Blu-Ray Review – The Immortal Story (1968)
The Immortal Story was Orson Welles’ final fictional feature currently available which was initially released on French TV until a small theatrical run. It was released as a double bill with Luis Buñuel’s Simon of the Desert in the US during early 1968. It however hopefully won’t be the last fictional film he made because his long unfinished The Other Side of the Wind should be coming out in the near future despite an unsuccessful indiegogo campaign. It’s also the only fictional feature Welles shot in colour he much preferred black and white, he said “Colour enhances the set, the scenery, the costumes, but mysteriously enough it only detracts from the actors. Today it is impossible to name one outstanding performance by an actor in a colour film.”. The reason the film was shot in colour was simply contractual reasons and that’s how he got the money to fund the film, a big problem in Welles’ career.
Welles plays an old merchant at the end of his life who tells his bookkeeper a story about an old man who offers a sailor 5 guineas to impregnate his wife. The old merchant becomes obsessed with making this story a reality and sends his bookkeeper to find a sailor and a woman to be his wife so this story can come true. It’s typical Welles with characters creating myths to cover up their own failings, it’s another deeply personal film for one of the most personal directors who ever lived. Jeanne Moreau who Welles collaborated on both The Trial and Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight stars as the woman his bookkeeper finds and they were romantically involved during the time.
The film is based on a short story by Karen Blixen who is better known for writing Out of Africa and Babette’s Feast which were adapted into successful films in the ’80s. Welles was a great admirer of her writing and initially wanted to do an anthology film which would contain The Immortal Story and another one of her short stories The Deluge at Nordenay. However due to Welles being unhappy with the professionalism of the his Budapest crew the idea was scraped. Luckily the finished film was made and due to the new Blu-Ray of Mr. Bongo you can discover one of the lost gems of Welles’ endlessly fascinating career.
[rating=4]
Ian Schultz
Television, Drama | USA, 1968 | 15 | Mr Bongo Worldwide | Dir. Orson Welles | 2nd November 2015 (UK) | Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Roger Coggio, Norman Eshley | Buy: Immortal Story [DVD]
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