critics 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. Read critic reviews

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Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles Photos

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

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Movie Info

From his infamous broadcast of "The War of the Worlds," to his landmark film "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles becomes a legendary figure in theater, radio and Hollywood.

Rating:

PG-13 (Smoking|Nudity|Brief Language|Some Suggestive Images)
Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

Chuck Workman
Producer:

Charles S. Cohen, Alice Henty
Release Date (Theaters):

Dec 10, 2014 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA):

$15.5K
Runtime:

1h 32m

Cast & Crew

Peter Bogdanovich
Self

Peter Brook
Self

Simon Callow
Self

William Friedkin
Self

Henry Jaglom
Self

Oja Kodar
Self

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Critics Consensus: Exodus: Gods and Kings Fails to Reach the Promised Land

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Critic Reviews for Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

All Critics (49) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (13)

Excerpts from unfinished films offer glimpses of what might have been, while Welles in discussion remains an unsurpassed raconteur.

July 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
[Magician] has an inelegant, cobbled-together feel that doesn't do justice to its subject.

July 2, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
This film makes a valuable and stimulating case for brilliant Welles movies such as Chimes at Midnight and The Trial.

July 2, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
A passible Welles hagiography which offers very little that you couldn't easily find in an Encyclopedia.

July 2, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

David Jenkins
Little White Lies
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…

Tom Huddleston
Time Out
If director Chuck Workman maps a familiar rise and fall of rule-breaking brilliance it is vindicated by the great raconteur and in-depth praise from an impressive roster.

June 29, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
The material is simply recycled. Yet Welles himself lights up the documentary. He was born to be interviewed, and it is a pleasure to watch him at different ages.

April 5, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Tom Graham
CineVue
Solid, straightforward but immaculately researched, Chuck Workmans documentary is a fitting tribute to the maverick Welles. If he were alive today, hed surely raise a glass.

May 3, 2018 | Full Review…

James Mottram
Total Film
Magician is a good primer for those who are unfamiliar with Welles, while functioning as a greatest-hits reel for students of the man.

August 24, 2017 | Full Review…

Sherilyn Connelly
SF Weekly
Magician certainly makes you want to watch all of Welles's films again, including the ones that we can't, which means it probably accomplishes its goals.

June 3, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Joe Bendel
Epoch Times
I'm sad to report that at a mere 1 hour and 34 minutes Magician is rushed and sometimes choppy, leaping through Welles's bountiful life.

May 23, 2016 | Full Review…

Gerald Peary
Arts Fuse
What Workman has assembled is the kind of film Welles would have been happy to part of. It's a unique, warm and fair portrait of a man who was both genius and joke and well aware of it.

December 21, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Tom Meek
Cambridge Day