Am I the biggest orson Welles fan here

How would you measure that? I've enjoyed all the films of his I've seen (admittedly only 7), including Ambersons.

In fact Ambersons is probably my favorite, though it has been a while since I've seen any of them:

9
The Magnificent Ambersons

8
The Lady From Shanghai
The Stranger
Citizen Kane
The Trial
Touch of Evil

6
Confidential Report

Orson Welles was great! What an extraordinary looking man ! And what a voice ! Both cetainly aided him in his art, and probably helped inspire him in that direction. A good stage magician also. Reminded me of W. C. Fields in that respect.


I've liked all his movies I have seen. 'Citizen Kane' and 'Touch of Evil' initially. The two that I really favor are 'The Lady From Shanghai' and 'Mr. Arkadin'. I can watch them repeatedly, especially the latter. 'Mr. Arkadin' is somewhat related and inspired by the movie Welles was in, 'The Third Man', from the Harry Lime character. Welles did a radio play based on a Graham Greene novella with a similar theme. A detective is hired by a mogul, who claims to have amnesia, to investigate his own past, with a questionable motive.


I like the variety of locations and the scenery, and the eeriness of it. For instance, there is a religious procession in one of the Spain locations in which Mr. Arkadin is being sought by the detective Van Stratten I thought was compelling. All the people in hooded, black robes, carrying torches.
There are 7 editions of 'Mr. Arkadin'. I checked out the Criterion Collection box set from the library, and wish i could afford it. Included is a CD of some of the radio play.


I also really liked 'The Lady From Shanghai'. Clever story of the attempted framing of an adventurer. I thought Rita Hayworth was outstanding in that. Again, interesting locations and cinematography.


And of course there is the late documentary Welles produced, 'F For Fake', about the artist and forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving. This was based on another documentary about de Hory. Also is told the story of how Clifford Irving came to write a fabricated 'autobiography' of Howard Hughes, inspired by his friendship with de Hory, who Irving had written a biography of. As Welles states in the movie, it is an essay about fakery, and 'experts'. Another interesting feature is the actress Oja Kodar. Welles' partner and lover in his late life. I thought the movie said a lot about Welles himself.


I wish I was more literate about Shakespeare and I would appreciate Welles' interpretations more.


Welles was one of the more outstanding 20th century artists.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Arkadin

Larger than life figure.

His radio version of Dracula has a better ending than the book I think.

I like The Lives of Harry Lime radio series.







There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.
Orson Welles

I started at the top and worked my way down.
Orson Welles

A writer needs a pen, an artist needs a brush, but a filmmaker needs an army.
Orson Welles

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.
Orson Welles

The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.
Orson Welles

A good artist should be isolated. If he isn't isolated, something is wrong.
Orson Welles

The director is the most overrated artist in the world. He is the only artist who, with no talent whatsoever, can be a success for 50 years without his lack of talent ever being discovered.
Orson Welles

Popularity should be no scale for the election of politicians. If it would depend on popularity, Donald Duck and The Muppets would take seats in senate.
Orson Welles

If I’m remembering correctly, he frequently spoke about how often he wanted to film Dracula, authentic to the book (you and I might have spoken about this already)—I agree that he actually improved on the ending for the radio version, though. A faithful Dracula adaptation would be wonderful—so many parts that are left out of nearly every adaptation. The Coppola flick is the closest, but it has to burden us with that unconvincing and badly-done romantic subplot and an atrocious Keanu Reeves (“wow, dude, it’s a vampire!”). 

Anyhoo...

The Magnificent Ambersons is my favorite Welles picture too, in spite of the studio-ordered ending. Kane is excellent, of course, and I’m a huge fan of The Lady from Shanghai, Touch of Evil, and F for Fake.

Appropriate that he lived to participate in the sci-fi comic book franchise era before it went into full swing.
Transformers the movie may be the only film of his I have seen in a cinema (though I may have seen The Muppet Movie at a drive-in).

"You know what I did this morning? I played the voice of a toy." He elaborated, "I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen."

One of the great (and, in my opinion, little-mentioned) points about Citizen Kane is not only how great it is but also how much fun it is. Perfect example above.