Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

A child prodigy who went on to make extraordinary, often game-changing contributions to whatever medium he chose to be involved in – radio, theatre, film and television – Orson Welles quickly came to be regarded as a ‘genius’: a double-edged acclamation, with its hints of profligacy and arrogance. The truth was more complex, as shown by director Chuck Workman’s use of clips from works both familiar and unreleased; testimonies from family, friends and fans, collaborators and critics (from Simon Callow to Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese to Jonathan Rosenbaum); and, best of all, anecdotes, admissions and insights galore from the great man himself. An illuminating, entertaining and enlightening celebration of a flawed but fascinating subject.