The Other Side of the Wind.

Orson Welles was a multitalented man. As an actor, he impresses in any kind of performance and even in absurdist films as Casino Royale he always like a duck to water. As a director, Welles usually shows his magician qualities and, be shortly, I satisfy from his technician and how he was filming. This man was a great teller by dialogs and voice, which charms in any film, radio performance and commercial. I don’t like Orson Welles only in one – as screenwriter. His stories have many illogical connections and very often director prefers form than content. From all watched his films I have adore feeling only to The Lady from Shanghai, where I have grudge to people who made a merciless cut. How I would like to see the original vision! The last Welles’s film The Other Side of the Wind has a decades old story of production, which not far time ago everybody get the possibility to see the final of it. And I watched…     

As many Orson Welles’s films, a story of The Other Side of the Wind starts from a death, which usually ignites a narration engine. This movie about director (in John Huston brilliant performance.) who’s going to celebrate his 70th anniversary and for his party he invited not only special for this people, but also reporters and film critics. For all of them he’s planning to show his new unfinished film. In addition, director uses a group of operators, which are here for future documentary. All of this a spectator will see before intro narration of other director (in performance and also fine of Peter Bogdanovich.) who will tell about a car crash of the main hero. In this place I don’t like here computerized titles and told text where can see it was adaptable on modern reality. In the film easy to catch modern additional work and especially in music score what none of this makes me glad.

However, you can see – this is Orson Welles’s film. Collection of nice shots, changing frames and living camera. The director is varying between color and black-and-white tones. Documentary about last day of the director changes of his last film. The Other Side of the Wind has a lot of allegories with real biography and fate performed people (Orson Welles had on mind to play the main role, but rethought.) and this long story of editing and intro narration looks as a part of Welles’s plan or fine prediction, but of course it just an effect from whole movie and it production. In directing, he is again gives enchantment and was holding in it all two hours, but Welles possessed in beautiful shots. Changing in black-and-white or color tones have no mean. Maybe it means day and night sequence or something tell about character or for atmosphere, but nothing can’t match. It doesn’t influence on the story, which absolutely senseless. You can understand what Welles wanted to say and sure after reading of his description, but he doesn’t succeed in this goal. I know, he wasn’t like New Hollywood time and can see a little dialog where two guys were talking about filmmakers wishing to make money, than art. This phrase is actual for American industry of nowadays, than to those period, when a lot of producers preferred to risk to make a good movie and directors were totally independent. Welles wasn’t one of this man and I can’t claim in full sure, but he can offend for it. He had unlucky reputation by press, which complicated to find a financer, and his films was made in time when directors haven’t yet a possibility to edit the own cut. The Other Side of the Wind tries to be a documentary, but the script pulls in surrealistic way and filming often out from it. As with the inside film all of this doesn’t try to be a movie of another men. Everywhere is Orson Welles. In inner flick, which have the same title “The Other Side of the Wind”, not about snobbish directors, it about Welles’s passion to his than muse Oja Kodar. I don’t like when filmmakers put his emotions in works, because it isn’t usually good. In collaborations with Kodar, Welles prefers to film her without any clothe. In unreleased The Deep can find frames on this subject. Absolutely unnecessary Kodar’s performance in F for Fake where whole line with her is predictable and doesn’t fit for film’s course. In special made for this flick trailer the additional scenes only contains Welles’s like to shoot her naked. The Other Side of the Wind the director stucks on this. Scenes where Kodar with wearing something are too rare. She’s good actress and excellent speaks her dialogs, which not often in Welles’s films and here she has no word. Welles in this work was losing the attention to the story and indulges on his desires. Is catching that John Huston’s character always hold a glass with scotch and often finishes it. For director it always be trouble to follow for details.

I am glad, that was released the last Welles’s film, but destroyed in quality by RKO studio’s men Journey into Fear, which the director didn’t shoot, looks a masterpiece after this. The Other Side of the Wind is senseless film.