Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Chuck Workman – 2014 – USA

A fine documentary chronicling Welles’ life and career that I would happily recommend to anyone interested in Welles.  Personally, I didn’t learn a lot from it just because I’ve seen and read so much about Welles over the years.  One thing that struck me thanks to this film, though, is the extent to which Welles was such a lonely figure all his life, (despite being married a few times).  In his youth he was more talented and more ambitious than everyone around him, and in adulthood he was forever known as the guy who could never top Citizen Kane.  It’s a thoughtful and well-organized film, but I was a little disappointed only because I’m such a fan of Workman’s Superstar: The Life & Times of Andy Warhol (1990), one of my favorite of all documentary studies of a famous person.  There isn’t much about Magician that seems terribly original or memorable in terms of its presentation or style.  That’s hardly the end of the world; it’s still a very good film that should satisfy those desiring a quick run-through on Welles.