Orson Welles was one of the most internationally acclaimed directors of all time. One of his least known movies is his adaptation of Othello. Orson Welles adaptation of the controversial film about race demonstrates his innovative ways.
Orson Welles was born into an artistic, seemingly content family. However, his early life consisted mainly of divorce, death, separation, and the arts. A few years after the divorce, Welles’s mother died leaving his father with the decision whether to resume Orson’s education. Ultimately, Orson continued on in his education with the consent of his father. Shortly after he discovered that his father had killed himself, leaving him with no guardian. This responsibility was taken on by Maurice Bernstein, who
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Orson Welles’s appearance in Black Magic produced by Scalera Film Studios initiated the beginnings of Othello. Orson managed to convince the owner of Scalera Film Studios to fund the film. Unfortunately, Orson obtained the information the studio had gone bankrupt after he had formed a cast, crew, and screenplay. Orson Welles used his life savings and became the sole funder of the film. This made it very difficult for the 1952 film to have good sound or resolution quality needed to portray the mood. Orson was highly motivated to make this film. He resumed working on the film after he raised money through acting. "Three different times I had to close it and go away and earn money and come back, which meant you'd see me looking off-camera left, and when you'd cut over my shoulder, it would be another continent - a year later." (Welles). Most directors would not continue with a project if it had no funding from an outside source. Orson, however, continued to on-again and off-again produce the film for three years, out of his own pocket. This shows his true passion for filmmaking. He paid to make the film, not the other way around. Although, there were mixed reviews once the film came out. Many critics agree the sound quality and production value is inferior to the film itself. Orson Welles, himself, expresses the faults in Othello during the documentary, Filming