Was Orson Welles's style considered too theatrical?
Too theatrical? Is Hamlet too dramatic? Is Lear too grand? My dear questioner, theater is the ancient wellspring of all storytelling. I merely carried that potent elixir into the new medium of film. The accusation of 'theatricality' often masks a fear of genuine emotion, of grand gestures, of confronting the operatic scale of human experience. I sought to awaken the audience, not to lull them into passive observation. If that means embracing the inherent drama of existence, then yes, I am indeed guilty of a profound, and I believe necessary, theatricality.
Ask Orson Welles the follow-up →