Mr. Arkadin

Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Arkadin
AKA Confidential Report

Theatrical release poster.
Directed by Orson Welles
Produced by Orson Welles
Louis Dolivet
Written by Orson Welles
Starring Orson Welles
Robert Arden
Paola Mori
Akim Tamiroff
Michael Redgrave
Distributed by Filmorsa/Cervantes Films/Sevilla
Release date(s) 1955
Running time 95 min.
Country France
Spain
Switzerland
Language English

Mr. Arkadin (first released Spain, 1955) is a French-Spanish-Swiss coproduction film, written and directed by Orson Welles and shot in several Spanish locations, including Segovia, Valladolid and Madrid.

Its history is convoluted. The story was based on several episodes of the radio series The Lives of Harry Lime, which in turn was based on the character Welles portrayed in The Third Man[1]. The main inspiration for the plot was the episode Man of Mystery. In addition, several different versions of the film were released. Jonathan Rosenbaum's essay "The Seven Arkadins" is an attempt to detail the different versions including the novel and radio play. Adding to the confusion is a novel of the same title that was credited to Welles; Welles claimed the book was only ghostwritten with Maurice Bessy.

In 1982 Welles described Mr. Arkadin as the "biggest disaster" of his life, due to his loss of creative control,[2] not released in the United States until 1962.[3] Some compensation for Welles came in the form of Paola Mori who played the role of his daughter. In private life Countess Paola Di Girfalco, she would become his third wife.[4] In addition the shooting started Welles's longtime relationship with Spain, where he lived for several periods in his life.

Released in some parts of Europe as Confidential Report, this film shares themes and stylistic devices with The Third Man. Like many of Welles's other films, Mr. Arkadin was heavily edited without his input. The Criterion Collection produced a three-DVD box set that includes three separate versions of Mr. Arkadin including a comprehensive re-edit that combines material taken from all the known versions of the film. Though even the creators of this "restored" version express their doubts as to the "correctness" of altering another artist's work, this new version is far and away the most comprehensible and easy to follow of the known versions. Also included are three of the Harry Lime radio plays reported to have been written by Welles and which he certainly based the Arkadin screenplay on. A copy of the Arkadin novelization — which may have been adapted by Welles or a ghost writer — is also included. The Criterion release also includes commentary tracks from Welles film scholars Jonathan Rosenbaum and James Naremore.

Contents

Plot

Guy Van Stratten, a small-time American smuggler working in Europe, is at the scene of a murder, and the dying man whispers two names that he claims are very valuable, one of which is Gregory Arkadin. Using this small bit of information and lots of bluffing, Van Stratten manages to meet the apparent multi-millionaire business magnate and socialite Arkadin, and Arkadin then hires Van Stratten to research his own past, of which he claims to have no memory before 1927.

Traveling across the world, Van Stratten pieces together Arkadin's past from the few remaining people who knew Arkadin as a gangster in post-WWI Europe, but in each case the individuals he speaks to end up dead. Van Stratten ultimately discovers the truth about Arkadin's past, leading to a climactic race to Spain between the two, with disastrous consequences.

Cast

References

  1. ^ DVD Pick: Mr. Arkadin (Criterion Collection)
  2. ^ Interview with Orson Welles, 1982, Arena, BBC Television
  3. ^ The Bootleg files : Mr. Arkadin', filmthreat.com
  4. ^ Welles over Europe, BBC 4, with Simon Callow

External links


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