Orson Welles cover art

Orson Welles

A Biography

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Orson Welles

By: Barbara Leaming
Narrated by: Grace Conlin
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About this listen

 Genius, artist, monstre sacré, Orson Welles had one of the most brilliant and tempestuous careers in show business.

Here he confides his most intimate feelings and recollections of his extraordinary life. With remarkable detail and intimacy, Barbara Leaming reveals the private Welles: from child prodigy and young lion in Dublin and New York, to the succès de scandale of his The War of the Worlds broadcast; from his auspicious directing debut with the legendary Citizen Kane in his 20s, to the sabotage of his further directing career by the Hollywood studios; from his affairs, carousing, and stormy marriage to Rita Hayworth, to his association with Roosevelt and aspirations to the presidency.

It is a picture with an all-star cast, including Olivier, Monroe, Dietrich, Garbo, Warren Beatty, Charlie Chaplin, Princess Margaret, and Prince Aly Khan.

©1985 Barbara Leaming (P)1996 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Entertainment & Celebrities

Critic Reviews

"[A] beautifully researched, valuable study of one of America's most influential and mysterious artists....[What] makes this book remarkable is Welles's own contribution. His comments, opinions, interviews cut in and out of the narrative with an almost cinematic force." (Patricia Bosworth)

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Biased

Seemed too biased, like the author was too friendly with Welles. Justifications are provided for all Welles' negative traits and actions. Didn't feel balanced. And while some of the material might have been topical back in 1983, it's not now. Still, some interesting background to the production of his films.

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