The Merchant of Venice (unfinished film)
Encyclopedia
The Merchant of Venice is an unfinished film
directed by Orson Welles
and based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name
. Welles played the role of Shylock
in addition to producing and directing the film as well as writing the adaptation. Charles Gray
featured as Antonio and Irina Maleeva as Jessica. Differing sources give the film's running time as between 30 and 40 minutes.
Welles started work on the film in 1969. It was originally produced as part of his abandoned 90-minute television special, Orson's Bag, which was made for CBS
; but later that year, with the project close to completion, CBS withdrew their funding over Welles' long-running disputes with US authorities regarding his tax status. The film was shot in Rome
, Venice
and a few other parts of the Dalmatian Coast. The film itself was a shortened version of the play, Welles even eliminated the character of Portia
from the film after Oja Kodar
declined the role, due to her then knowledge of English.
During the editing of the film, which was referenced several times in the Peter Bogdanovich
interview book with Welles, This Is Orson Welles
, several reels of the film were mysteriously lost or stolen in Rome. Welles never finished the film but several years later he filmed the Shylock monologue in the Arizona desert wearing a modern-day trenchcoat.
Unfinished work
An unfinished work is creative work that has not been finished. Its creator may have chosen never to finish it or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances outside of their control such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have...
directed by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
. Welles played the role of Shylock
Shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...
in addition to producing and directing the film as well as writing the adaptation. Charles Gray
Charles Gray (actor)
Charles Gray was an English actor who was well-known for roles including the arch-villain Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft Holmes in the Granada television series, and as The Criminologist in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show in...
featured as Antonio and Irina Maleeva as Jessica. Differing sources give the film's running time as between 30 and 40 minutes.
Welles started work on the film in 1969. It was originally produced as part of his abandoned 90-minute television special, Orson's Bag, which was made for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
; but later that year, with the project close to completion, CBS withdrew their funding over Welles' long-running disputes with US authorities regarding his tax status. The film was shot in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and a few other parts of the Dalmatian Coast. The film itself was a shortened version of the play, Welles even eliminated the character of Portia
Portia (Merchant of Venice)
Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead...
from the film after Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar is a Croatian actress, screenwriter and director, best known as the girlfriend of Orson Welles for the last 24 years of his life.-Life:...
declined the role, due to her then knowledge of English.
During the editing of the film, which was referenced several times in the Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
interview book with Welles, This Is Orson Welles
This Is Orson Welles
This Is Orson Welles is a 1992 book by Peter Bogdanovich and Orson Welles, two major film directors, one the legendary creator of Citizen Kane, the other a former journalist-turned-popular-moviemaker of The Last Picture Show fame...
, several reels of the film were mysteriously lost or stolen in Rome. Welles never finished the film but several years later he filmed the Shylock monologue in the Arizona desert wearing a modern-day trenchcoat.