Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014) - Rotten Tomatoes

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles2014

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)

TOMATOMETER

72%
81%

AUDIENCE SCORE

65%

Critic Consensus: It may not quite live up to the superlative in its title, but Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles serves as a passable primer for those seeking an introduction to the legendary filmmaker.

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Movie Info

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles looks at the remarkable genius of Orson Welles on the eve of his centenary - the enigma of his career as a Hollywood star, a Hollywood director (for some a Hollywood failure), and a crucially important independent filmmaker. North American Premiere at the 2014 Telluride Film Festival. (C) Cohen Media
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for brief language, some suggestive images/nudity and smoking)
  • Genre:
    Documentary
  • Directed By:
    Chuck Workman
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $8,794
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Cohen Media Group

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Cast

Orson Welles
Simon Callow
Christopher Welles Feder
Christopher Welles
Norman Lloyd
Julie Taymor
Peter Bogdanovich
William Friedkin
Elvis Mitchell
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Henry Jaglom
Joseph McBride
Peter Brook
Walter Murch
Eric Sherman
Costa-Gavras
Richard Linklater
Oja Kodar
Buck Henry
Richard Benjamin
Wolfgang Puck
Peter Viertel
Michael Dawson
Sydney Pollack
Paul Mazursky
Frank Marshall
Christopher Welles
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Critic Reviews for Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

All Critics (47) | Top Critics (16)

If you're a budding film student or a newly-minted cineaste looking for a quick and easy brush-up on the all-time great American director, Magician will serve perfectly well.

June 30, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Top Critic

Workman clearly reveres Welles, but he's never reverent.

April 2, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Top Critic

A dutiful but slightly dull celebration of the multitalented impresario ...

April 2, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
Top Critic

If you have more time and want to get into Welles on your own, an afternoon watching YouTube videos followed by a few evenings of watching his best movies might be even better.

March 12, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Top Critic

It's a fine introduction, if a bit slight for fans craving new insights.

December 31, 2014 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…
Top Critic

Whatever its shortcomings, "Magician" accomplishes quite a bit as a corrective, and it also gives one an hour and a half in the company of Orson Welles.

December 12, 2014 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Top Critic
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