Fall Film Festival
Fall 2021
October 3 | The Stranger (1946) | 1 hr 36 min
Introduction by Jonathan Nashel
Professor of History, History Department, Indiana University South Bend
The Stranger is often considered Orson Welles’ most “traditional” Hollywood-style directorial effort. Welles plays kindly college professor Charles Rankin, who lives in a pastoral Connecticut town with his lovely wife Mary (Loretta Young). One afternoon, an extremely nervous German gentleman named Meineke arrives in town but quickly disappears. Not long afterwards posing as an antiques dealer, a mild-mannered war crimes commissioner Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) pays a visit to the tranquil rural town.
October 10 | Me & Orson Welles (2008) | 1 hr 47 min
Introduction by Elaine Roth
Professor of Film Studies, English Department, Indiana University South Bend
After a chance encounter, theater-loving teen Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when famed director Orson Welles (Christian McKay) gives him a small role in his 1937 production of “Julius Caesar.” Unexpectedly thrust into the heady world of the stage, Richard finds himself surrounded by ambition, clashing egos and sheer brilliance.
October 17 | Touch of Evil (1958) | 1 hr 35 min
Introduction by Brent Kado
Adjunct Faculty at Indiana University South Bend & Columbia College, Chicago, Film/TV Producer
Artistically innovative and emotionally gripping, Orson Welles’ classic noir is a visual treat, as well as a dark thriller. Touch of Evil dissects the nature of good and evil in a hallucinatory, nightmarish ambience, helped by the shadow-laden cinematography and an outstanding cast. Trouble starts when Mexican-born policeman Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) is honeymooning with his new bride, Susan (Janet Leigh), and agrees to investigate a bomb explosion. In so doing, he incurs the wrath of local police chief Hank Quinlan (Welles), a corrupt, bullying behemoth.
October 24 | Magician: The Astonishing Life & Work of Orson Welles (2014) | 1 hr 35 min
Introduction by Elaine Roth & Jonathan Nashel
Professor of Film Studies & Professor of History respectively, Indiana University of South Bend
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.