Philosophy
"Orson Welles lost film screened in Italy"
Too Much Johnson, a silent film made by Orson Welles in 1938 and lost for three decades, has been restored and is being screened in Italy
by
Martin Chilton
October 9th, 2013
The Telegraph
Too Much Johnson, the first professional film made by Orson Welles and which has been lost for 30 years, is being shown in Italy today after being mysteriously recovered from a removal company warehouse. The silent film was found by the staff of Cinemazero, an art house in Pordenone.
Demand to see the film – a slapstick comedy which stars a young Joseph Cotton as a playboy who flees the violent husband of his mistress – has been so high that organisers of the Giornate del Cinema Muto annual silent film festival in Pordenone have been forced to add extra showings.
The 40-minute film was made three years before Welles directed Citizen Kane in 1941, but it was never publicly screened. It is believed to be his first professional film and was intended to be shown as part of a performance of an 1894 play by William Gillette, when theatre director Welles was making his transition to film-making.
Restorer Paolo Cherchi Usa told AFP: "The discovery is a real detective novel of a story. It is a real mystery. I only have a few facts. The reels were in surprisingly good shape even though they were not kept in the right conditions, except for one where you could not see a thing which was restored in the Netherlands."
Usai carried out most of the restoration himself at the George Eastman House film institute in Rochester, New York, where the original is now being stored. The film will be screened in America next week.
Usai added: "We have been inundated with requests and the showing in Italy has been booked out for months. We have been forced to organise two more showings on Friday to accommodate all the requests."
The film, which was produced by John Houseman, also starred Edgar Barrier, Arlene Francis and Ruth Ford. Welles had a small role as a Keystone Kop. Welles, who died in 1985 at the age of 70, never allowed the footage to be seen publicly, stating the film would not make sense outside of the full context of the play. The copy he owned was destroyed in a fire at his Madrid villa in 1970.
Orson Welles' film “Too Much Johnson” discovered
- “too Much Johnson”...richard Brody's Comments
"“Too Much Johnson,” All Welles" by Richard Brody November 26th, 2013 The New Yorker News of the rediscovery and preservation of sixty-six minutes of footage shot by Orson Welles in 1938 made me both eager and skeptical. The film was intended to...
- Orson Welles' Film “too Much Johnson” Discovered
Arlene Francis with a photo of Joseph Cotten in a scene from "Too Much Johnson." "Early Film by Orson Welles Is Rediscovered" by Dave Kehr August 7th, 2013 The New York Times In 1941, Orson Welles made his debut as a feature film director with “Citizen...
- Two Movie Memorabilia Items To Be Auctioned
"Orson Welles' Citizen Kane Oscar up for auction" December 13th, 2011 BBC NEWS The Oscar awarded to Orson Welles for writing Citizen Kane is to be auctioned in Los Angeles later this month. The gold statuette, which Welles won for best screenplay...
- Voices...h. G. Wells And Orson Welles
I have recently made two posts regarding H. G. Wells and I thought that you might like to hear his voice. Audio...H. G. Wells and Orson Welles [October 28th, 1940] H. G. Wells and the "sexual revolution"? Tono-Bungay"...the feel good elixir Evil/good...companions...
- Deceased--cécile Aubry
Brigitte [Bridget] Bardot Cécile Aubry August 3rd, 1928 to July 19th, 2010 I opened this post with a well-known movie star and personality...Brigitte [Bridget] Bardot who is around 76 now. But, I don't remember Cécile Aubry...the precursor...
Philosophy
"Too Much Johnson" redux
Joseph Cotton and Edgar Barrier in the 1938 Orson Welles film Too Much Johnson.
"Orson Welles lost film screened in Italy"
Too Much Johnson, a silent film made by Orson Welles in 1938 and lost for three decades, has been restored and is being screened in Italy
by
Martin Chilton
October 9th, 2013
The Telegraph
Too Much Johnson, the first professional film made by Orson Welles and which has been lost for 30 years, is being shown in Italy today after being mysteriously recovered from a removal company warehouse. The silent film was found by the staff of Cinemazero, an art house in Pordenone.
Demand to see the film – a slapstick comedy which stars a young Joseph Cotton as a playboy who flees the violent husband of his mistress – has been so high that organisers of the Giornate del Cinema Muto annual silent film festival in Pordenone have been forced to add extra showings.
The 40-minute film was made three years before Welles directed Citizen Kane in 1941, but it was never publicly screened. It is believed to be his first professional film and was intended to be shown as part of a performance of an 1894 play by William Gillette, when theatre director Welles was making his transition to film-making.
Restorer Paolo Cherchi Usa told AFP: "The discovery is a real detective novel of a story. It is a real mystery. I only have a few facts. The reels were in surprisingly good shape even though they were not kept in the right conditions, except for one where you could not see a thing which was restored in the Netherlands."
Usai carried out most of the restoration himself at the George Eastman House film institute in Rochester, New York, where the original is now being stored. The film will be screened in America next week.
Usai added: "We have been inundated with requests and the showing in Italy has been booked out for months. We have been forced to organise two more showings on Friday to accommodate all the requests."
The film, which was produced by John Houseman, also starred Edgar Barrier, Arlene Francis and Ruth Ford. Welles had a small role as a Keystone Kop. Welles, who died in 1985 at the age of 70, never allowed the footage to be seen publicly, stating the film would not make sense outside of the full context of the play. The copy he owned was destroyed in a fire at his Madrid villa in 1970.
Orson Welles played a cop in Too Much Johnson.
Joseph Cotton with a surprised Arlene Francis.
Orson Welles' film “Too Much Johnson” discovered
- “too Much Johnson”...richard Brody's Comments
"“Too Much Johnson,” All Welles" by Richard Brody November 26th, 2013 The New Yorker News of the rediscovery and preservation of sixty-six minutes of footage shot by Orson Welles in 1938 made me both eager and skeptical. The film was intended to...
- Orson Welles' Film “too Much Johnson” Discovered
Arlene Francis with a photo of Joseph Cotten in a scene from "Too Much Johnson." "Early Film by Orson Welles Is Rediscovered" by Dave Kehr August 7th, 2013 The New York Times In 1941, Orson Welles made his debut as a feature film director with “Citizen...
- Two Movie Memorabilia Items To Be Auctioned
"Orson Welles' Citizen Kane Oscar up for auction" December 13th, 2011 BBC NEWS The Oscar awarded to Orson Welles for writing Citizen Kane is to be auctioned in Los Angeles later this month. The gold statuette, which Welles won for best screenplay...
- Voices...h. G. Wells And Orson Welles
I have recently made two posts regarding H. G. Wells and I thought that you might like to hear his voice. Audio...H. G. Wells and Orson Welles [October 28th, 1940] H. G. Wells and the "sexual revolution"? Tono-Bungay"...the feel good elixir Evil/good...companions...
- Deceased--cécile Aubry
Brigitte [Bridget] Bardot Cécile Aubry August 3rd, 1928 to July 19th, 2010 I opened this post with a well-known movie star and personality...Brigitte [Bridget] Bardot who is around 76 now. But, I don't remember Cécile Aubry...the precursor...