Orson Welles a la Cinémathéque (1984) Reviews

Filmed in 1982, just three years before he died, this long interview with Orson Welles highlights the famous writer/director/actor's views on movie-making, elicited by questions from director Pierre-André Boutang. Although the translation from French to English and back again may be a bit awkward, Welles' statements are clear enough: he despised Cecil B. De Mille and Alfred Hitchcock, actors are worth more than good scriptwriters, no one should make films for posterity, and directors should be less intellectual. Provocative in many of his viewpoints, Welles was expecting more controversial, cutting-edge questions and if the director had complied -- and had offered film clips, historical footage, still photos, and other supplementary visual material as well, this documentary would have been more than a simple record of Welles's opinions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi