I had never seen this film made by Orson Welles before. I do not think it has ever been shown on television and I have never seen it for sale in any store any where.Then I was leant a copy by the artist Mark Mc Keown who recommended I give it a view and Oh boy did it reward. I put it on late one night just to watch the beginning, to check out the tone, and just could not switch it off. I got so drawn into it, this hybrid of the words of Shakespeare and the ballsy interpretation by Orson Welles.
It looks and feels raw and dirty, as though the cast were living their parts. I had expected a slightly affected turn and was not prepared for the naturalism on display.
Orson Welles is magnificent in this. You can see why Falstaff's friend treat him with such a wide mixture of affection and weary scorn.He is a lazy scoundrel but charmingly bumbling with it, a complete rake who any father should be weary off his son spending time with. He is bad company but wonderfully full of life too. Mad, Bad and hilrarious to know. The King is heart broken his wayward son Hal is spending any time with this unruly mob and fears his kingdom will fall to disaray in the hands off such a man. And young prince Hal revels in his time, mixed in many a scrape that are most unroyal. But when the time comes and he puts away the toys of childhood, when the time comes for him to assume the crown he casts Falstaff aside, ready to assume his kingly mantle.
You would need a heart of stone not to feel for the crestfallen Falstaff as he sees his dreams of unearned nobility fall away, pulled from him in that most heart felt of rejections.
just fantastic stuff
Falstaff is dead...
"He is in Arthur's bosom, if ever a man went to Arthur's bosom."
