The Immortal Story (1968)

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Karen Blixen (novel)
Orson Welles (writer)

Release Date:

18 September 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The Portuguese colony of Macao in the 19th century. Mr. Clay is a very rich merchant and the subject of town gossip...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Legend | Melancholy | Metaphysical | Cult Director

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Jeanne Moreau	...	Virginie Ducrot
Orson Welles	...	Mr. Charles Clay
Roger Coggio	...	Elishama Levinsky
Norman Eshley	...	Paul, the sailor

Also Known As:

Une histoire immortelle (France)

Runtime:

58 min | USA:62 min (TCM print) | France:47 min (alternate version)

Country:

France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Chinchón, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Albina Productions S.a.r.l.

Trivia:

Welles originally planned for The Immortal Story to be made as part of an anthology of adaptations of stories by Dinesen. Originally made for French TV, later released in theatres. At the current time, unavailable in any form in the American home video market.

Quotes:

Elishama Levinsky: [holding shell to ear] I have heard it before... long ago... but where?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Brunnen (2005)

Soundtrack:

Gnossienne No.1

Rarely seen Welles film is not a commercial piece of film-making...

Having said that, it's strictly an art piece about a bankrupt merchant (ORSON WELLES) who for some unknown reason wants to turn a myth into reality by hiring two people to play out the theme of a story the townspeople have turned into a myth.

The setting is Macao, China and the slow moving tale is narrated by Welles as Mr. Clay, a bitter old man with a faithful servant/assistant. Welles, by this time in his career, had deteriorated physically to the point where some of his dialog is hard to understand since he barely moves his mouth when he speaks.

He pays his assistant to locate a woman and a sailor who can reenact the tale inside his own palatial house. JEANNE MOREAU is the young woman who agrees to play her part in "the comedy" after being assured that she will be paid handsomely for her contribution to making the old man's story come to life. Moreau talks and talks to the assistant about her background in this very literary tale where there is so little movement to propel the story forward.

Mr. Clay himself chooses the sailor, a tattered looking blond whom he invites to his home with the promise of five guineas. And he talks and talks and talks. "It's hard on you being so old and dry," the sailor tells Welles. And indeed, Welles, as Mr. Clay, does look old and dry beyond his seventy years. But Mr. Clay is intent on making a tale that has been invented really happen.

Handsomely photographed in subdued color, it's a very enigmatic tale that really doesn't make much sense when it's all over. Chalk it up to another pretentious bore from Welles, who based his screenplay on a novel by Isak Dinesen (author of "Out of Africa").

Summing up: A misfire and enigma that Welles originally planned as part of an anthology of stories.