This is the biography of the life of actor, director, and producer Orson Welles, as he grows from childhood through the making of "Citizen Kane" and into the decline of his later years. Born in 1915, Orson Welles started his life as an awkward child, large for his age and more comfortable spending time with his mother and her friends than with other children. As he grows into young adulthood, his charisma becomes more powerful, and he starts to gather his company of actors, writers, and collaborators who will make entertainment history as the Mercury Theater Company with their radio program "War of the Worlds." He is swept up into Hollywood, where his first film "Citizen Kane" changes his life and he becomes a major star.
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However, his erratic personality creates professional and personal problems. While he tries to juggle several projects at once, his disagreements with studio heads leads to a re-cut of his film "The Magnificent Ambersons" which doesn't match his artistic intentions. This is the first big disaster for Welles in Hollywood, and he begins increasingly to travel the world doing stage and film projects elsewhere. He continues making major films, like "The Third Man" and "The Lady from Shanghai," but is always trying to set up three or four projects at a time, most notably the Don Quixote adaptation he plans and begins, which doesn't get completed. He visits Paris, London, and lives for a long time in Spain.
He never finds a healthy long-term relationship with a suitable romantic partner, although he has a failed marriage with actress and screen siren Rita Hayworth. He dies alone, of a heart attack, in 1985, and the book ends with an actual excerpt of a transcript of the Hollywood icon's final televised interview.
Best part of story, including ending:
Author Thomson keeps the story entertaining by offering vivid detail, showing a deep understanding of and interest in not just the facts of Welles' life, but the nuances of his psychology and persona, stepping into Welles' shoes at every stage of life. When you read, it's easy to forget this is a biography and not a novel.
Best scene in story:
Welles pitches his idea for "Chimes At Midnight," a movie about Shakespeare's Falstaff character, to the BBC. You can tell it's somewhat autobiographical, his interest in this particular supporting character from Shakespeare's Henry plays, who shares his own heavy weight, his wit, his brilliance, and his slightly nostalgic depression.
Opinion about the main character:
Orson Welles was full of charm and intelligence, even when he was in a difficult period of his life.
