Ben Walters

A slim little book, my first purchase in the sleek, glossy Life&Times biography series from Britain that just began showing up in my local Half Price Books stores. I have always been intrigued by his acting and directing in Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil; and, for his straight acting, he acts several scenes in the brilliant movie The Third Man with just facial expressions, putting more into a smirk than entire pages of dialogue done by lesser actors. Then there is just the idea of a tortured genius ringed in by the system, the brilliant boy wonder forced to live up to his own myth, and the guy amazing enough to bag Rita Hayworth. This all said, most biographies I've leafed through at libraries suffer from many faults, and the one great biography, it seems, the multi-volume and incomplete magnum opus of Simon Callow is, as a first course, too much and undone. Thus, this volume. It offers a complete overview of his life and works, offering some insights. There are things I'd like to know more about, like Hayworth, or specific intent behind shots and narratives in his films, etc. This book, however, is well-written introduction to Welles, not a detailed narrative. (When Callow finishes his third volume, hopefully there will be an abridged version.)… (més)

"The Dude abides..." This film has become a cult classic since its release in 1998. Here, the Coen brothers deliver a take on the classic LA Chandleresque mystery. In their version however, "the detective" is a person who on the surface seems to be the person least capable to figure out what is going on. I highly recommend both film and the BFI book. The British Film Institute produces a great series of film books. Each of their 'film classics' explore individual films and are excellent companions to the films themselves.… (més)