Episode 29- Orson Welles: Mercurial Magician (Part 1 of 3)

Just as Orson Welles finally bowed out in 1985, we must do the same. This time round Antony and Ghosty pick up Orson’s film career from his acting gig in the sublime ‘The Third Man’, a couple of returns to Shakespeare territory and a trio of absolute masterworks of his own making, namely ‘Touch of Evil’, ‘The Trial’ and ‘F For Fake’ (plus a couple of other films along the way). Finally we look at interviews, his fall from grace into TV commercials, more comparisons with Marlon Brando and a final summing-up of our feelings about his life and legacy.   We (and Orson up there in the clouds) hope that you have enjoyed this latest series and Film Gold will be back before the end of the year for more. In the meantime, please check out Antony’s other podcasts (links below)   'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠   Twitter ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠   Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠ https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠   Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠ https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/   Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at ⁠⁠https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno⁠⁠ OR ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno⁠⁠   Ghosty’s Cliff Richard & The Shadows podcast ⁠https://wesayyeah.podbean.com/⁠   Interview clips from Ghosty’s radio show ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GhostyTMRS⁠   episode links Website for everything Orson https://www.wellesnet.com/   The Third Man theme played by Anton Karas & also The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oEsWi88Qv0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1cHZSskXxw   Poignant scenes from ‘Touch of Evil’ (1958) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTI6rN0Vmes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeccTYUrb_Q   Law court scene from ‘The Trial’ (1962) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFGlB4a2B1I   F For Fake (1973) podcast deep dive https://www.projectionboothpodcast.com/2020/08/episode-482-f-for-fake-1973.html   Recommended documentaries about Orson (Arena special, Magician, One-man band) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFqW6b1hfFY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brVah-r65pI&t=1s https://dochouse.org/event/magician-the-astonishing-life-and-work-of-orson-welles/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eoN1m73xXk   Simon  Callow (Orson biographer x many) discusses him on the ‘Great Lives’ podcast https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b0b1r3hs   Classic Orson interviews (Dick Cavett 1970, Michael Parkinson 1974) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NTOSevzp4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NTOSevzp4w   Orson loses it over frozen peas! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyko_oQ0da8

We continue our Orson Welles journey, accompanied by uberfan David ‘Ghosty’ Wills, with discussion of the big daddy of all films, 1941’s Citizen Kane. Was this both a blessing and a curse for Orson’s career? We also discuss Welles’s forays into wartime politics and the films ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’,, ‘The Stranger’, ‘The Lady From Shanghai’ and ‘Macbeth’.   The final part will be out at the end of the month   We hope you enjoy the show!   'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠   Twitter ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠   Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠ https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠   Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/   Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at ⁠https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno⁠ OR ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno⁠   Ghosty’s Cliff Richard & The Shadows podcast https://wesayyeah.podbean.com/   Interview clips from Ghosty’s radio show https://www.youtube.com/@GhostyTMRS   episode links Heart of Darkness radio adaptation (1938) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcKH74lnPEo   Citizen Kane Wikipedia and IMDB pages https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/   The Citizen Kane Book by Pauline Kael https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/352259.The_Citizen_Kane_Book   The Battle Over Citizen Kane (1996 documentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG75tMSNnmY Citizen Kane: A critic’s commentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6LCfO0wnXw   Orson Welles on Race Relations (1946 radio show) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFraBvYO5jI   Everything Is A Remix (doc series about creativity) https://www.everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/

Following on from our Marlon Brando and Michael Caine deep dives in the last few years, this time Orson Welles gets the Film Gold treatment. David ‘Ghosty’ Wills joins Antony for a 3-parter looking at the great man’s life, work and legacy. First up we discuss Orson’s early life and the start of his theatre and radio careers, both of which Ghosty feels are somewhat undervalued when compared to his more famous film work. Part 1 ends with the famous ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast in 1938, our hero on the cusp of going to Hollywood and making the film that would make and break him…   Part 2 will be out next month   We hope you enjoy the show!   'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠   Twitter ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠   Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠ https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠   Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/   Support Antony’s podcast work (Film Gold, Glass Onion: On John Lennon and Life And Life Only) at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno Ghosty’s Cliff Richard & The Shadows podcast https://wesayyeah.podbean.com/   Interview clips from Ghosty’s radio show https://www.youtube.com/@GhostyTMRS episode links Orson’s mammoth Wikipedia page (most of which is probably true) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles The Mercury Theatre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Theatre Voodoo Macbeth (1936) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wmWBki06yc War of the Worlds (1938, complete) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q7tN7MhQ4I Orson defends himself the next day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbYyDh-BRI Night of the Living Dead news segments (1968) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AdWJalP1vo Orson Welles meets H. G. Wells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUdghSMTXsU

