Netflix this week has announced plans to complete "The Other Side of the Wind," the notoriously unfinished, and final film from acclaimed filmmaker, Orson Welles, three decades after his death.
Forty years in the making, "The Other Side of the Wind" has been described as a semi-autobiographical satire, shot in a mockumentary style, focusing on a filmmakers struggles as he attempts to adapt with the passing of Classic Hollywood, with the introduction of the younger avant-garde filmmakers of New Hollywood. It was set to feature an impressive list of stars, including Dennis Hopper, Peter Bogdanovich and John Huston as the main protagonist.
Welles, who co-wrote and directed the unfinished film, worked on the picture from 1970- 1976, but had to shelve it thanks to a number of issues including copyright and investment trouble. It is believed he had attempted several times to bring the film to screens, but ultimately failed before his death in 1985.
Netflix to the rescue
Further attempts by Bogdanovich to bring the film to life failed to materialise due to the copyright situation. Those issues were eased thanks to Netflix who used their money and power to win the rights and finally work on bringing the film to screen. The move comes as a shock to many, but it will certainly bring fans of the filmmaker's flooding to their streaming service.
They have turned to legendary producer Frank Marshall, who worked on the film previously, and actor/director Bogdanovich to help bring it to completion. They will also work alongside filmmaker Filip Jan Rymsza who had been working on the film with the help of an Indiegogo campaign over the past two years. Together, they have the unenviable task of sifting through over 1000 reels of footage in order to get the film as close to Welles’ vision as possible.
A fitting end for an icon
Despite now being considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, with Citizen Kane and A Touch of Evil but two classics from his legendary filmography, Welles throughout his career struggled to get films released. Constant battles with studios and financiers led to a large number of his work remaining incomplete.
"The Other Side of the Wind" was to mark his comeback after spending more than a decade away from the glitz and glam of Hollywood. It was his original intention to shoot the movie over an eight week period, but that quickly morphed into afour-decadee delay.
A release date is yet to be announced.
