Into The Arena Of... Orson Welles | BBC Archive

One of the most innovative actors and filmmakers of all time gives what some called his last great performance, in an interview with Arena in 1982.

Arena is the gold standard for arts documentaries, from 1975 to the present day with a vast archive of interviews with the world's greatest artists. BBC Archive has selected some of the best moments from this wide ranging interview with Orson Welles. You'll hear him talk about his approach when he first came to Hollywood, about his experiences working with frustrated directors and whether or not the director is "overrated".

You can do a deep dive on Orson Welles with the extensive two-part Arena documentary, The Orson Welles Story, on BBC iPlayer...

You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.

[jeitoots]

One of my favourite Orson Welles documentaries.

[richardmattocks]

I watched this years ago. Wonderful to see it again.

[MarkStevens]

I loved the ghost story he did in 1953 Return To Glennascaul, it is here on Youtube, worth a look.

[alexfletcher]

His extraordinary honesty in this is the selling point. What the world might missed out on if he HAD abandoned pictures. Rather than ending up as a robot.

[chrishills]

There can't have been many more fascinating humans than Orson

[juanjopiffa]

This is Orson Welles greatest interview. Please release the full version with outtakes included.

[Belloqs]

What a I wish we had some more of his caliber in Hollywood these days.

[lisaburns]

Arena was on bbc4 two weeks ago. They had an evening of orson then needless to say my sky box was on record for hours.

[_Ben]

Orson would have made a fabulous Bond a glass of Domecq Double Century in hand...👌

[aishx]

4 years later, the voice of Unicron 😮

[jeshkam]

Watching this makes me realize what an absolute genius the late John Candy was. He nailed Orson 100%.

[HumanBeanbag]

John Candy was perfect as Orson Welles on SCTV

[nellyfett]

Surely his best work - Transformers the Movie!

[mark-shane]

Maybe the only real genius of Movie making

[petergivenbless]

I wonder if the English director Orson was talking about, who would constantly shake his head and just go for take after take, was the director of the infamous Champaign commercial:

Clapper/Loader: 102, take 2

Director: Action Orson please

[awkward pause]

Orson: the French... Champaign!

[lisaburns]

He says on this in my hot youth. He was a hot youth and a very very handsome man.