Black Magic

Fascinating as a curio, especially given that ostensible director Ratoff seems to share his star Welles' distinctive directorial flourishes, but after a very promising start (and an especially gripping opening courtroom/torture scene), the story flattens out into a fairly dull, by-the-numbers tale of court intrigue, with a climactic courtroom confrontation scene which falls especially flat, due to some overstated histrionics. Still worthwhile (and probably essential) for Welles completists.

Some atmospheric Wellesian scenes, but the movie itself never works.

hollywood camp - an attempt

Here's some more wonderfully over-the-top nonsense with Orson Welles being the guilty party performing Black Magic (1949)! Those eyes! I was hypnotized! Well, it was a bit of a downer in the middle, but it picked right up at the end with exciting top of the castle swashbuckling! You could see them having a fun time making this, and Welles even said so, that this was the most fun he ever had making a movie. And for me that was contagious.

Not even Tamiroff and Welles - a potent creative duo - could make this interesting for more than a moment or so. Apparently Welles spent more time undermining Ratoff than focusing on his acting (he was there purely for the pay cheque), but he's still the highlight of the film. You're better off watching just those Wellesian moments than the whole film. Or even better watch Bergman's 'The Magician'.

I loved this. Welles chews all the meat off this ham right down to the bone, obviously relishing the chance to delve deep into magic and superstition and lies and corruption of power (all subjects he clearly enjoyed exploring). Welles' very presence may be a kind of misdirection in itself - it's commanding, so commanding in fact, that it distracts from the horror of a woman possessed against her will for the near entirety of a film.

Great performances for such a drab production. Seems like a waste

Welles carries it

Legend has it that Welles directed some of the scenes, and here and there some of his touches are recognizable. But for the most part, alas, the direction is far too pedestrian to be Welles (Welles could have made that final courtroom scene a LOT more interesting). On the other hand, Welles the actor is the reason to see this...that, and Dumas' fantastic, fictionalized tale of the life of the occultist Cagliostro. Luckily, Welles is rarely absent from the screen once he appears. Huge fun.

i didnt know anything of cagliostro so i imagined a movie with welles playing some conniving hypno-sorceror was going to be a guaranteed hit. instead i got the driest period drama i've watched in quite some time. everyone but welles seems to be determined to give their most bland performance. even welles can't bring his typical grandiosity into a script with no life in it.