I was one of the lucky crowd at the first-ever public screening of Too Much Johnson, a silent film made by Orson Welles three years before he burst on the screen with Citizen Kane. This silent film was never finished, and the version we saw was a very rough cut by Welles.
We endured some very long speeches before the movie started, then a running commentary. Pordenone is famous for its silent-film festival, and it's almost too good to be true that this movie, long thought to have been lost, was found in Pordenone itself. Hence the speeches; everyone wanted to get in on the fame.
It was fascinating to see Joseph Cotten in the lead, with some truly hair-raising stunts during which he scrambles from one rooftop to another - in a now long-gone New York City. It was equally fascinating to see the home movie footage showing Welles himself, directing the film. The screening room was packed; I don't think there was an empty seat in the house, and several people were leaning against the back wall.
So what happens for the movie now? I don't know. I can only say that watching it was a rare experience.
We endured some very long speeches before the movie started, then a running commentary. Pordenone is famous for its silent-film festival, and it's almost too good to be true that this movie, long thought to have been lost, was found in Pordenone itself. Hence the speeches; everyone wanted to get in on the fame.
It was fascinating to see Joseph Cotten in the lead, with some truly hair-raising stunts during which he scrambles from one rooftop to another - in a now long-gone New York City. It was equally fascinating to see the home movie footage showing Welles himself, directing the film. The screening room was packed; I don't think there was an empty seat in the house, and several people were leaning against the back wall.
So what happens for the movie now? I don't know. I can only say that watching it was a rare experience.
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