Orson Welles final film to be released

By Tribute on October 30, 2014 | 3 Comments

Legendary actor/director Orson Welles’ final, unfinished project The Other Side of the Wind is set to be released in May, to coincide with what would have been his 100th birthday, according to The New York Times. The film has become a legend of its own in the film industry, which many feared would remain unfinished. The Citizen Kane director worked obsessively on the project for 15 years, about an aging director struggling to finish his film in an attempt for a comeback; an eerily ironic plot which only feeds into the legend. “This is like finding the Land of Oz or some lost tomb,” said Josh Karp, who wrote a book about the famous unfinished project. “This film is art imitating life and life imitating art. It’s become so mythical because of what happened with all the failures to finish it and the players involved.”

Welles financed the film through taking on television roles and through several investors, which played a role in the ongoing legal battles that kept the film from being completed. Over 1,000 reels of negatives were stored in a warehouse in Paris, while roughly 45 minutes of unedited footage was smuggled out by Welles and shipped to California. Los Angeles production company Royal Road spent five years fighting for the rights to the film, who had to negotiate between several different rights holders.

Director/writer/actor Peter Bogdanovich, who starred in the film, is part of the editing team who will finish the film. He told The New York Times about a pledge he made long ago to Welles, that he would finish the film if Welles could not. It looks as if he’ll finally be able to fulfill that promise. ~Kelly Townsend

1. Snepts • October 30, 2014 @ 9:22 AM

   You’ve finally got my attention, tribute!

2. Brianne • October 30, 2014 @ 11:34 AM

   Awesome! Can’t wait, love his films.

3. NAT • October 30, 2014 @ 12:51 PM

   awesome cant wait to see it! what a find……

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