Mr. Arkadin
by Orson Welles
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Akim Tamiroff, Michael Redgrave, Orson Welles, Patricia Medina, Peter van EyckDirector: Orson Welles
Editor: Orson Welles
Producer: Orson Welles
Writer: Orson Welles
Cinematographer: Jean Bourgoin
Editor: Renzo Lucidi
Editor: William Morton
Producer: Louis Dolivet
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-10-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Delta
Movie Reviews of Mr. Arkadin
Movie Review: Overlooked not overblown ,Mr. Maltin.
Summary: 5 Stars
I gave this film 5 stars because first & foremost it's a Welles movie. Which doesn't mean to say it's not a good film. If you are partial to Welles then it's a good film. If you believe that he was the greatest film maker that ever walked the earth, then this could possibly be your favourite. The trouble is, "Mr. Arkardin" ,unfortunately, has been mutilated by bad editing. Not unlike many of the films Welles had taken away from him before editing began. Still,it is quite a classic Wellesian artifact,containing hallmark camera angles & positions that are instantly recognisable to the trained Orsonite. Other directors who try, always fail, unable to achieve the same depth of field. Mr Arkadin ~(aka Confidential Report in some countries)~ has a wonderful cast & it's interesting to see Welles venture into the "Citizen Kane"-type plot once again. The out-of-sync voices will disturb a few viewers, but if so there's still plenty to watch. Interesting to note that Orson's last wife appears as the lead. I would have liked some restoration & care, but I'm still quite happy it's finally on DVD. This ribbon of dreams inspired many great directors of the 70's. I'm sure it will inspire many more. Enjoy!
Summary of Mr. Arkadin
Features a European financial jackal who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. It gets off to a fast start with a gun battle along the docks of Naples, where a dying man?s last words pertain to Arkadin and his wife, Sophie.Includes an introduction by Tony Curtis and the original theatrical trailer for Orson Welles? "Citizen Kane".
B&W
Running Time: 93 min.
Something of a remake of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles's 1955 Mr. Arkadin is a knowing and self-reflective variation on one of Welles's pet themes: the search for a defining secret of a powerful man. Welles plays an important financier who tries to discover his own past by hiring a man (Robert Arden) to research it. Did the seemingly haunted Arkadin simply forget who he is or where he's been? Or is he seeking his own Rosebud--a crucial, lost thing from his life that can serve (if identified) as a mythic key to former happiness? The film, a European coproduction, was made under the typically difficult and extended conditions Welles had to navigate after leaving Hollywood, and the bumpiness shows. But the entire project is really an act of Wellesian deconstruction--it's Welles making a film about the kind of film Orson Welles previously made--and that approach is more electrifying than one might imagine. The editing in this film, for instance, is not quite like in any of Welles's other works, with bursts of linear action literally disappearing between frames, as if the fabric of reality itself was vanishing. As far as the titan Arkadin is concerned, it might as well be. --Tom Keogh
Will the "real" Mr. Arkadin please stand up? Probably not. However, thanks to the folks at the Criterion Collection, we may now have a version of Mr. Arkadin that is as close as it's going to get to Orson Welles's original vision. Part Citizen Kane, part The Third Man, Mr. Arkadin is another Wellesian Post-War Noir tale about the unraveling of the defining secret of a powerful and wealthy tycoon. Welles plays the ruthless financier Mr. Arkadin who hires small time smuggler Guy Van Stratten (Robert Arden) to investigate the amnesiac Arkadin's lost past and create a confidential report of his findings. Did the mysterious and elusive Mr. Arkadin simply want his criminal past uncovered? Or is his motive to erase a key missing piece of his past? As many fans know, the story of Mr. Arkadin's post-production and ascertaining which of the many versions is the most "Wellesian" is almost as mysterious as Guy Van Stratten's search for Gregory Arkadin's identity. Since the film is unfinished it does have an incomplete feel to it. For instance, it is very choppy with a few awkward jump cuts, there are lots of annoying overdubs that are not cleanly matched, the supporting cast is fairly weak and some scenes clearly needed to be reshot. However, the gems of the films are so precious, such as Welles's picturesque shots, unique camera angles, flashback story telling, and intricate plot, it's easy to overlook the shortcomings and classify Mr. Arkadin as essential Orson Welles.
Mr. Arkadin may have been written, directed and starred Orson Welles, but it sure wasn't edited by him. So the story goes, since it took Welles too long to complete the editing process, producer Louis Dolivet banned him from the editing room and never allowed Orson to get the final cut. Welles, who was known to say "All of the eloquence of my film is created in the editing room" disowned the film claiming it was the most butchered of all his works. There were many cuts made of the Mr. Arkadin film stock over the years, none of which are considered "definitive", all of which contain pieces to the overall puzzle. Fueled by their passion for film, along comes the Criterion Collection. Their mission, to take all the pieces of Mr. Arkadin's troubled past (the best available versions of the films, documented timelines, a reprinted version of the novel, scholarly documentaries and feature length commentaries), compile it and present it to fans in one incredibly comprehensive set letting them decide which is the real Arkadin. The Complete Mr. Arkadin (A.K.A. Confidential Report) includes digitally restored transfers of the two well known versions of the film (the flashback "Corinth" (99 minutes) version and the notorious linear "Confidential Report" (98 minutes)). In addition, there is a newly edited "comprehensive" version (105 minutes) pieced together by top Welles scholars who have an intimate understanding of his style, his creative direction, and thought process in the editing room. This new "comprehensive" version is the crown jewel of the set and without a doubt the best version of Mr. Arkadin ever released. While no one will ever know what Welles intended, you can?t help but feel this comprehensive version has got to be pretty darn close. Inevitably, purists may feel this is another instance of someone mucking with Welles's film stock, but in all honesty, the end result is stunning. So who is the real Mr. Arkadin? No one may ever know, but with the help of this set you have all you need to piece together the puzzle and draw your own conclusion. Enjoy. --Rob Bracco
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