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Orson Welles is one of the most significant filmmakers in history, known for his landmark movies such as Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil. Welles made a major impact on the film noir genre in the 1940s and 1950s, shaping its overall shape and scope. Welles had a diverse range of talents, including acting, writing, and producing, and his multimedia influence made him a central figure in 20th-century entertainment.

Orson Welles is one of the most prolific and significant filmmakers that has ever lived. He has directed several movies that have acted as landmarks in cinematic history. Other than being known for his remarkable epic Citizen Kane and the film noir masterpiece Touch of Evil, the brilliant abilities of Welles have been put on display in nearly a dozen of other masterworks as a director. Welles significantly made an impact on the shape and scope of the film noir genre in the 1940s and 1950s.

David’s Quick Take for the tl;dr Media Consumer:

This subdued hour long late-career enigma from Orson Welles initially feels a bit sad and anti-climactic when it’s presented as his “final completed fictional feature” (as stated on the back of the new Criterion Collection release.) A quiet, languidly paced adaptation of an Isak Dinesen short story, there’s very little action to stimulate the senses much of the time, with most lines delivered by actors sitting down, standing still and speaking rather quietly. When the tension ramps up a bit toward the end, the self-conscious art house touches run a great risk of falling flat and coming across as unintentionally comical. But the excellent 4K restoration, a well-curated selection of supplemental features, and above all else, the compelling presentation of a great man and cultural innovator entering his artistic decline makes the new Blu-ray package of The Immortal Story...

Orson Welles' French TV show with Jeanne Moreau is a near-masterpiece, directed with assurance and style. It's the filmmaker's first color feature, and his last completed fictional feature. The Immortal Story Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 831 1968 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 58 min. / Histoire immortelle / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 30, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Jeanne Moreau, Orson Welles, Roger Coggio, Norman Eshley, Fernando Rey. Cinematography Willy Kurant Film Editors Yolande Maurette, Marcelle Pluet, Françoise Garnault, Claude Farny Music selections Eric Satie Based on a novel by Isak Dinesen Produced by Micheline Rozan Written and Directed by Orson Welles

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of The Immortal Story took me completely by surprise. I bailed out of a viewing long ago on Los Angeles' 'Z' Channel cable station, mainly because it looked terrible -- grainy and washed out. I thought I was watching a faded print that had been blown up from 16mm.