The collection features a number of major stars--Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Warren Beatty, Joan Collins, and more--in costume dramas and literary adaptations alike. HISTORIC CLASSICS is practically a clinic in the development of the genre of the historic drama.

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THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, an atmospheric film noir based on Sherwood King's novel IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE, features Orson Welles as producer, director, co-screenwriter, and star. Welles plays rogue seaman Michael O'Hara, complete with Irish brogue. After saving beautiful Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth) from thieves in Central Park, O'Hara is requested to serve on the yacht owned by Elsa's husband, Arthur (Welles veteran Everett Sloane), an older man who needs special crutches in order to walk. A fiery passion lurks underneath the relationship between Michael and Elsa; in actuality, the marriage between Welles and Hayworth was ending at the time the film was shot. Enter George Grisby (the eerie-sounding Glenn Anders), one of Bannister's associates and a man with a very special offer for O'Hara, luring him into a web of lies and murder. Although Welles claimed he made THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI just to finance other projects and the film does not show off his typical Wellesian flair, it still plays like a classic noir that draws the viewer in and never lets go. The characters are complex and fascinating, and the tension runs high and hot as the truth behind all the lies starts to come out. The film is most famous for its thrilling climax, which takes place in a hall of mirrors. Welles might have considered THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI workmanlike, but this noir thriller is only as workmanlike as any Welles film can be.

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Fred Zinneman directs this excellent biographical drama about the conflicts faced by Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) when King Henry VIII asks him to break with the Pope and grant him a divorce. Based on Robert Bolt's stage play, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS is a powerful, cerebral story, supported by an excellent cast and characterization. Vanessa Redgrave would later participate in a well-received made-for-television remake in 1988. This biographical drama earned eight Academy Award nominations and six wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Paul Scofield), and Best (Adapted) Screenplay.

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A witty, involving drama set in rural Mississippi, Martin Ritt's second film exudes the peculiar charm of the Deep South. Martin Ritt combined two of William Faulkner's Southern stories into this immensely entertaining drama starring Paul Newman as Ben Quick, a wandering handyman who arrives in Frenchman's Bend, Mississippi where menacing rumors about his past are circulating. The self-made town despot, Will Varner (Welles), quickly warms to the drifter and, seeing a bit of himself in Ben Quick, Varner takes him under his wing and gives him a job at his store. Disappointed with his own son's lazy demeanor, and fearing that his grandchildren will be the same, Varner tells Quick that he'd like him to marry his daughter Clara (Woodward), a tough-minded schoolteacher. Quick and Clara clash at first, and their scenes together project an electricity that practically jumps off the screen, no doubt aided by the stars' offscreen attraction. Their performance, along with sharp dialogue and strong support from the rest of the cast, especially Welles' portrayal of Will Varner, a Southern variation on his Hank Quinlan from A TOUCH OF EVIL, help make THE LONG, HOT SUMMER a classic.

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A dark and stormy production of Charlottle Bronte's gothic novel, with Welles making arguably the best Rochester ever.

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It's Chicago and the year is 1924. Two young men are driving recklessly at night, and almost hit a drunken pedestrian. They are wealthy law students, the flamboyant Artie Straus (Bradford Dillman) constantly goading the intensely introverted Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) to still more outrageous escapades. Smugly feeling safe in their own superiority, the pair commit murder--just to show they can. So starts this gripping fictionalized version of the Leopold-Loeb case which shocked Americans and provoked Clarence Darrow, here fictionalized as Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles), to make an impassioned plea that even these cold killers should not be hung. A tough dramatization of the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case in which two college students kidnapped and killed a boy purely for kicks. Welles plays defense attorney Clarence Darrow in this adaptation of reporter Meyer Levin's novel.

Description:

THE STRANGER: Orson Welles directed and starred in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Spiegel. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart. Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when Spiegel reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still multilayered, complex, and fascinating. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel.