We are delighted to bring you another swapcast with former Film Gold guest and my podcasting ‘spiritual brother’, Julian Charles of ‘The Mind Renewed’. On the docket this time is a true classic from the master, Stanley Kubrick. It’s a film that works beautifully on the level of pure comedy but is absolutely packed with layers of meaning, both overt and subtle, and is a showcase for the remarkable and unique talents of Peter Sellers. Julian and Antony talk about Kubrick, Sellers, the rest of the cast, the film’s many virtues, its themes and much more… We hope you enjoy the show! 'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms. Feedback to [email protected] Facebook⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠⁠ Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠⁠https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠⁠ Antony’s John Lennon/Beatles and Psychology/Alt. Media podcasts ⁠⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/⁠ Julian’s website and podcast https://themindrenewed.com/ episode links The Making of Dr. Strangelove https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ6BiRtGTAk Learning To Love The Bomb (video essay) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ6BiRtGTAk On Thermonuclear War (Herman Kahn) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Thermonuclear_War Peter Sellers and George C Scott ‘interviews’ on the set (1963) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7NnTmxcFt4

Antony and returning guest Luke Thompson of ‘Luke’s English Podcast’ tackle William Friedkin's underrated 1977 thriller, starring Roy Scheider. This film wasn't a success in its day but has been reassessed over the decades and could now be considered a 'hidden masterpiece'. The plot is very simple but the film is marvellously evocative, and the production of the film is a story in itself...   Hope you enjoy it!   'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod/   Twitter handle https://twitter.com/FilmGold75   Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/   Luke’s website & podcast https://teacherluke.co.uk/   The full video version of our ‘Sorcerer’ review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6odjdG-H4   episode links Sorcerer wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorcerer_(film)   A great analysis of the main themes of the film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2TdY0nRHzc&t=0s   Vast amounts of IMDB trivia about ‘Sorceror’ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076740/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv   William Friedkin on the Marc Maron podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17OjQiec8Sg

One of the films that ushered in the new century, Requiem For A Dream is a virtuoso powerhouse from director Darren Aronofsky, featuring a remarkable lead performance by Ellen Burstyn. Although primarily dealing with drug addiction, it hits all kinds of other points of social and emotional impact, such as the power of television, the pain of loss, the fragility of dreams and the human need for love and attention. For the first time on this podcast, Antony flies solo, expanding on the notes he made when appearing as a guest on one of Film Gold regular Scott Phipps’s podcasts, The Stinking Pause. It goes without saying that there are spoilers here so I recommend taking the plunge and watching the film first. Although harrowing at times, it’s also a film full of hope and can serve as an inspiration even as the main characters plunge into a hellish world of dependency and degradation. Redemption is always possible.   Listen out for two clips of John Lennon and some music by the Rolling Stones We hope you enjoy the show! Film Gold is on all the major podcast platforms Feedback to [email protected] Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod Twitter page https://twitter.com/FilmGold75 Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts) https://www.antonyrotunno.com Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/   episode links Requiem For A Dream IMDB page https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_requiem%2520for%2520a%2520dream Requiem For A Dream: The Structure of Self-Destruction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkDL50mXbbI Audio commentary by director Darren Aronofsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCPW2ewGGCI Anatomy of a scene with Darren Aronofsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdlg-vYmpbA

The story of HMS Bounty and the mutiny that took place aboard it is a compelling narrative that has not surprisingly been the subject of many film adaptations and other creative endeavours. In this discussion from 2020 that originally went out on the Stinking Pause podcast, regular Film Gold collaborator Scott Phipps is joined by myself and Steven Byford for a long and expansive discussion of the 1962 film version of the story and its troubled production, as well as the other film versions and their relationship to the real-life events. A lot of the discussion, from my end at least, focuses on the enigmatic character that was Marlon Brando, who I describe as 'a fascinating mixture of deep and shallow'. His antics on the set had a detrimental effect on his career and his relationship with Hollywood, but there are some magic moments to be found in the film, many of them courtesy of arguably the most important actor in film history. If you're interested in a 2-part deep dive on Brando, please listen to episodes 11 & 12 of this podcast. We hope you enjoy the show! 'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page- ⁠https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod⁠   Twitter- ⁠https://twitter.com/FilmGold75⁠   Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) ⁠https://www.antonyrotunno.com⁠   Antony’s John Lennon podcast ⁠https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/⁠   links to Scott’s podcasts  https://⁠rainbowvalley.libsyn.com/podcast⁠ https://⁠directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia⁠ https://⁠directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause⁠ episode links The 'History By Hollywood' podcast compares the real story with the various film adaptations https://historybyhollywood.com/2017/04/08/episode-6-mutiny-on-the-bounty/ 2 key scenes from the film (Bligh vs Christian) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPa8iQyK5mQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyEHIOZf5yE A fascinating short documentary by the Maysles Brothers (who'd made a film about The Beatles a year earlier) which shows Brando the reluctant and sometimes mischievous star https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU7Gwv4PRNE

