Customer Reviews

American Film Institute: Orson Welles [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Worldvision VHS tape is recorded in SP mode and it's in good video and sound quality.

The 75-minute program, originally aired on CBS in 1975, is the third AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, which is historically one of the more tasteful and classy award shows. Each show usually comprises of tributes to the award recipient, film clips of his or her work, and a final acceptance speech. Usually the actual ceremony runs much longer, and the broadcast version is trimmed down to fit a time slot; that begs the question: when will we see the outtakes from these shows? For film fans, every bit of footage of Welles, Hitchcock, Lean, etc., is precious.

The program opens with a nice introduction: "Our first AFI award was given to director John Ford, our second was to actor James Cagney, and tonight, we honor the 'third man'." Then, accompanied by the famous zither music from THE THIRD MAN, Welles emerges from the crowd.

Those who pay tribute to Welles in the program are: Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra, Ingrid Bergman, Natalie Wood, Janet Leigh, Dennis Weaver, Johnny Carson (who comes to collect a $50 debt from Welles), Edgar Berger (1930s ventriloquist), Joseph Cotten, Peter Bogdanovich, and George Stevens, Jr. Film clips of THE THIRD MAN, CITIZEN KANE, TOUCH OF EVIL, JANE EYRE (Welles with Joan Fontaine), THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, OTHELLO, TOMORROW IS FOREVER (Welles with Natalie Wood), FALSTAFF, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, and Welles' last but unfinished THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, are shown.

Much have been said about Orson Welles and whether you like the man or not his influence on cinema is substantial and he have made a great contribution to the aesthetics of movies. In this 1975 treat he receives his medal for a long life in motion pictures and it's so breathlessly entertaining that you don't care whether his final words make sense or not. There are cameos from Joseph Cotten to Frank Sinatra, from Charlton Heston to Johnny Carson. This video is a must for anyone who enjoys movies!