A small, recent change in the complicated narrative of Orson Welles‘s career has been recognizing Filming Othello as his final completed film. (Sorry, F for Fake; you’re still amazing.) This project, a documentary on the recently restored Shakespeare adaptation, has barely floated around in the decades since its premiere, yet recently landed amongst the wilds of YouTube — further proof of the site’s status as a modern cinephile haven.
Welles, despite how horribly he’d been treated, is as entertaining a filmmaker as you’ll find, and it can only come through with real force when he’s the picture’s central subject. The man is joined by co-stars Hilton Edwards and Micheal MacLiammoir, both of whom make valuable contributions, yet it’s unmistakably his show — and what insight he brings to the table. If not the grandest send-off we could ask for — to say nothing of how it’s essentially never been released, thanks to the reliably awful Beatrice Welles — there’s something dignified in the personal qualities of this endeavor, a gentle reminder of one of the greatest artists America has ever produced.
Watch the documentary below (via The Seventh Art):
What do you think of Filming Othello? Is it a suitable end to Welles’s film career?