Perhaps more than any other legendary filmmaker, Orson Welles‘ career is at least partially defined by the numerous shipwrecks his movies in the years after “Citizen Kane” endured. From the tragically lost ending to “The Magnificent Ambersons,” the wildly recut “Touch Of Evil” and various incomplete, half started, partially realized features, the myth of the movies Welles never got to make grew almost as large as the man himself. Well, today brings with it a peek at yet another project that withered on the vine…
In the early ’80s, Welles mounted “The Dreamers,” co-written by his future wife, Oja Kodar, with whom he collaborated on two screenplays based on the works of Karen Blixenx (the other being “Echoes,” also unmade). Hal Ashby (!) financed the writing of the movie via his production company, but didn’t continue backing the project once he read the script. Welles pal, and the guy who recorded all their conversations apparently, Henry Jaglom tried to find financing, but beyond 20 minutes of footage, nothing else was completed (some of this material can be seen in the extras for Criterion‘s “F For Fake“).
Long story short, you can how read the entire screenplay and imagine it in your head. Lost masterpiece? You tell us. [No Film School/Filmmaker IQ]