Mr. Arkadin

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CHANNING K The Third Man alá Bond, James Bond. Chock-full of film noir charm with Welles' style of B&W cinematography. Gert Fröbe ("Auric Goldfinger") briefly appears. Includes an amusing Christmas Eve goose liver MacGuffin. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Asa H Some of the most stiff and staged acting ever seen..Even Orson does a terrible job. The direction is very amateurish as is the production value. Can't quite understand the high ratings here... Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/25/23 Full Review Rex Michael D The lens to best view the 1955 film "Mr. Arkadin," (also retitled and released as "Confidential Report" (1955)), is in the context of another post-war film, "The Third Man" (1949). The Third Man is clearly superiorly written by intrigue-novelist Graham Greene. Wells' acting was much less ham-fisted in the Third Man, but there are parallels in these stories. The reason these films should be viewed as a duplet is that they take us to a place largely overlooked in American cinema. Since World War II, the Americans can only see themselves as the triumphalist heroes of Europe. Yet it is in these films that we hear of American opportunist scoundrelism that stooped to the levels of selling bogus medication (in The Third Man) and all manner of profiteering done by the infamous billionaire before and after the war in Mr. Arkadin/Confidential Report. Spoiler: In both films, Wells' character is the underbelly. Heroine use is spoken about directly in Mr. Arkadin/Confidential Report. Arkan's activities in the inter-war years (the touchstone of his billionaire fortune) included a phony dance school that abducted Polish girls for a sex trafficking ring in Warsaw and sold them into prostitution. In a sense, Arkadin and the mysterious Sophie are the prototypes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghillane Maxwell. The images in both films do include the actual ruble from European cities not yet rebuilt from the devastation of WWII. In this regard, these films stand as time capsules and have value for this in and of itself. It is of historical value that both of these capture the desperation in Europe during the post-war era, despite the jet-setting nature of the billionaire and his foolish errand boy sent to investigate. There is an "almost" aspect to the Mr. Arkadin/Confidential Report film(s). There is a thriller storyline that was there; a story concept buried deep under the over-the-top acting by the main characters. Had they been less bombastic this film might have made for a true classic in the way that The Third Man is, underrated though it The Third Man is today. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/16/23 Full Review Cem Y Camera shots were well thought, and plot is interesting enough. However, the acting is raw and unnecessarily exaggerated even when we consider the movies made at that period. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Martin B All I can remember is Wells staring into the camera. He loved having the camera catch his every nuanced pose. Took to long setting up and getting into the plot. Just too much of Orson Wells. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/23/22 Full Review Audience Member Orson Welles helms this economical 100 minute flick in front of and behind the lens. While it is an effective little thriller, this story of a forgetful vulnerable magnate does have a very abrupt ending that may disappoint many viewers. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Mr. Arkadin

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