The Eyes of Orson Welles

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The Eyes of Orson Welles

2019

1h 55m

Documentary

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Granted exclusive access to hundreds of private drawings and paintings by Orson Welles, filmmaker Mark Cousins dives deep into the visual world of this legendary director and actor to reveal a portrait of the artist as he's never been seen before -- through his own eyes, sketched with his own hand, painted with his own brush.

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Critics Consensus

The Eyes of Orson Welles uses a brilliant filmmaker's non-cinematic work to investigate his aesthetic from a refreshing -- and thoroughly entertaining -- perspective.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

06/19/2019

2.5/4

Despite its unearthed treasures, "Eyes" remains a scrapbook by comparison, and a self-indulgent one.

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Linda Marric

HeyUGuys

06/04/2019

4/5

An utterly compelling love letter to a master of modern cinema.

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Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

03/29/2019

B+

A digressive, idiosyncratic, and altogether fascinating documentary by Mark Cousins...

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Dan Bayer

Next Best Picture

05/13/2022

6/10

For all that "The Eyes of Orson Welles" may come up short, for lovers of film, it is still wonderful to see these pieces of history that have not really been seen before.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

10/28/2020

A very personal, first-person meditation on that late creator, particularly viewing his life and work through the lens of the voluminous sketchbooks he left behind.

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

08/06/2020

Welles portrayal is appropriately cynical and menacing...

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S R

@ScottR 12/06/2023

A different perspective on describing Orson Welles, with a mysterious box that provided insights into the Director. It was interesting, but the voice was hypnotic and put you to sleep. Saw on HBO.

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david d

@RT02447155 11/09/2022

Disturbing, revealing, enlightening, Mark Cousins has done a superb job of either bringing Orson Welles or Mark Cousins to light. I liked it a lot. Still thinking about it the day after.

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01/14/2019

A gem of a program taking a totally fresh approach to documentary. And it was filmed on handheld devices by the looks of it. Original, incisive and engaging.

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Mark Cousins

Director

Mark Cousins

Narrator

Beatrice Welles

Self

Mark Cousins

Writer

Mark Bell

Executive Producer

Michael Moore

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Granted exclusive access to hundreds of private drawings and paintings by Orson Welles, filmmaker Mark Cousins dives deep into the visual world of this legendary director and actor to reveal a portrait of the artist as he's never been seen before -- through his own eyes, sketched with his own hand, painted with his own brush.

Director: Mark Cousins
Producer: Mary Bell, Adam Dawtrey
Screenwriter: Mark Cousins, Mark Cousins
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: BofA Productions
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2019, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.1K
Runtime: 1h 55m

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