Orson Welles

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Orson Welles

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Immortal Rita Hayworth Walked in Beauty Shadowed by Tragedy

She brought enchantment to every corner of the world with a movie screen. So why couldn’t she be happy?

Jerome Charyn

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OSCAR BAIT

David Fincher Exposes the Ugliness of Hollywood—on Netflix

David Fincher’s latest explores the making of Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” It’s a flawed, lovingly made film with excellent turns from Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.

Nick Schager

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MEETING OF THE MINDS

Orson Welles and Dennis Hopper’s Horny Political Debate

A 1970 home video of cinema legend Orson Welles interrogating Dennis Hopper on the back of his “Easy Rider” glory is as strange as you could imagine.

Barbie Latza Nadeau

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POLYMATH

Orson Welles Made Renaissance Men Cringe. And He Could Draw.

He terrified radio listeners with ‘The War of the Worlds.’ He revolutionized filmmaking with ‘Citizen Kane.’ And now we discover that he was a consummate sketch artist.

Kelly Caminero

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MASTERFUL

Orson Welles Terrified Frank Beacham—and Changed His Life

Frank Beacham was working in reality TV when Orson Welles called one day, wanting to work on a new project. The next ten months, until Welles' death, was a thrilling rollercoaster.

Tim Teeman

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EXCERPT

How Orson Welles Nailed a Cop for Blinding a Black Man

Isaac Woodard didn't know the name of the town where the police chief beat him and crushed his eyeballs, but in 1946 Welles mounted a radio campaign that found both.

Christopher Dickey

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THE OTHER SIDE

Orson Welles’ Final Film Is as Haunting as It Is Wild

Orson Welles’ long-delayed, pseudo-autobiographical opus ‘The Other Side of the Wind’ premieres on Netflix this weekend, cementing the legendary director’s legacy.

Natalia Winkelman

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Orson Welles’ Final Film: Porn, Dwarfs & the Shah of Iran

A new Netflix documentary takes viewers deep inside the five-decade journey to complete the cinema giant’s final picture, ‘The Other Side of the Wind.’

Marlow Stern

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Harbinger

Did ‘Citizen Kane’ Predict Donald Trump?

<p><i>War of the Worlds</i> mastermind Orson Welles was well-prepared to make a movie about a press lord and politician unconcerned with the facts. The film is more relevant than ever.</p>

A. Brad Schwartz

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Singular Force

The One-Man Show That Was Orson Welles

In command on both sides of a movie camera, Welles could act better than any director and direct better than any actor. In fact, he did everything better than most moviemakers.

Jack Schwartz

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RECTIFIED

Orson Welles’s Forgotten Masterpiece

<p>Critics turned up their noses in 1966 at <em>Chimes at Midnight</em>, Welles’s film about Shakespeare’s Falstaff. Now it’s being re-released and you can see what you missed.</p>

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