Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This is certainly a highly entertaining documentary that takes a look at the career of Orson Welles. It features archival interviews with the director as well as archival and new interviews with a wide range of filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Richard Linklater as well as actors like Charlton Heston and Welles' two surviving daughters.

I've read a lot of negative reviews aimed at this film and while I understand where they're coming from, at the same time I think they're being a bit harsh. Yes, this film could have gone more into the mind of Welles and it could have focused more on his personal life. It could have done a number of things but I think it's best to judge what's actually here and not judge what isn't here or whatever we might have wanted the documentary to be about.

I really thought the film did a good job at giving a quick look at the work of Welles going back to his childhood to his radio work to his movies and of course the projects he was doing at the end of his life. I thought the archival interviews with Welles were great and I really liked how they pretty much helped the legend tell his own story. The film clips are wonderful and it was just a great way to get introduced to the man and his films.

If you're already familiar with Welles then you might not learn anything "new" here but this is still a highly entertaining documentary and one that's certainly worth watching.