Orson Welles on Watching Too Many Films

Excerpt from a February 1982 Q&A with Orson Welles at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris.

Orson expresses his repugnance for cinematic homages, and is baffled by how the next generation of filmmakers have seen so many films and make good films at the same time.

#orsonwelles

[SmallGreenPlanetoid]

This reminds me of when Hayao Miyazaki criticized younger anime creators for spending too much time watching anime rather than observing real people, real stories, and real relationships.

[Shenderson]

42 years later and this speech is more relevant than ever. The film industry is eating itself with legacy sequels, franchises and remakes. All of which are homages to superior movies that came before them. Nobody seems to be capable of innovation, because they're all scared to start new trends and branch out to more niche sub-genres. Even arthouse movies are becoming guilty of this. It may be a hot take now, but I see a lot of A24 films being forgotten about by the end of the decade

[versfier]

"The more virgin our eyes are, the more they have to say."

Immortal words to live by!

[AABB-zbdv]

Aaaahhhh Orson Welles. Just as Paul Masson, he will always be celebrated for his exellence.

[emannepa]

I've often wondered if I've ever had an original thought in my life. Everything we believe about love, honor, courage has been shaped by people in writers' rooms. A writer's ability to change the world is truly fascinating.

[rishwiz]

Tarantino slips quietly under the table

P.S: He is absolutely spot on, watching too many films just messes your own thinking and execution. Anxiety of influence.

[yambuh]

this is what i remind myself with everyday in storytelling. What makes people be a great storyteller, is not by reading other people's story (which is good, but you'll not really understand it), but by observing the real world (a.k.a the raw materials). We can't always rely on refined stuff

[kunaikai]

This reminds me of a lot of David Lynch. People always assume he’s constantly watching films but in reality he says he likes to be outside and enjoy nature.

[Rhlgull]

what he's saying is absolutely true. if your inspiration for film is a different film then it shows that you've not branched out into the other arts available. Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes said a similar thing for animators. If you want to know why and how he made so many classic cartoons, it's because he studied plays and poems and theatre, not because he watched other cartoons. once again, orson welles on the money

[mjolnircarlssen]

He’s right. We now live in a cinematic Hurricane of “Reboots” and “are-Imaginings “.

[bennyjones]

It's almost as if people didn't watch the final 20 seconds of the clip. He then goes on to say that plenty of young filmmakers have gone on to make admirable work, which makes himself a paradoxical and confused figure. This is more a testament of a person willing to openly prove himself wrong rather than make grand overstatements.

[plasticweapon]

the trick is you have to be strong minded enough to not be influenced too much.

[postmodernrecycler]

Such a great thinker on movies--and much else, of course. Turning out that "not only paradoxical but confused" retort on the spot is genuine fun.

[ZEU]

I remember reading a KUBRICK interview, saying he was a movie-goer, really curious and addictive BUT he always stopped watching any movie as soon as he had a subject and began working about it, to concentrate absolutely about his initial idea and preserve its particularity.
Cinephilia can feed your inspiration when you feel 'empty' and Mr K also said watching failed movies can help you to find great concepts ...
so I really understand Welles' opinion, ... especially since I had this problem, I write AND watches 2 movies every day, which is the best way to be influenced or lose the faith in what I want to do ...

[GreenMorningDragonProductions]

I've noticed since an early age a similar thing regarding rock groups. The best of them are never just influenced by other rock groups, but by much more eclectic and diverse forms of music too.

[jhjhjhjhjhjhify]

I kinda get what Welles is saying. Whatever you think about his views on homage (directors like Tarantino would disagree I suspect) I get the sense that being a great filmmaker is more than watching or even making films. Werner Herzog for example believes reading is a better tool when it comes to making films, and no doubt any director brings much more than just their filmmaking knowledge to the table - what kind of art they like, their views on politics, people, their lived experiences etc.

[tommunist]

“You are in the presence of a speaker who is not only paradoxical, but confused.”

Nobody should read too far into this minute of wisdom Welles is giving us. That last sentence makes it pretty clear that he’s not being fully serious, and it makes it 100% clear that his feelings toward the matter are ambiguous.

[ryanoseguera]

A perfect extrapolation of the phrase "be the best YOU that you can be"

[Krshna]

I guess what he is trying to say is not to stress over making, what is considered to be, a good film. Because that leads to watching lots of films and trying to emulate what they did.

I think he's trying to tell young filmmakers to make a film they want, they envision.

Taking too much inspiration leads to copying others and leaving less space for one's own art to be applied.

[mickeymouseable]

But I love watching these videos of old timey stars giving lectures in the 70s and 80s. They're so intelligent and thoughtful.