322 The Complete Mr. Arkadin

[Godot]

which book or bio is the best to read about Welles and his life/work?

My favorite is Joseph McBride's Orson Welles. The first edition was monograph 19 in the marvelous BFI "Cinema One" series (1972), but get the latest revision (1996). McBride devotes a chapter to each work and displays his usual sharp insights and humor (as in the Hawks interview and John Ford book with Wilmington); in particular, his passionate defense of Chimes at Midnight (at a time when the film was considered a messy failure) is enthralling. This book also gets the approval of Rosenbaum in his Welles chapter in Essential Cinema; Rosenbaum pillories Thomson's, Higham's, and Callow's books (not to mention Kael's wreck). By the way, Rosenbaum calls Naremore's The Magic World of Orson Welles "the best critical study of Welles in any language", so, y'know, it's got that going for it.

Back to the CC release, I'm particularly excited to hear the Rosenbaum and Naremore commentaries, two of my favorite film critics.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

By the way, Rosenbaum calls Naremore's The Magic World of Orson Welles "the best critical study of Welles in any language", so, y'know, it's got that going for it.

Yeah, I think that one is my fave Welles book and then for individual films you'd be hard pressed to top The Making of Citizen Kane by Robert Carringer which is exhaustive and in-depth. Also, Touch of Evil by Terry Comito that features interviews and essays and is quite good.

Back to the CC release, I'm particularly excited to hea. the Rosenbaum and Naremore commentaries, two of my favorite film critics.

I agree! I think that's the one extra I'm anticipating most on this set.

[leo goldsmith]

By the way, Rosenbaum calls Naremore's The Magic World of Orson Welles "the best critical study of Welles in any language", so, y'know, it's got that going for it.

Yeah, I think that one is my fave Welles book

Agreed, this book is basically what got me into film in the first place. And he's particularly passionate about Arkadin, so Naremore is a great commentator for this disc.

Nice to see the Harry Lime radio shows on the disc, too. These are really cool.

[thewind]

Okay, so I posted to this thread a few days ago, and my posts have disappeared. Were they deleted? I just posted a link to the cover -- is that not kosher?

I've been reading this and previous forums for a few years, but I'm still something of a n00b here, so if I violated some policy, can someone point me to a FAQ?

[Gigi M.]

[quote]The Criterion Collection is proud to collect the many faces of Mr. Arkadin into one box for the first time—from the story's beginnings in radio to the novel published under Welles's name to an all-new “comprehensive versionâ€

[Andre Jurieu]

Okay, so I posted to this thread a few days ago, and my posts have disappeared. Were they deleted? I just posted a link to the cover -- is that not kosher?

I've been reading this and previous forums for a few years, but I'm still something of a n00b here, so if I violated some policy, can someone point me to a FAQ?

In the Criterion Collection Rumors and News Section on the forum, we have a Criterion Cover Art (and Packaging) Babble-on (V2) thread:

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/vie ... php?t=1596

The first post in that thread is by our admin, and states:

Please post and discuss cover art in this thread only. Posts of cover art and discussions of cover art in other threads may be moved to this thread or deleted.

[thewind]

Okay, thanks.

[arsonfilms]

I know this was alluded to elsewhere, but just so the information is definitive, I asked John Mulvaney the following question: In the blurb for The Complete Mr. Arkadin, there is a mention of the inclusion of the novel once mistakenly attributed to Welles, however the special features do not list this as a supplement. Will the box set include this novel?
His response:

Dear Adam,

This novel will be included in the box.

best,
JM

[porquenegar]

I know this was alluded to elsewhere, but just so the information is definitive, I asked John Mulvaney the following question: In the blurb for The Complete Mr. Arkadin, there is a mention of the inclusion of the novel once mistakenly attributed to Welles, however the special features do not list this as a supplement. Will the box set include this novel?
His response:

Dear Adam,

This novel will be included in the box.

best,
JM

That's great news. I really like the trend to including the source material in the new releases for some of these films.

[zedz]

That's great news. I really like the trend to including the source material in the new releases for some of these films.

Though strictly speaking this isn't "source material", but a post facto novelisation. The real source is nevertheless there included in the radio shows. This must be the most comprehensive package they've done to date.

[cafeman]

I like the trend of including anything in the DVD, if it`s free of charge. If it has something to do with the movie, all the better.

And it would seem that Criterion is again a trendsetter, as Sin City, Constantine and Batman Begins followed suit by including the issues which most inspired the movies.

[Steven H]

This is no longer listed on the "Coming Soon" page at criterion.com.

[bjeggert82]

CriterionDVD and DVDaficionado both list it as being released 4/18. Perhaps it will be re-announced along with the April titles...

I hope that this is that case, as Mr. Arkadin is likely to be my favorite DVD release of the year. I'm such a huge fan of the film, and the fact that it's been completely removed from the schedule is really disappointing.

[ellipsis7]

The product pages are still there, just not listed on the Coming Soon page - use the Search facility...

