"Hopper/Welles" -- Movie Review

 

This week at the Virtual 58^th New York Film Festival, I streamed “Hopper/Welles”, a documentary directed by Orson Welles and starring both Welles and Dennis Hopper. 

Synopsis

Orson Welles directs an extended conversation with actor/director Dennis Hopper 

Story

In 1970, actor/director Dennis Hopper and actor/director Orson Welles were at vastly different points in their respective career.  Hopper had just come off his phenomenally successful directorial debut “Easy Rider”, while Welles was several decades removed from his hit, “Citizen Kane”.  “Easy Rider” was praised as the voice of a new generation of filmmakers; “Citizen Kane” became a classic because it was believed to have changed the vocabulary of filmmaking.  Welles, fascinated having heard about this up-and-coming cinematic genius, wanted to meet him in person.

By now, Hopper was well under way working on what would be his next effort, “The Last Movie”.  Nevertheless, he was summoned by Welles to fly to Los Angeles and visit Welles at his home.  Following their dinner, Welles has some of the other guests set up cameras and lights around Hopper and he begins filming the conversation between the two notables.  What at times seems like a chat between a pair of long-time friends occasionally comes off as more of an interrogation of Hopper by Welles.  Perhaps a ploy to see if the legend could intimidate the neophyte.

Hopper admits that regardless of any film’s outcome, just having made one is in itself an astounding accomplishment, given all of the obstacles facing filmmakers.  But the two men do not only talk about filmmaking.  Welles changes up the topics frequently, as if trying to see whether or not Hopper would swing and miss at a curveball.  Together, they cover politics, magic, popular culture and many other subjects.  Hopper consistently fascinates and even infuriates Welles with a number of his viewpoints.  These two apparently find each other to be very entertaining.   

Review

If you are a true film buff – here, defined as someone who not only watches a wide variety of movies but also appreciates film history and its place within the context of societal history – then “Hopper/Welles” is a no-brainer must-see.  Both of these icons are seen having a wide-ranging (or what some might less generously describe as rambling) conversation over the course of an evening.  That they touch on so many different subjects – one organically flowing into another – is a tribute to their awe-inspiring intellect.  It is a blessing to cinephiles that this was recorded for posterity.

Technically speaking, the film is shot in black-and-white in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, appropriate for the time; the producers who restored this recording chose (appropriately) not to try to stretch it into a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.  The lighting is as unembellished as you can possibly get:  Welles uses a combination of the natural light from a nearby fireplace along with lanterns that are strategically positioned throughout Welles’ living-room.  As far as the sound is concerned, it is varied and inconsistent; despite the fact that Hopper is heard quite clearly, one must occasionally strain to hear Welles’ end of the conversation as he is not always near a microphone, apparently. 

Parts of this documentary have a somewhat prescient quality.  For example, at one point, Hopper happens to mention that he has a love of politics and current events, adding that he loves watching the news on television so much, he wishes there was a television network that was all-news 24/7.  A decade later, he would get his wish when CNN went on the air.  Later, Welles asks Hopper if, as a filmmaker, he could have the power to change society to the point that he could start a revolution.  Hopper seems to think of it in terms of a military revolution, but Welles appears to correct him by saying he meant a political revolution, adding that the revolutions are not carried out by the military but by the poor and working class.