The Film that Broke Orson Welles' Heart

The image of a bloated, aggravated Orson Welles shackled by stock and reel works on as many levels as some of the director's most classic films. The illustration was an accompaniment to a story of how Orson Welles was broken, first as an artist, and ultimately, as a director. The hands bound by film signify his producer-forced exclusion from the editing process of his 1955 movie 'Mr. Arkadin' because of his perfectionism and slow pace. Without his hands, the fundamental tools of the artist, Welles is unable to work, unable to create. The illustration ballooning Welles up like a cartoonish perfect circle, with furrowed brow and a gruff demeanour, shows the director, another tortured artist.