To be fair, lots of people loved Orson Welles while he was still alive.
When the filmmaker passed away on October 10, 1985, the director’s name was already synonymous with breaking film conventions and employing stylistic techniques unheard of in his era. As one of the most celebrated pioneers within the medium, Welles left behind a legacy that endures to this day and serves as the inspiration for the upcoming documentary “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead.”
The forthcoming film is helmed by Morgan Neville — who is fresh off his own critically acclaimed work “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” — and will center around the final fifteen years of Welles life as well as provide behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of “The Other Side of the Wind.” Considering that Welles’ long-lost project is only now being released to the public this year, the timing for the documentary’s release could not have been more perfect.
In preparation of the film’s debut at the 75th Venice Film Festival, Neville released a touching director’s statement describing his personal connection to the project. Interestingly, the filmmaker notes that Welles’ passing sadly coincides with his birthday:
“What ever happened to Orson Welles?” is the common refrain. The answer is The Other Side of the Wind. He worked on this film throughout most of the 1970s, making a bold and daring effort to do what he had done before: reinvent cinema. I’d known Welles loved magic. What I didn’t expect was to be so inspired by his faith in the magic of cinema, even as he struggled to make a film that he could never finish. Orson burned and raved at the close of day. Gone was the sadness. I felt joy.
Apart from Welles himself, Peter Bogdanovich, Beatrice Welles, Oja Kodar and many others within the director’s inner circle are set to make an appearance.
“They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead” will be available to stream on Netflix on November 2. Here’s the first trailer:
