The Other Side of the Wind

Welles had something to say that only people like him would understand. That is insiders of the movie making world . To me it makes sense he was unable to obtain finances to complete the film . It was a project of personal indulgence. It comes across pretentious. The best thing about this movie is the use of black and white , aspect ratio , and colour . As a Netflix movie probably best place for it since it would have bombed in the theatres .

A great auteur (Huston) returns to make his new movie. Apparently provides great insight into the film making process - one can only hope this isn't the case. Welles has unquestionably got his place in the hall of fame with half a dozen great and unconventional films made and a couple of good performances given. I would say though that from the humble film goers perspective he started to believe the adulation and,justified or not, his ego went unchecked unhampered by any self doubt. As a result he also made a good deal of pretentious guff and this is one of those. Occasionally witty, a wonderful supporting cast and certainly Huston really holds the eye but overall definitely one for cineastes.

As a film aficionado since childhood, 'lost' films have always held fascination for me, whether: lost long after initial release (such as Convention City 1933) seen once and never released for whatever reason (such as the first, silent, Marx Bros movie Humorisk 1921) films contemplated but never produced (countless examples) films stalled or abandoned during production (such as this one). As an example of a 'found' film, The Other Side Of The Wind does not make me hold out much hope about the quality of those lost. Other than some glimpses of the wonderful Lilli Palmer and the usual strong performance by John Huston, this feels like a poorly produced collection of 1970's home movies. It is almost ironic when screening the film-within-the-film, one character remarks "Hey isn't this out of order?" and another comments "Does it really matter?"

This is not a movie for everyone. Orson Welles knows exactly who will enjoy this movie. Those who will enjoy this movie are exactly who Orson Welles wants to connect with, people like him, those who truly love Cinema. The art of this movie is evident. It is wholly original in its progression and cinematography. It captures the essience and mind of surrealist directors especially in the 1970s beautifully. It's a virtual time capsule of a movie. It is unintentionally a period piece, love letter to an era now long dead. Yet, this movie is very intentionally trying to put off a chaotic, disorderly, and untidy attitude. It does so very pleasingly. I love this movie. It is pure cinema.