Making Movies with Orson Welles - by Gary Graver (Paperback)

About the Book

In Making Movies with Orson Welles, Gary Graver recounts the highs and lows of the moviemaking business as he and one of the most important and influential directors of all time struggled to get films produced. The two men collaborated on more than a dozen projects, including ...

Book Synopsis

In 1958, Gary Graver moved from his hometown of Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles, California with dreams of an acting career in Hollywood. Soon after his arrival, he caught a double bill in a small theater on Hollywood Boulevard, the lower half of which was the recently released Touch of Evil. Upon viewing the B classic, Graver decided he wanted to be a director and spent many years honing his craft, as both a cinematographer and a director, not to mention writer, actor, and producer-much like his idol, Orson Welles.

In 1970, when Graver learned that Welles was in town, he impulsively called up the director and offered him his services as a cameraman. It was only the second time in Welles's career that he had received such an offer from a cinematographer, the other being from Gregg Toland, who worked on one of the greatest films ever, Citizen Kane.

In Making Movies with Orson Welles, Graver recounts the highs and lows of the moviemaking business as he and one of the most important and influential directors of all time struggled to get films produced. The two men collaborated on more than a dozen projects, including F for Fake, Filming Othello, and the still-unreleased The Other Side of the Wind. Their close friendship and creative filmmaking partnership would endure for 15 years, until Welles' death in 1985. Also including a filmography of works and 20 photos from Graver's personal collection, this fascinating memoir recalls what it was like to work with the legendary Welles and offers advice and tales of caution for future filmmakers.

Review Quotes

"Enlightening memoir and homage to the legendary filmmaker....While this look at Welles' frenetic, independent filmmaking is a boon to film scholars and critics, fans of the actor and director will enjoy discovering the man behind the black cape. Making Movies with Orson Welles reveals why watching movies by Orson Welles is such an exhilarating experience." --Foreword Reviews

"It provides invaluable, fly-on-the-wall glimpses of the legendary director's eccentric but effective working methods during his obscure guerrilla filmmaking phase; some surprising revelations (e.g., Welles was asked to helm Popeye, later directed by Robert Altman); and entertaining anecdotes manifesting Welles' famously larger-than-life personality." --Booklist

"Making Movies with Orson Welles is a crucial contribution to the literature about Welles....Graver loved Orson Welles, and this book allows us to share the love." --National Board Of Review

"Graver writes of the 'incredible, surreal privilege' of working with Welles with affection and insight." --Film Comment

"Gary Graver, one of Orson Welles' closest collaborators, has written a superb book on Welles. It is a captivating and insightful look at their extraordinary relationship, a must-have for Welles fans and academians alike." --Frank Marshall, Producer, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Making Movies with Orson Welles is a crucial contribution to the literature about Welles....Graver loved Orson Welles, and this book allows us to share the love.

Enlightening memoir and homage to the legendary filmmaker....While this look at Welles' frenetic, independent filmmaking is a boon to film scholars and critics, fans of the actor and director will enjoy discovering the man behind the black cape. Making Movies with Orson Welles reveals why watching movies by Orson Welles is such an exhilarating experience.

Gary Graver, one of Orson Welles' closest collaborators, has written a superb book on Welles. It is a captivating and insightful look at their extraordinary relationship, a must-have for Welles fans and academians alike.

Graver writes of the 'incredible, surreal privilege' of working with Welles with affection and insight.

It provides invaluable, fly-on-the-wall glimpses of the legendary director's eccentric but effective working methods during his obscure guerrilla filmmaking phase; some surprising revelations (e.g., Welles was asked to helm Popeye, later directed by Robert Altman); and entertaining anecdotes manifesting Welles' famously larger-than-life personality.

About the Author

Gary Graver (1938-2006) was a respected cinematographer who worked on nearly 200 films. He served as cameraman for such filmmakers as Paul Bartel, Budd Boetticher, John Cassavetes, Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, and Orson Welles.

Andrew J. Rausch is the author of several books on film including Turning Points in Film History and Fifty Filmmakers: Conversations with Directors from Roger Avary to Steven Zaillian.