Mr. Arkadin

by Orson Welles

Book Overview

A witty, madcap, pulp-noir adventure of international intrigue, blackmail, and murder from the legendary director, actor, and writer Orson Welles. With a new introduction on its mysterious creation... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0491030576
• ISBN13: 9780491030571
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: W. H. Allen
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Mystery, a Riddle , an Enigma

The origins of this novel are almost as mysterious as that of the central character in the motion picture of the same name. Arguments abound as to whether or not Orson Welles actually wrote the novel. Welles certainly signed the book contract with the publisher and held the copyright, but some sources suggest that Maurice Bessy wrote the novelization of the original screenplay written by Welles. Biographer Simon Callow, an actor in his own right, interviewed Robert Arden, who played the role of Van Stratten in the movie, and he indicated that Welles was the author and Bessy merely worked on the French translation of the book for its publication in that market. Later in life, Welles disowned the entire project and dismissed the book. Was he being truthful or was he simply playing coy with an interviewer? Welles may have been disgusted with the entire project to the point where he wanted to deny any association with the movie and the book. As a motion picture, "Mister Arkadin" began as an ambitious international production. As the filming progressed, however, the lavish budget was cut and some of the latter sequences in the film appear to be cheaper than those filmed earlier. The producer became angry about costly delays and had the film taken away from Welles during the editing process. As a result, multiple versions of the film were issued. The various scenes were assembled in different sequential orders depending upon the print of the film that was being exhibited in a given country. Welles had intended to tell the story using a series of flashbacks, but this technique was scrapped in one version of the finished film which was edited in strict chronological order. In some markets, this chronological print of the film was shown, but, later prints surfaced which incorporated the flashbacks envisioned by the director. Alternate takes of certain scenes in the film were made employing different performers in key roles as part of an effort to sell the movie to cinemas in different European markets. In some English speaking countries, the movie was released under an alternate title, "Confidential Report." The production disputes delayed the American release of the film for almost seven years. It opened in a handful of art house cinemas and never found an audience. That is a shame because the beautifully photographed film is great escapist fare set against the background of numerous European locations. Nonetheless, the story is fascinating. "Mister Arkadin" owes much to the success of Welles in Carol Reed's production of "The Third Man." The role proved to be so popular that Welles was hired to repeat the role of Harry Lime in a British radio series (the program took care to overcome the difficulty of Lime being killed in the conclusion of the movie!). Key elements of the plot of "Mister Arkadin" can be traced to three specific radio scripts that Welles wrote. The radio material was reworked for the screenplay which involves amnesia, smuggling, b

Orson Welles genius

Mr Arkadin is another creation of the genius. A mysterious giant named Arkadin, his fragile daughter and a man called Guy are the main characters of a story in which an unbearable suspense is carried to the very end. However what makes the book rather worthy is the descriptions rather than the storyline. A bit like Fowles may be, but very successful...