Magic of Orson Welles Rings the ‘Chimes at Midnight’

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CHICAGO – Another wondrous pleasure about director Orson Welles – as if he needed something else on his resume – is the discovery of his film career after the “Citizen Kane”/studio system/boy wonder period of the 1940s. Facing difficulties cobbling together financing for his evolving vision, he resorted to overseas money, international casts and more-for-less. One of the prime examples is “Chimes at Midnight” (1965), a Shakespeare amalgamation that is just another example of Wellesian audacity and yes, genius.

The script takes the text from five Shakespeare plays and is narrated by British actor Ralph Richardson. Orson Welles plays the scalawag John Falstaff, an entourage member of the Prince of Wales, and the focus of the story. The film has a kinetic energy that is exciting, it always seems in motion. Welles is at the top of his game portraying one of his favorite characters (he had previously mounted a similar stage production) and dominates the proceedings with Greek chorus slyness and a larger-than-life comic presence. The film delights in so many ways, with a both terse (in the royal scenes) and loose approach to the fluttery language of the Bard of Avalon. Like many of the early Welles films, there is inventive use of camera, blocking and cinematic language. It functions as a discovery in its restoration, and a re-discovery of Orson Welles in all of his cheekiness and influence.

King Henry VI (John Gielgud) has succeeded the murdered Richard II as King of England. Richard II’s heir – Edmund Mortimer – is imprisoned, and his cousins the Earls of Westmorland (Andrew Faulds) and Northumberland (José Nieto), in addition to Northumberland’s son Hotspur (Norman Rodway), insist that Henry release Mortimer. Meanwhile Henry’s son Prince Hal (Keith Baxter) wiles away the hours making merry with his friends, including John Falstaff (Orson Welles).

Orson Welles
Life is But a Dream for Falstaff (Orson Welles) in “Chimes at Midnight”
Photo credit: Criterion

They hang out a a tavern/brothel, run by the Mistress Quickly (Margaret Rutherford), which includes a working girl named Doll Tearsheet (Jeanne Moreau). The Earl of Worchester (Fernando Rey), a supporter of Mortimer, leads a rebellion against Henry, in which Hal and Falstaff participate. As the fields of the bloody conflict calm after the battle, Prince Hal and Hotspur meet in a duel, and the outcome determines the future for all the players.


This combination of Shakespeare plays – primarily “Henry VI” Parts One and Two, but also “Richard II,” “Henry V” and a dash of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” – is quite daunting if you’re unfamiliar with those works, but Welles handily organizes them into their own organic story, and Richardson’s narrations fills in some of the gaps. Shakespeare has a certain rhythm that takes a second to acclimate to, but eventually the prose poetry gets clearer, and the dance of the language is sweet poignancy in the hands of Welles and the cast.



There are many familiar faces in the film, almost as many as Welles’ previous “Touch of Evil.” John Gielgud, pre-”Arthur,” is a fine and memorable Henry. British actress Margaret Rutherford, with her unforgettable face, is remembered for portraying Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple character in films for years. Jeanne Moreau had just been in Francois Truffaut’s “Jules and Jim” (1962), and Fernando Rey was a favorite of director Luis Buñuel, as well as appearing in “The Magnificent Seven” and “The French Connection” in America. It was the special cast, as much as Welles, that give the film a particular kick. 


It is possible that Welles expended the last amount of his performance energy on Falstaff. He is truly a force of nature in this one, practically leaping off the screen with his outsized personality. This persona is closest, most likely, to the stage actor Welles – he is definitely playing to the back of the room – all in his glory within the film. You cannot wrest your eyes away from him, even as a supporting presence in several scenes.

Margaret Rutherford, Jeanne Moreau
Margaret Rutherford and Jeanne Moreau" in “Chimes at Midnight”
Photo credit: Criterion

And there are so many magnificent scenes, mini movies within the story. The tavern/brothel setting feels like it’s been cattle prodded with a million volts of electricity, the audience is in the room with the revelers. The battle sequence is is notable as one of the greatest ever filmed, with the clash of titans reduced to a duel of two. And all the time there is Falstaff, in his fat man’s armor, fluttering about to keep his position intact with Prince Hal, but avoiding the fight at all costs. There is also a study in black and white in a robbery sequence, with Falstaff the butt of the eventual outcome. This is a treat for the eyes.

There is a special screening of “Chimes of Midnight” at the historic Music Box Theatre on March 19th, 2016, at 7pm, with a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association leading a discussion. Otherwise, this special restoration plays a week at the Music Box, before being released soon on a Criterion edition DVD and via digital download. If you are either a cinema buff or a Orson Welles fan, treat yourself with this magnificent film as soon as you can.

“Chimes at Midnight” has screenings through March 24th, 2016, at the Music Box Theatre – 3733 North Southport Avenue in Chicago. Click here for more information. Featuring Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, John Gielgud, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford and Ralph Richardson. Adapted and directed by Orson Welles. Not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com senior staff writer Patrick McDonald

By PATRICK McDONALD
Writer, Editorial Coordinator
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2016 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

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