One Of Orson Welles’ Movies Took Nearly 50 Years To Make Before Releasing On Netflix

One Of Orson Welles’ Movies Took Nearly 50 Years To Make Before Releasing On Netflix


One of Orson Welles’ movies, The Other Side Of The Wind, took almost five decades to make before it was released on Netflix in 2018. Welles is widely considered one of the most significant filmmakers in American history, with classic titles such as The Trial, Touch of Evil, and Citizen Kane, which is often considered one of the best films ever made. While The Other Side of The Wind isn’t often considered one of Welles’ best movies, it will forever be his last.

The Other Side of the Wind was the last official directing effort made by Welles, which was largely considered unfinished until its long-awaited release in 2018. The movie was constructed mostly after Welles’ death in 1985 and consists of several instances of cinema verité style documentary footage that combines with Welles’ masterful directorial style. It was certainly Welles’ most modern film due to its release date and the fact that it was mostly shot during the 1970s.

Orson Welles Started Filming The Other Side Of The Wind In 1970, But It Didn’t Release Until 2018

Production began in 1970 and continued sporadically until 1976

The Other Side of The Wind stars John Huston, Bob Random, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg, and Oja Kodar. Welles didn’t make many movies after the late 1960s but did start production on The Other Side of The Wind in 1970. The film follows a “film-within-a-film” format that follows John Huston’s character, an aging Hollywood film director likely inspired by Welles himself. Initial production began in 1970 and continued sporadically until 1976.

Orson Welles against a backdrop of the artwork from HG Wells' The War of The Worlds Book

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Based on its subject matter mixed with its posthumous release date in 2018, The Other Side of The Wind is Welles’ most personal and melancholic “fictional” feature film. The Other Side of the Wind premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2018. and received mostly critical praise, earning a score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was eventually released on Netflix on November 2, 2018 along with a documentary on Welles titled They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead directed by Oscar winner Morgan Neville.

The Other Side Of The Wind Holds The Record For The Longest Movie Production Cycle – Why It Took So Long

It was one of Welles’ several personally funded films

Peter Bogdanovich in The Other Side of the Wind

The Other Side of The Wind never came to fruition during Welles’ filmmaking career due to a number of struggles and obstacles regarding funding, legal issues, and political complications. After production had wrapped in 1976, Welles placed the film on the back burner and worked on projects such as the 1978 documentary Filming Othello, which would be his final project before his death in 1985.

The Other Side of The Wind, which is streaming on Netflix, is one of two Welles films released posthumously along with 1992’s Don Quixote. It was one of Welles’ personally funded films, which also explains its complicated and lengthy production process.

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