Customer Reviews

Me and Orson Welles [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Orson Welles was a genius in many, many areas. He was an incredible actor, a brilliant director and a showman of the first order. He was also, from many accounts, a major jerk; obsessive and controlling, manipulative and unpleasant. Someone who at least as nasty to his friends as to his enemies. He was, to lift a quote from a certain movie, not a brutal man, but a man who did brutal things.

All these elements of his considerable personality are on display in Richard Linkletter's newest film, Me and Orson Welles. The movie tells the story of a seventeen-year-old boy named Richard (though he's mostly referred to as "Junior"). He's played by Zac Efron (looking sexier than ever), in his finest role to date, which isn't saying a lot.

Richard is a reasonably naive boy who winds up meeting Welles as the great man is preparing for his 1937 stage production of Julius Caesar, a ground-breaking presentation that moved the story into modern times, dressing the cast in fascist uniforms and casting an obvious Jew as the poet Cinna. Richard ends up in the play as a servant to Welles' Brutus, a role which requires him to learn to play the ukulele after claiming he already knew how.

Richard meets all the famous players of the Mercury Theatre, most notably Joseph Cotton, Norman Lloyd and George Coulouris. He also meets, and falls in love with, the beautiful Sonja Jones (Claire Danes). Like Richard, she's a fictional character, and also like Richard, she's far less interesting than the real characters around them.

The movie is completely stolen by Christian McKay's performance as Welles. It is as letter-perfect as any I've ever seen. He has the look, he has the voice and he has the attitude of Welles, playing him as a man who never bothered to merely speak when he could instead declaim. He simply is Welles, warts and all. Expect his performance to get a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and probable win, at the next Oscars.

This is probably the best movie I've seen this year, with Up in the Air as a very close second. The movie captures the spirit of the theatre and the character of Welles like no movie I've ever seen before. I cannot possibly praise it enough. It might be hard to find in your area (it's considered something of an art film), but if you can track it down, it's well worth seeing.

I wish this small-scale 2009 indie focused far more on the most charismatic person in the cast. Foreboding with a glaring certainty and a penchant for spewing venom at anyone he deems unworthy of his attention, Christian McKay makes the young Orson Welles come alive as the intimidating megalomaniac he had to have been to create a masterpiece like Citizen Kane. In 1937, he was only 22 when he mounted a contemporary version of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" with his legendary troupe, the Mercury Theater, which showcased his prodigious theatrical genius, and his idiosyncratic blend of swagger and insight transcended the backstage chaos that would yield a stage triumph. Welles was the type of man who would shower his cast with hyperbolic praise and then just as suddenly, crush them with harsh criticism.

However, director Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused), usually not a specialist in period pieces, chooses to focus on the fictional character of 17-year-old Richard Samuels to carry the plot as he witnesses Welles' genius firsthand as a protégé-turned-actor. Filmmaker Cameron Crowe tried the same perspective shift in 2000's Almost Famous, but the device doesn't work as well this time. It's not that teen heartthrob Zac Efron is bad in the role. In fact, he brings an enthusiastic sincerity to his comparatively shallow role, but the dominance of McKay's towering performance provides an imbalance that is difficult to ignore. Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo's screenplay focuses on Richard's brush with greatness during the process of making art, and cineastes will enjoy the likes of Joseph Cotten, John Houseman and George Colouris portrayed with relish and surprising accuracy by James Tupper, Eddie Marsan and Ben Chaplin, respectively.

Of course, there are women to complicate matters among the troupe, and Mercury production manager Sonja Jones is both a beguiling and ambitious presence that endlessly fascinates the actors swirling around her. Needless to say, Richard is smitten, but she has plans of her own to consider. Claire Danes gives a smart, incisive performance as Sonja, giving her more depth than one would expect from the story. Zoe Kazan bookends the movie as an aspiring writer who believes she has found a kindred artistic spirit in Richard. Laurence Dorman's production design and Dick Pope's cinematography deserve mention as the combination evokes the film's period setting with conviction. But this is McKay's movie all the way and well worth seeing for his astonishing turn.

