大象传媒

5 June 2023

Watch the legendary 大象传媒 TV series in which filmmaker, actor, thinker and deft raconteur Orson Welles recalls interesting stories to the camera in his inimitable style. As Welles says, “they ought to come as a nice break in the horrid monotony.” The Guardian described them as like “a monochrome forebear of YouTube."

Welles discusses a timely earthquake, first-night audiences at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, and how he came to be an actor.

Welles talks about a Boston performance of Five Kings, his collage of Shakespeare's history plays, the consequences of Percy Hammond's negative review of "Voodoo Macbeth", the Haiti-set Macbeth with an all-black cast directed by a 20-year-old Welles, and a curse placed on the film It's All True.

Welles meditates on the role of the police in a free society, and the effect of authoritarian power on individual liberty at home and abroad. First broadcast on 大象传媒 Television, 22 May 1955.

Orson discusses prompting in film and television as well as Harry Houdini, magic and John Barrymore.

Welles remembers Harry Houdini, under whom he studied magic and who at a command performance caused the bells of the Kremlin to ring, and considers the purpose of magic;

He also discusses the personality of famous American actor John Barrymore and his outrageous storytelling.

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Television, 5 June 1955.

Welles discusses the effects of his War Of The Worlds radio broadcast in America.

The famous 1938 Mercury Theatre broadcast of the HG Wells story was mistaken by many listeners for a real Martian invasion; Welles says he intended it partly as a commentary on the truthfulness and credibility of the 'magic box'. First broadcast on 大象传媒 Television, 19 June 1955.

Welles tells the true story of Bonito the bull. Welles partially filmed Robert Flaherty's story in 1942 for the unfinished film, It's All True.

The sixth episode is not available in our archive at the moment, but you can .

A bonus extra episode - Postscript to the Sketch Book series.

A version of this article was originally published in 2015.