Description:

A dying man's final words send two people to Gregory Arkadin (Orson Welles), a mysterious and much-feared billionaire who lives on a Xanadu-like castle. In Welles's noirish MR. ARKADIN, Robert Arden stars as Guy Van Stratten, an adventurer and fortune hunter who is interested in Arkadin's money--and his daughter, Raina (Paolo Mori). Arkadin, overprotective of his daughter, has his "secretaries" prepare a damaging dossier on Van Stratten--entitled "Confidential Report." But Arkadin then makes a deal with Van Stratten--he will pay the young man for preparing a similar file on him, for Mr. Arkadin says he remembers nothing about his past and does not know where he came from. Even his name is a mystery. Van Stratten's search for the truth about Arkadin's past--which takes him throughout Europe and to Mexico and features encounters with a variety of fabulously colorful characters--is highly reminiscent of Thompson's search for Rosebud in CITIZEN KANE. Shot in black and white, filled with elegant, cosmopolitan party scenes, and extraordinary close-ups, MR. ARKADIN is a visually stunning film. The camera angles and movement, the exotic sets, the playful music, and the quick cuts--as well as the extremely entertaining and metaphorical stories that Arkadin tells--all help make MR. ARKADIN a sublime treat.

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Based on James M. Cain's novel about an attractive young woman in the Nevada silver mining region in the 1930's who uses her alluring sensual qualities to manipulate the men in her life. Her seductive propensities are even extended to her father.

Description:

THE TRIAL is Orson Welles's claustrophobic adaptation of Franz Kafka's surreal tale of fear and paranoia in a nameless society. Tinged with background jazz, filmed in shadowy black and white--mostly with direct light--THE TRIAL looks like a classic film noir, with angled close-ups and characters shrouded in mystery. Anthony Perkins stars as Josef K., a seemingly innocent young man who is arrested one morning for an unexplained crime by men who refuse to identify themselves. K., asserting his innocence, sets off on a bizarre series of confrontations with shady government agents, overwhelming faceless courtrooms, and pompous advocates who talk in riddles. His nightmare continues through narrow, dark passageways and colorless rooms where he witnesses various forms of torture and interrogation; some of what he comes upon has echoes of the Nazis and the Holocaust. And nearly everywhere he goes he stumbles over wads of paperwork (the kind that ultimately swallowed up Tuttle in Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, a fascinating descendant of THE TRIAL). Perkins is wonderfully paranoid as he wanders aimlessly through the labyrinthine sets, which always seem to be closing in on him. THE TRIAL is an eerie nightmare of a film, one of which writer-director-costar Orson Welles was justifiably proud.

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This collection includes VERDICT, RUNAWAY JURY, COMPULSION, and CLASS ACTION. See individual titles for details.

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This set features five adventure films starring the dashing star: THE BLACK ROSE, BLOOD AND SAND, CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE, PRINCE OF FOXES, and SON OF FURY: THE STORY OF BENJAMIN BLAKE. See individual titles for synopsis information.

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Dedicated to celebrating classic cinema, Rialto Pictures has long worked to provide American theaters with remastered 35mm prints of legendary international films. This magnificent collection pays tribute to Rialto's first decade of existence, and brings together 10 of the French and Italian masterpieces the company has worked diligently to preserve. 10 YEARS OF RIALTO PICTURES includes beautiful prints of ARMY OF SHADOWS (1969), AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (1966), BAND OF OUTSIDERS (1964), BILLY LIAR (1963), THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (1972), MAFIOSO (1962), MURDEROUS MAIDS (2000), RIFIFI(1955), THE THIRD MAN (1949), and TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI (1954). See individual titles for additional details.

Description:

THE STRANGER: Orson Welles directed and starred in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Spiegel. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart. Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when Spiegel reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still multilayered, complex, and fascinating. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel.

Description:

Fred Zinneman directs this excellent biographical drama about the conflicts faced by Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) when King Henry VIII asks him to break with the Pope and grant him a divorce. Based on Robert Bolt's stage play, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS is a powerful, cerebral story, supported by an excellent cast and characterization. Vanessa Redgrave would later participate in a well-received made-for-television remake in 1988. This biographical drama earned eight Academy Award nominations and six wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Paul Scofield), and Best (Adapted) Screenplay.

Description:

THE TRIAL is Orson Welles's claustrophobic adaptation of Franz Kafka's surreal tale of fear and paranoia in a nameless society. Tinged with background jazz, filmed in shadowy black and white--mostly with direct light--THE TRIAL looks like a classic film noir, with angled close-ups and characters shrouded in mystery. Anthony Perkins stars as Josef K., a seemingly innocent young man who is arrested one morning for an unexplained crime by men who refuse to identify themselves. K., asserting his innocence, sets off on a bizarre series of confrontations with shady government agents, overwhelming faceless courtrooms, and pompous advocates who talk in riddles. His nightmare continues through narrow, dark passageways and colorless rooms where he witnesses various forms of torture and interrogation; some of what he comes upon has echoes of the Nazis and the Holocaust. And nearly everywhere he goes he stumbles over wads of paperwork (the kind that ultimately swallowed up Tuttle in Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, a fascinating descendant of THE TRIAL). Perkins is wonderfully paranoid as he wanders aimlessly through the labyrinthine sets, which always seem to be closing in on him. THE TRIAL is an eerie nightmare of a film, one of which writer-director-costar Orson Welles was justifiably proud.