[kinjitsu]

CriterionDVD and DVDaficionado both list it as being released 4/18. Perhaps it will be re-announced along with the April titles...

I hope that this is that case, as Mr. Arkadin is likely to be my favorite DVD release of the year. I'm such a huge fan of the film, and the fact that it's been completely removed from the schedule is really disappointing.

Since this is a three-disc set containing no less than three separate versions of an otherwise elusive film, delays seem inevitable. Anyhow, it is still spine #322 and surely will find its way back to the coming soon page after more titles are released.

[hearthesilence]

I'm really intrigued by this, but I have to ask, where does this rate in Welles's catalog, regardless of which version you prefer?

I prefer his two RKO pictures and Touch of Evil, masterpieces all, but I do have issues with his other films. Not that I don't like them, I think the Shakespeare films, especially Falstaff, are all very good if flawed, and the Trial was an excellent picture but an acquired taste (took time to grow on me and even now, I find it hard to recommend simply because it's so oppressive).

I've NEVER seen this in any form and the Criterion set sounds very intriguing.

[leo goldsmith]

I'd place this in the same vein as The Trial, but it's (ostensibly) lighter in tone and paced more like Kane (which it mirrors in many obvious and not so obvious ways) or even F for Fake. I think it's fantastic and well worth a purchase based on your tastes, though it has some low-budget elements that may stick out on initial viewings.

[pzman84]

The most important question in this discussion is:

Is it worth the $49.95 we'd fork over for it?

[mbalson]

The most important question in this discussion is:

Is it worth the $49.95 we'd fork over for it?

Well if you're paying the SRP for any DVD then something is seriously wrong.

[Ishmael]

The most important question in this discussion is:

Is it worth the $49.95 we'd fork over for it?

Here's why it isn't worth it for me. All we're talking about here is one film edited in slightly different ways. I'm sure it will be fun to analyze these differences, but after I go through this set once, I'll never watch all three versions again. Even if I change my mind, I still won't watch them close enough together that I'll notice any particular differences in each version. So, basically I'd be paying about $30 discounted for one movie which takes up too much shelf space. This set looks to be an amazing work of scholarship, but that makes it something a library should stock, not something I want to keep poring over again and again.

[denti alligator]

The most important question in this discussion is:

Is it worth the $49.95 we'd fork over for it?

Here's why it isn't worth it for me. All we're talking about here is one film edited in slightly different ways. I'm sure it will be fun to analyze these differences, but after I go through this set once, I'll never watch all three versions again. Even if I change my mind, I still won't watch them close enough together that I'll notice any particular differences in each version. So, basically I'd be paying about $30 discounted for one movie which takes up too much shelf space. This set looks to be an amazing work of scholarship, but that makes it something a library should stock, not something I want to keep poring over again and again.

Is that how you felt about The Leopard, too? And King of Kings and Carneval of Souls (could've been $29.99 without the redundent alternate versions)?[/i]

[Ishmael]

Is that how you felt about The Leopard, too? And King of Kings and Carneval of Souls (could've been $29.99 without the redundent alternate versions)?[/i]

I definitely felt that way about The Leopard. Whichever version of King of Kings I saw, I found it nearly unwatchable, so I never wanted to visit the other version. I haven't seen Carnival of Souls yet. Now, something like Scenes From a Marriage I felt was worthwhile because there are major differences between the two versions. You could say that about The Leopard, too, but it's a false comparison. Both versions of Scenes have been critically acclaimed, both were edited by Bergman, and many people including me have always loved the shorter version. The short version of The Leopard has always been considered worthless by critics as well as its director, who had nothing to do with editing it anyway. In fact, if Peter Cowie is to be believed, the bad taste left by this botched short version is responsible for keeping the longer version from having been distributed in the US for quite some time. So, while I might want to watch it out of curiousity, I can't see why I'd want to own it. (For the record, I've only seen Visconti's long version.) Now, I've always enjoyed Confidential Report, so I suspect I'll also like the two other Arkadins. However, I have enough trouble finding time to rewatch one movie I love, much less three different versions of it.

Denti, you weren't asking this rhetorically, were you?

[denti alligator]

Denti, you weren't asking this rhetorically, were you?

No, not really. I agree with you when it comes to these other DVDs (except that King of Kings is quite enjoyable). But with this release I feel that $6.50 is a fair amount to pay for two extra versions of a film with such a problematic history.

[Ishmael]

But with this release I feel that $6.50 is a fair amount to pay for two extra versions of a film with such a problematic history.

Yeah, you're probably right. I'm probably just bitter about the price point. If somebody gave the set to me, I'm sure I'd love it.

[Lino]

You guys are impossible. Criterion goes to extreme lengths to please the most demanding DVD collector and STILL you find reason to whine!

For my part, I'm glad they are including every possible version of Arkadin in ONE set and making it available for the general public to buy. If you want just one version of it, go buy those Public Domain editions that are already out on DVD for quite some time. Just don't expect wonders at THOSE prices...