Monday, April 18, 2011

Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu

I've accepted the Blogging A to Z Challenge. All month, I'm going to blog about Books from A to Z.

I loved this book.

Orson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to XanaduOrson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu.

I also really enjoyed reading a bunch of other books about Welles.

Like This Is Orson Welles, which is full of great stories, a long dialogue with the man himself.

And Orson Welles and The Magic World of Orson Welles and Orson Welles: A Biography and Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles.

There's just something captivating about Welles, his persona, his voice, his mercurial career. Pauline Kael's The Citizen Kane Book tries to oust Welles as the author of his greatest film, giving a lot more credit to screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz. And while I'm all for crediting writers, I think Welles continues to deserve the credit he usually gets for Kane.

But as much as I enjoy his film work, I really wish I could have seen his theatrical productions. That's where I'd steer a time machine.

1 comment:

Will said...

Quiz: what was Welles last movie role?

Also, and you'll like this, who played Orson Welles in Tim Burton's Ed Wood?