Antony joins frequent collaborator Scott Phipps to take a deep dive (sans canoe) into a true 1970s classic, as part of ‘The Stinking Pause’ 10th anniversary celebrations. The making of this film is almost as mind-blowing as the movie itself. Insurance, who needs it?   Enjoy!   The Cahulawassee River valley in Northern Georgia is one of the last natural pristine areas of the state, which will soon change with the imminent building of a dam on the river, which in turn will flood much of the surrounding land. As such, four Atlanta city dwellers, alpha male Lewis Medlock, Ed Gentry, Bobby Trippe, and Drew Ballinger, decide to take a multi-day canoe trip on the river, with only Lewis and Ed having experience in outdoor life. They know going in that the area is isolated. Their relatively peaceful trip takes a turn for the worse halfway through with river rapids and unwelcoming locals. The four need to battle their way out of the valley and are asked to do things they never thought possible within themselves…   'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms.   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod   Twitter- https://twitter.com/FilmGold75   Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/   links to Scott’s podcasts  https://rainbowvalley.libsyn.com/podcast https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause   episode links Deliverance: Nature’s Revenge (film analysis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wIrQvyguFY Behind The Scenes featurette https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXI3JDpeiAs Deliverance: The Cast Looks Back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrlHTWTNs1Y Dueling Banjos full audio track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6UG1Jlwiow

We complete our Michael Caine tribute, a joint presentation of the ‘Film Gold’ and ‘The Stinking Pause’ podcasts, as the great man turns 90. Antony Rotunno and Scott Phipps count down their top 5 Caine performances and also discuss his ultimate legacy after 60 years as a film star. There are audio clips galore to complement the conversation, including Michael reading from the first of his many memoirs and also offering a few acting tips! 'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms. Feedback to [email protected] Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod Twitter- https://twitter.com/FilmGold75 Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) https://www.antonyrotunno.com Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/ links to Scott’s podcasts  https://rainbowvalley.libsyn.com/podcast https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause show links Scott’s podcast on the making of Zulu https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/rainbowvalley/id/23567510 Sleuth (complete film- must watch!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjRCnwNR0yk Our ‘Film Gold’ review of Sleuth https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/filmgold/episodes/Episode-13--Sleuth-1972-e1afv44 Michael Caine’s film acting masterclass (1980s) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPLVDwEr7Y Michael Caine top 50 performances (worst to best) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/14/michael-caine-best-films-ranked Michael talks about his 5 favourite films (of his) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8h9vDpK88s Roy Budd plays his ‘Get Carter’ theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kMhcf8eyiA

Michael Caine, born as Maurice Micklewhite, has been acting for 70 years and been a star for nearly 60. This 2-part joint presentation of the ‘Film Gold’ and ‘The Stinking Pause’ podcasts celebrates the life and career of a true cinematic icon as he approaches his 90th birthday. In this first part, Antony Rotunno and Scott Phipps look at Caine’s upbringing and give an overview of his career before beginning to count down their top 10 Caine performances (10-6) and also discussing Caine catchphrases and the many parodies of the great man. There are audio clips galore to complement the conversation, including Michael reading from the first of his many memoirs. 'Film Gold' is on all the main podcast platforms. Feedback to [email protected] Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/filmgoldpod Twitter- https://twitter.com/FilmGold75 Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts) https://www.antonyrotunno.com Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/ links to Scott’s podcasts https://rainbowvalley.libsyn.com/podcast https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/reelbritannia https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause show links Michael Caine’s first memoir audiobook, read by the man himself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icBiFHAsdKc Michael Caine: Breaking The Mold (documentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxAHYSIoT-I Brydon and Coogan (The Trip) do Caine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vukpjl44Yo0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeC0-tj_IMA Michael Caine parodies himself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX0F3kY3uxU ‘The Other 1960s’- a podcast about the normal part of the 60s https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/episode-23-the-other-1960s-with-frances-rotunno The Self-Preservation Society: Making The Italian Job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4euNwH6OImY