Orson Welles on Shakespeare: The W.P.A. and Mercury Theatre Playscripts

Első borító
Bloomsbury Academic, 1990. dec. 30. - 297 oldal

This fascinating work will prove valuable for collections in film, theater history, and Shakespearean production. . . . The book includes fascinating production photos and helpful notes in which the original acts and scenes are identified, thus showing the extent to which Welles rearranged Shakespeare by shuffling acts and scenes, dropping characters, and by merging related narratives. . . . Recommended for all libraries. Choice

This volume contains the fully annotated playscripts of Orson Welles' celebrated adaptations of three Shakespearean plays. Texts for the Voodoo Macbeth and the modern dress Julius Caesar are stage managers' working copies used by the Federal Theatre Project of the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) and the Mercury Theatre; the version of Five Kings, Welles' compilation of the history plays and his theatrical masterpiece, is the oldest surviving text, and is the fullest and most inclusive. This is the first publication of these materials, which were originally produced by Welles between 1936 and 1939. Orson Welles' New York directorial debut was made in 1936 with his production of the Voodoo Macbeth. Richard France's introduction provides invaluable background information that relates the three plays and their productions to the contemporary social, historical, political, and economic climate of the 30s, in discussions that touch not only on the W.P.A., but also on the effect of the American Communist Party ideology on theatre arts and criticism, on the composition of theatre audiences, and on the expectations of such fervently liberal or leftist audiences. France contends that Welles, in his W.P.A. and Mercury Theatre productions, presided over a unique marriage of art and the highly politicized popular culture of the day. These productions ensured Welles' enormous success and have earned him an important niche in American social and cultural history.

Following the general introduction, the volume is divided into three sections. A preface to each of the scripts contains further biographical and background data relevant to that play, as well as critical materials, production photos, and facsimile pages. Information about the creation and production of Voodoo Macbeth (1936), Julius Caesar (1937), and Five Kings (1939) was gathered in numerous interviews with Welles' W.P.A. and Mercury Theatre collaborators. Each playscript is proceeded by production credits and a cast list and followed by a section of notes that contains Welles' own directorial marginalia. This singular and very focused volume will be a distinguished addition to courses in American Drama, American Studies, Play Production, and in courses that explore idiosyncratic productions of Shakespeare.

Részletek a könyvből

Tartalomjegyzék

INTRODUCTION
1
MACBETH
29
JULIUS CAESAR
103
Copyright

2 további fejezet nem látható

Más kiadások - Összes megtekintése

Gyakori szavak és kifejezések

Hivatkozások erre a könyvre

Shakespeare's Names
Laurie Maguire
Nincs elérhető előnézet - 2007

A szerzőről (1990)

Welles, who cowrote, produced, directed, and starred in the acclaimed movie "Citizen Kane," was only 26 years old when the film was released in May 1941. When he arrived in Hollywood just two years earlier, he was already an international celebrity, having been active in New York theater and radio for almost a decade as an actor, director, and writer. He started the Mercury Theatre with John Houseman in 1937, and the critical acclaim that followed their productions of "Julius Caesar" (1937) and "Housebreak House" (1938) led to a contract with CBS radio. From 1938 to 1940, Welles wrote, directed, and acted in the Mercury Theatre of the Air, and as part of its programming, he broadcast H. G. Wells's "War of the Worlds" on the eve of Halloween 1938. The uproar that ensued made Welles famous worldwide and prompted Hollywood to take notice. Of the studios competing for him, RKO offered Welles the most appealing contract, a six-picture deal that gave him control over every aspect, except budget, of the films he made. This creative freedom, unprecedented in the film industry, together with the talent that Welles gathered around him, resulted in the production of "Citizen Kane." The film was years ahead of its time. Its narrative structure was very sophisticated, incorporating parodic newsreel footage and a series of flashbacks depicting various characters' memories of Charles Foster Kane, introducing subtle questions about representation, truth, objectivity, memory, and media. The film's style was very innovative, combining dramatic chiaroscuro lighting; extraordinary depth of field and almost "universal focus" cinematography; long takes, composition in depth, and complicated camera movements; expressionistic sets; and striking new uses of sound, such as the lightning mix, which some said made it the first modern sound film. Citizen Kane had a profound impact on the way in which films were made in Hollywood and abroad, influencing American film noir, the French New Wave, and Bazinian "realism," the aesthetic articulated by auteur theorist Andre Bazin. Although critics realized the value of the film when it was released (it won an unprecedented four Oscar nominations), it did very poorly at the box office because of adverse publicity by the newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst, who was clearly the model for Kane. Welles was never again to enjoy the freedom and resources he had while making Citizen Kane. His second feature for RKO, "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942), is considered by many critics to be a lost masterpiece: The studio cut Welles's version from 132 to 88 minutes and shot a new ending for the film. It lost money, as did "The Lady from Shanghai" (1948), another Welles film that is now highly regarded. After a 10-year exile from directing films in Hollywood, Welles returned to make "Touch of Evil" (1958), a tour de force that nearly rivals Citizen Kane in its technical mastery and thematic sophistication. Although it won the Grand Prix at Cannes, it did not do well financially. "Chimes at Midnight" (1966), Welles's last completed feature, was made in Europe and has been highly acclaimed. Welles continued to act even after directing became his primary interest, often in his own films but also in other films and even television commercials. He made his last film appearance in Henry Jaglom's bittersweet comedy, "Someone to Love" (1987). Welles received a Special Oscar in April 1971 for "superlative artistry and versatility" and a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute in 1975.

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