Like toodally Orson Film Night

Screenshot of Orson Welles in The Lady from Shanghai trailer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Games day doesn't usually precede film night but this week it had to be brought forward. Despite it being rather impromptu and not feeling like a "proper film night", Arthur turned up with pie and beer and some DVDs for possible future events.




He also produced a VHS tape of "The Third Man", however for once I cheekily made a counter-suggestion to our regular programmer (must be because it wasn't a "proper" FN) and proposed that although it would be good to watch Carol Reed's masterpiece that we use my own DVD copy and couple it with "Me and Orson Welles" as the first feature.

To my surprise Arthur agreed and once I had finished my casserole and made some tea we got underway with "Me and Orson" as the first film. Arthur was aware of the film but had never seen it, while I had seen it at the cinema but only recently acquired the DVD and was looking forward to watching it. We both enjoyed it. Arthur apparently enjoyed it a lot. I once again marveled at how the era and characters had been captured especially Orson (Christian McKay) and Jo Cotten (James Tupper), who even looked like the originals.

Me and Orson Welles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It certainly repays a second viewing, and probably more, as there is a lot of period and biographical detail, presumably reflecting a lot of research. While there is something slightly unpolished about it for me that is hard to pin down. The writing, performances by Zac Efron, Claire Daines, Eddie Marsan, Ben Chaplin and others, and the period look of the film are all thoroughly enjoyable and set against a wonderful soundtrack which had me continuing to listen all through the end credit crawl.

It also set us up nicely for seeing Orson and Jo in two of their best known roles, after the break.

The break of course contained pie, Spitfire beer and another episode of the wonderful Phil Silvers show. This time it was apparently (according to the introduction) the first ever filmed. In that case it was surprising on two counts 1) assured and knowing performances by "Ernie" and his henchmen who seemed to have been absolutely clear about their role from the outset and 2) The almost immediate disappearance of some of the regulars (including "Doberman") for the entire show, having been replaced by a bunch of new recruits.

The key plot point of the show was Bilko having lost a card game, cleverly showing how this came about and how very unusual it is for money to flow out of, not into his hands. Against this it also underlined Ernie's essential good-heartedness. We also meet the long suffering Colonel Hall, (Paul Ford) blustering and fluffing his lines endearingly. It really hasn't suffered at all in the more than fifty years since it was made. The picture quality and the pleasure was top notch.

After "the intermission" it was on to the second main feature, the iconic masterpiece that is "The Third Man". Arguably there are several elements that make it not just one of the great films but one of the great art works of the twentieth century: It has a novel and screenplay by Graham Greene behind it, it has great performances by fine actors of the calibre of Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, "Valli", Bernard Lee and of course more briefly, but to great effect, Harry Lime himself, Orson Welles. It also has some of the most striking sounds and visuals of any film. Carol Reed's direction and the cinematography (by Robert Krasker) are heavily influenced by German expressionism with beautiful contrasty black and white, much use of shadows and "dutch tilt", keeping us off balance and Vienna sinister and mysterious.

Joseph Cotten as writer Holly Martins (left) and Welles (right) as Harry Lime in The Third Man (1949) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is one film that it is impossible to imagine in colour and Orson's famous plea to keep Ted Turner and his crayons away from his film, although actually meaning Citizen Kane, should also be extended to this one. The vandalistic blight of colorization would kill its magic stone dead.

It is often said that Vienna is one of the leading characters of the Third Man and with reason, as the ruins and rubble of 1949 Austria are Lime's territory, full of hidey holes amid contrasting remnants of grandeur. The final scenes of the film were famously shot on location in Vienna's 3,000 kilometres of sewer, as the cornered rat Lime scurries through a surreal, expressionist lanscape of ladders, tunnels and arches. With the striking off-kilter visuals, famous moments like the light revealing the "dead" Harry hiding in a shadowy doorway and the haunting strains of Anton Karas' Harry Lime theme (He'll have you in a dither with his zither according to the trailer) this is a cultural icon, one of the pinnacles of cinematic art and...it's going to be a hard act to follow.