Description:

THE STRANGER: Orson Welles directed and starred in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Spiegel. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart. Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when Spiegel reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still multilayered, complex, and fascinating. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel.

Description:

Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL is nothing short of a masterpiece. Beginning with a three-minute-plus tracking crane shot, the film explodes onto the screen, literally--the marvelously expressive opening shot ends with a car blowing up, and that detonation sets into motion a classic noir tale of betrayal and murder. In a complex exploration of character and morality, Welles plays the racist Captain Hank Quinlan, a grotesque, troubled, and powerful figure who runs his small U.S. border town according to his own version of the law. Quinlan's brutishness and vulgarity contrast starkly with the idealism and playboy good looks of Charlton Heston as Mike Vargas, a Mexican detective trying to put away the leader of a dangerous family of drug dealers--the Grandis. In the U.S. with his new bride, Susie (Janet Leigh), Vargas becomes consumed with exposing Quinlan and his highly questionable methods--too busy to see that his own beautiful blonde bride is in serious danger from both Quinlan and the Grandis. In 1998, Welles's film was restored closer to its creator's original vision, and it is a joy to behold. Every shot is impeccably crafted, every word of dialogue concise and pointed. The camerawork (by Russell Metty and John Russell) is stunning, particularly in the opening scene and the long single take in which Vargas believes he has caught Quinlan planting evidence. The supporting cast, led by Marlene Dietrich, Dennis Weaver, Akim Tamiroff, and Joseph Calleia, gives exhilarating performances. TOUCH OF EVIL, Welles's last studio film, is a near-perfect examination of the dark underbelly of society and the tragic downfall of a once proud man.

Description:

THE STRANGER: Orson Welles directed and starred in THE STRANGER, a tense black-and-white thriller that Welles made for maverick producer Sam Spiegel. Welles portrays Charles Rankin, a respected academic at a prominent Connecticut college. He seems to have the perfect life: a beautiful new wife, Mary (Loretta Young); and a charming home in a small town that holds him in high esteem. Enter Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a detective on the hunt for Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler. The appearance of Mr. Wilson threatens to reveal that underneath this idyllic veneer is a secret that could tear everything apart. Although many of Welles's most interesting scenes wound up on the cutting-room floor when Spiegel reedited the film, THE STRANGER is still multilayered, complex, and fascinating. The scenes between Welles and Robinson are intellectually gripping, leading up to the stylized, shocking conclusion. As with so many of Welles's films, he was unhappy with the final result, but the viewer won't be. It would be most interesting to see the film as Welles intended it to be, but in the meantime, this version of THE STRANGER is a marvel.

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The MIDNIGHT MYSTERIES COLLECTION presents six vintage mysteries: SCARLET STREET (1945), THE RED HOUSE (1947), THE SCAR (1948), THE STRANGER (1946), WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950), and INNER SANCTUM (1948). See individual titles for plot synopses.

Description:

Swashbuckling star Tyrone Power matches wits with cinematic heavyweight Orson Welles in this adventure set in Renaissance-era Italy. Power (THE BLACK SWAN) stars as Andrea Orsini, also known as the Prince of Foxes. Employed by the evil Cesare Borgia (Welles, THE THIRD MAN), Orsini journeys to a region with orders to spy for Borgia who intends to take over the land. When Orsini meets some of Borgia's intended victims, he finds it hard not to befriend the charismatic couple, creating conflict in the normally loyal soldier. Welles and Power would later reunite in BLACK ROSE.

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East meets west in this medieval epic that reteams Tyrone Power and Orson Welles after they starred in PRINCE OF FOXES. Power (THE MARK OF ZORRO) plays Walter of Gurnie, a man exiled from England. Drawn to the exotic power of the East, Walter travels to China where he meets Bayan (Welles, CITIZEN KANE) who is on his way to see Kubla Khan. But it's his encounter with an English beauty called the Black Rose that brings more action to this adventure. Only Walter can save her from being forced into the arms of Kubla Khan and ensure she is able to go back to her home country.