American director Orson Welles has created his own unique and innovative film language. In his paintings, you can find many interesting finds that destroy the traditions of cinema characteristic of their time. A special place in the director's legacy is occupied by the film Citizen Kane (1941), which tops many lists of the best films for the entire existence of cinema as an art.
Early career and radio show "War of the Worlds"
George Orson Welles was born in May 1915 in Kenosha, near Chicago. Already in 1931, the young man began working in the theater - first as an actor, then as a director. And in 1934 Wells married for the first time - to a wealthy socialite Virginia Nicholson. This marriage lasted for about six years.
Orson Welles first became famous as a director of radio shows for the CBS channel. First, he directed "Dracula" based on the famous novel by Bram Stoker, and then "War of the Worlds" based on the work of the same name by H. G. Wells. The director decided to present the fantastic story as a report from the scene, and this move led to unexpected consequences. About a million people believed in the reality of what was said on the radio. There was a massive panic, people abandoned their homes and tried to get away from the place where the ships of the Martians supposedly appeared …
The director's work in the forties and fifties
At some point, the talented guy was noticed in Hollywood. And already in 1941 Wells directed the first full-length film, Citizen Kane. Surprisingly, but true: a twenty-five-year-old young man was able to shoot a masterpiece, which is now being studied in all film schools. Citizen Kane portrays the fate of a small-town provincial who has become an influential media mogul. The film was distinguished by an original plot structure, non-standard sound effects, new methods of lighting and shooting. Most of the professional critics liked the picture.
In 1942 Wells directed his second film, The Splendor of the Ambersons. The producers cut out, without putting the director's fame, several important scenes from him and added a happy ending, but this did not save the film from a box office failure.
The following year, 1943, brought important changes to Orson Welles in his personal life - he married Rita Hayworth, an actress and the most beautiful woman in Hollywood of those years. In 1944, Rita gave birth to Orson's daughter Rebecca. But in the end, the star family broke up anyway - the divorce was filed in 1947.
Also in 1947, Wells directed the noir thriller Lady from Shanghai. Here he also showed himself to be a brilliant actor, playing the unemployed sailor Michael O'Hara. Orson Welles was able to turn an ordinary crime story into a real drama, using his signature metaphorical film language. Alas, the mass audience did not appreciate this film.
Wells' adaptation of Shakespeare's classic 1948 play Macbeth suffered the same fate. The producers were very unhappy, and Wells's career came to a standstill. So he left Hollywood and moved to Europe. It is worth noting that Orson Welles really appreciated the work of Shakespeare. After Macbeth, he filmed the play Othello (1952). Moreover, in both cases Wells offered his own interpretation of Shakespeare's subjects.
In 1955, Orson Welles directed the movie Mr. Arcadin. But he did not have time to finish work on editing on time, as a result of which several different versions of the film appeared at once. One of the main roles in Mister Arcadine was played by the Spanish actress and aristocrat Paula Mori, who eventually became Wells' third wife. They have been married for about thirty years.
In 1957, Orson Welles returned to Hollywood and filmed the brilliant noir film Seal of Evil here. But this work did not satisfy American producers, they re-edited the film in their own way and even re-shot several scenes. Wells was disappointed and left for Europe again.
The Trial and other late Wells films
Wells began a new stage in his career in 1962. Over the next five years, he managed to shoot three films - "The Trial" (1962), "Midnight Bells" (1966) and "The Immortal Story" (1967). At the same time, no one interfered with the work - Wells received, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to create absolutely freely. By the way, it was The Trial, based on the novel of the same name by Kafka, that Wells himself considered his best film. It accurately conveys the quirkiness and perversity of the Kafikan world, here Wells' favorite techniques (for example, shooting from unusual angles) turned out to be very appropriate.
In 1974, a pseudo-documentary film "F as a Fake" was presented to the audience, which became the last significant work of the master, published during his lifetime.
In the eighties, Orson Welles worked on several more projects, but none of them were completed. In addition, despite his very advanced age, Orson Welles took part in the voice acting and sometimes played small roles on TV, for example, he starred in the announcement of the series "Moonlight Detective Agency" (this series was shown in Russia).
Wells's death took place on October 10, 1985 in Hollywood (at that time he was at his home). The cause of death was cardiac arrest.