Richard Linklater has always been one with an ear for the gab. In his movies dialogues don't just exist to fill in the silent moments, but they are there because it reflects the feel of the movie and the ethos of the character. This movie is no exception. It reminds you of the 50s and 60s where the banter and repartee was a marked characterstic of Bogart movies.

Christian Mckay is a revelation. As Orson Welles, he brings every bit of the gravitas, arrogance and brilliance that the role demands. He moves effortlessly among the various skins of Orson Welles - from the stubborn artist to the brilliant actor and everything in between.

Apart from McKay, Claire Danes is wonderful as the career minded icequeen. Zac Efron is passable as the rookie.

Definitely worth a watch

Based on the novel by Robert Kaplow, "Me and Orson Welles" takes place in 1937, just as the theatrical and radio wunderkind is mounting a bold new stage production of "Julius Caesar" - set in modern times - with his recently formed troupe, the Mercury Theater Players. Richard Samuels (Zak Efron) is a cocky, 17-year-old aspiring actor who charms his way into the company and Welles' good graces - to the extent that such a thing is possible, that is. A serious conflict develops between them, however, when the boy, inexperienced in the ways of love and how the world really works, crosses swords with Welles by foolishly losing his heart to Sonja Jones (Claire Danes), a production assistant who takes the lad to her bed, but who's also not above sleeping her way to the top, even with the maestro himself (David O. Selznick is her next intended target).

As a work of historical fiction, "Me and Orson Welles," written by Holly Gent Palmo and Vince Palmo and directed by Richard Linklater, is less intriguing for the story it tells than for its behind-the-scenes glimpse into the theatrical world of 1930s New York and for the way in which it captures the pulse of its era (even though the interiors were largely filmed in England). The real joy of the film lies in the performance by Christian McKay, who, as Welles, perfectly nails the look and sound of the pop culture legend without once resorting to mimicry or caricature in his effort to do so. Through McKay's work, we get to see Welles for the eccentric and multi-faceted genius (and all-around pain-in-the-ass) he really was - a natural-born entertainer, a smooth-talking ladies man, a raging megalomaniac, and an unforgiving taskmaster, who, through a canny combination of hard work and good, old-fashioned showmanship, turned himself into a household name. Yet, McKay also portrays Welles as a man whose shrewd awareness of his own pomposity played a key role in carefully crafting that larger-than-life image that would become such an essential part of his public persona. Yet, Welles could also be a devoted mentor to those he felt had potential and talent, "God-created actors," as he called them - at least up to the point where he felt one had contradicted or betrayed him, and then all hell could break loose, as Richard, much to his everlasting regret, eventually learns.

An impressive supporting cast, a witty script and fine period detail also contribute to the fun of the piece, but it is the amazing Christian McKay who makes "Me and Orson Welles" a must-see event.

Orson Welles was the most charismatic, outrageous, brilliant, egotistical, and fascinating artist of his generation, an 'enfant terrible' who was hailed as a creative genius in his 20s, yet effectively 'shut out' as anything more than an actor for most of the rest of his life. His 'glory years', from the mid-1930s until the release of "Citizen Kane", in 1941, have produced a number of memorable films and great Welles' impersonations, including those of Liev Schreiber, Angus MacFadyen, and Vincent D'Onofrio (who was dubbed), but I must admit, the best film and Welles' interpretion I've seen is Richard Linklater's wonderful "Me & Orson Welles", with Christian McKay, physically and vocally 'dead-on' as Welles.

