Synopses & Reviews
The highly anticipated second volume of Simon Callow's magisterial biography of Orson Welles.
Simon Callow's celebrated first volume of Orson Welles's life concluded with the brash young director unveiling what would prove to be his and arguably American cinema's greatest achievement: Citizen Kane. But instead of embarking on an illustrious career in Hollywood, as Callow vividly details in Hello Americans, Welles became increasingly unable to function within the structure of the moviemaking industry.
Hello Americans offers readers a critical look at the years after Citizen Kane up to Macbeth (1947), from his difficult and self-defeating temperament to some of the monstrous personalities with whom he was involved. Callow fully illustrates each film of the period The Magnificent Ambersons, Journey into Fear, The Stranger, The Lady from Shanghai as well as Welles's off-screen activities his dedicated but ill-fated attempts to be a radio comedian and stage magician; his fervent desire to revive spectacular theater single-handedly; his newspaper columns; and his political interests, which he pursued passionately. The result is an expertly researched and elegantly written portrait that will remain the final word on this larger than life genius for generations to come.
Review
"Welles is complex, and Callow...provid[es] a balanced, well-crafted portrait that brings him to life you can all but smell Orson's cigar smoke wafting off the pages. Destined to be the definitive word. Highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Much of Welles's work may be flawed, but almost all of it shows evidence of brilliance and invention, as Simon Callow so beautifully tells us." Paul Mazursky, The Wall Street Journal
Review
"[A] balanced take on Welles and his tumultuous times during the 1940s." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Review
"Callow's work in progress is a monument (he says he'll finish up with a third volume, though given the depth and detail of the first two, I'd guess he has a couple left to write). Doorstop biographies nearly always get mired in chronology and minutiae. Animated by a brisk intelligence, Callow's opus seldom does, although it now totals nearly 1,000 pages. He shapes and interprets his material and with panache places his story in rich context. Moreover, Callow is as indefatigable a researcher as he is stylish a writer....Even more important, Callow is exquisitely sensitive to the force the seductiveness, the menace, the usefulness of Welles's immense charm..." Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic Monthly (read the entire Atlantic Monthly review)
Synopsis
"Unfailingly intelligent and well written . . . Vivid and three-dimensional."--Variety
The first volume of Simon Callow's magisterial biography of Orson Welles was praised as a "splendidly entertaining, definitive work" by Entertainment Weekly. Now, this eagerly anticipated second volume examines the years following Citizen Kane up to the time of Macbeth, in which Welles's Hollywood film career unraveled. In close and colorful detail, Callow offers a scrupulous analysis of the factors involved, revealing the immense and sometimes self-defeating complexities of Welles's temperament as well as some of the monstrous personalities with whom he had to contend.
Synopsis
The first volume of Simon Callow's magisterial biography of Orson Welles was praised as a "splendidly entertaining, definitive work" by
Entertainment Weekly. Now, this eagerly anticipated second volume examines the years following
Citizen Kane up to the time of
Macbeth, in which Welles's Hollywood film career unraveled. In close and colorful detail, Callow offers a scrupulous analysis of the factors involved, revealing the immense and sometimes self-defeating complexities of Welles's temperament as well as some of the monstrous personalities with whom he had to contend.
About the Author
Simon Callow is an actor, director, and writer. He has appeared on the stage and in many films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shakespeare in Love. His other books include Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu, Shooting the Actor, and Being an Actor.