Based on Robert Kaplow's novel, the film traces the birth of the Mercury Theatre, in 1937, and 22-year-old Welles' unorthodox staging of their first project, a fascist, Nazi-themed version of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", in the final days before the debut. As seen through the eyes of a 17-year-old novice actor, Richard Samuels (Zac Efron, looking very much like a young Tyrone Power), Welles is a force of nature, verbally fencing with his creative partner, John Houseman (Eddie Marsan), chasing women as vigorously as actor/pal Joe Cotton (an equally dead-on James Tupper), and dealing with tempermental 'Mark Antony' George Coulouris (Ben Chaplin, icily droll). Samuels is befriended by funny, unpredictable Norman Lloyd (Leo Bill, in yet another 'dead-on' portrayal), and becomes involved with two remarkable women, young writer Gretta Adler (Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan), and Welles' assistant, Sonja Jones (Clare Danes, in a very likable performance). The glue that holds everything together is clearly Welles, and Christian McKay is simply mesmerizing, a slightly pudgy, saucer-eyed, self-centered, yet undoubtedly brighter person than everyone else. He has his Mercury company completely in awe (despite more than a few secretly hating him), and he pulls the entire theatre world of the time to a level no one had ever experienced before (not even Welles!)...His vision would change the world, and the film captures the times, perfectly.

If you are a Welles fan, or 1930's Broadway, or the actors of the era, you are in for a treat...Don't miss this one.

"Me & Orson Welles" is a winner!

"Me and Orson Welles" seems like it's a carefully crafted vehicle to transition former "High School Musical" star Zac Efron into films that have more adult subjects and themes.

"Me and Orson Welles" is the fictitious story of a precocious 17 year old, Richard Samuels (Zac Efron). Set in 1937, Richard wants to be an actor, and one afternoon cutting his school classes he stumbles upon Orson Welles' Mercury Theater as they`re trying to drum up some promotion for Welles' forthcoming modern dress play of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." Richard convinces Welles (Christian McKay) of his ability to play a ukulele and Welles casts him in the play. Claire Danes plays Sonja Jones, the woman who none of the actors can obtain including, a randy Joseph Cotton (James Tupper), except, of course, for Welles, and Richard. The movie pivots on this love triangle.

Christian McKay does well as Welles, several times he nails Welles exactly right, and his performance is the key one that holds together the plot. Efron does a good job as Richard, nothing spectacular but he holds his own with much more experienced actors. James Tupper as Joseph Cotton acts as a guide for Richard through the Mercury theater and Welles and it's one of the more convincing roles in the movie. One of the problems is, some of the actors look to old to be the character they are portraying. The worst example is of Eddie Marsan playing John Houseman. Houseman was about 35 years old when the events in the movie take place, Marsan looks closer to 50.

Directed by Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused") it seemed the direction was listless, the movie at times drags and you wait for the next appearance of McKays' Welles to throw in some hubris or a grandiose speech to liven a scene up. I had a hard time writing this review because the movie didn't leave me with any lasting impressions either positively or negatively, surely that can't be good for a movie.

If you`re looking for other movies on Orson Welles of that period "The Cradle Will Rock" is a more satisfying film covering almost the exact same time period in Welles' life or Vincent D'Onofrio's cameo as Welles in "Ed Wood."

There were no bonus features. A documentary on Welles or even one on Welles' production of "Julius Caesar" would have informed the audience of the context of the times and Orson Welles.

Actor Christian McKay channels Orson Welles in this film. It isn't that he does an imitation of Welles, Rich Little-like. He naturally becomes Welles, at least the Welles we knew from the great man's many later talk-show appearances and from biographies of him. But this is an earlier slice of his career. Here we see Welles' efforts to mount a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in modern-dress for his Mercury Theater.

Instead of being costumed in era-appropriate Roman togas, Welles appointed the actors to come on stage dressed as Fascists and gangsters. People still talk about the brilliance of that late 1930's production. Perhaps it was brilliant. But this movie doesn't really give us a sense of what made the production such a triumph of Welles' artistic vision. Nor does it give us a clear idea of why Welles got anointed with the adjective "genius," or why he won such cult-like devotion from the people who worked for him. This is a good and engaging movie, but it somehow remains limited, as if it was a framed sepia photograph of some 1930's college class.

McKay's sheer Wellesianness is the best thing about the movie. The movie's story is told from the point of view of a young man who, on another of Welles' whims, is granted a speaking part in the production. That young man remains rather staged and colorless. It's difficult to care what happens to him.

The main thing that's memorable about this movie is its depiction of Welles' almost sociopathic cruelty. Some of his manipulations could be set down to his dedication to his art. He does whatever he has to do to enable the show "to go on." But as shown here, Welles' human failings were more profound, less justifiable. So the movie leaves the viewer with a bad taste in the mouth. It leaves one in a depressing state of disillusionment. That disillusionment tends to reflect on all of Welles' future productions. Was Citizen Kane really as good as everyone has declared it to be? Could such excellence come from such a self-absorbed, ruthless actor/impresario? Could anything good come of such blunt indifference to the feelings of real humans as opposed to scripted humans?

If you're prepared to be let down about the man and his motives though, this is still a worthwhile movie. However, the DVD contains a second disappointment. At least the edition I got had no commentaries on it, and if ever a film cried out for commentary - this one did. I longed to hear from people who might have worked for Welles, either in his Mercury Theater days, or later. It seemed essential to follow up this movie with a chaser of chit-chat about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the real Orson Welles.

Great flick--no movie is ever perfect but this is a great representation of the theatre. DO NOT GET RIPPED off..
This DVD is a TARGET exclusive (only sold new thru Target)--go to any Target in the USA and you can buy it brand new for $14.99. All other sellers bought it from Target for $14.99 and now are passing it on to you at a sharply increased price. NO Target nearby..got to Target's website and order it. I love Amazon but this is bogus trying to sell an in-print $15 dvd for nearly double.

There are many things to love about ME AND ORSON WELLES, a dip into the past of the USA circa 1937 when despite the Great Depression and the imminence of WW II life upon the wicked stage held the fascination for a group of people determined to become stars. Adapted from the novel by Robert Kaplow by Holly Gent Palmo and Vincent Palmo Jr. and directed by Richard Linklater, this film reminds us of what the movies of the 1940s were like - hazy, musically inclined, optimistic views of the future played out on the streets and backstages of New York. It is not a deep film, but it is delivered by an excellent cast, and if the first half drags a bit, the second half more than makes up for those flaws.

Orson Welles (played brilliantly by British actor Christian McKay) is fixing up the old Mercury theater for a performance of Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR. His crew of actors understands the idiosyncrasies of the brilliant theatrical genius and realizes that despite his at times vicious steaks of grandiose personality megalomania that he is indeed a genius and to work with him 'close enough to be sprayed by his spit' is an honor. His secretary Sonja Jones (Claire Danes) is wise and knows what it takes to step up the ladder in show business. When a young student Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) appears, Jones helps him land an audition with the great Welles and Richard is given a bit part in the play. The story concerns the machinations of backstage drama that surrounds theater life: the cast members include Ben Chaplin, Kelly Reilly, James Tupper, and Leo Bill among others and the theater manager John Houseman is played by Eddie Marsan. There are the expected sidebars of love affairs - Efron and Danes, Efron and Zoe Kazan (playing would-be writer Gretta Adler), confrontations of strong personalities, opening night decompensations, superstitions that surround the theater - and these asides are just that: unnecessary moments of digression for the appreciation of what Orson Welles was all about. The true glory of the film is the manner in which the magician Welles is able to tidy up last minute details and present a production of JULIUS CAESAR that is far ahead of its time and praised by the press and the public. After opening night the tension among the actors alters and the choices each makes creates a fine ending for the cinematic biography.

The musical score is rich in excerpts from the period popular songs as well as a fine score by Michael J. McEvoy. The cinematography that captures the flavor of the 30s - long shots down on the streets from high buildings, the creaky dank theater mood, and the choice of bathing everything in a slightly umber tone - is mastered by Dick Pope. The cast is uniformly fine, but it is the performance of Christian McKay that, just as Orson Welles dominated the world in the places he stood, proves that McKay is a brilliant actor to watch carefully. It is a very good show, not a great one, but a solid look at the life and colleagues of a great man. Grady Harp, August 10

Went to Target and found this movie was so excited so any one looking for it can find it there