The Magnificent Orson: Welles at 100

Free film screenings this weekend at The College of St. Scholastica will highlight the work of renowned filmmaker Orson Welles to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of his birth. Screenings of three of Welles’ films will be held in Burns Wellness Commons, room 249. At 7 p.m. Friday, Nathan Carroll, associate professor of communication, theater and art, will introduce the first film in the series, “F for Fake” (1973). Welles’ last completed movie, it's a unique docu-essay about forgery, film and the art of deception. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Steve Ostovich, philosophy professor, will introduce “The Trial” (1962), an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s existential novel about a man who is placed on trial without being told why. At 7 p.m. that evening, Thomas Zelman, English professor, will introduce “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942), the story of a family of means in decline in 20th century Indianapolis. Welles’ lush adaptation of Booth Tarkington’s novel was famously re-edited by RKO. With the original footage lost to history, Welles’ follow-up to “Citizen Kane” remains a mangled masterpiece – a nostalgic critique of American values caught in cultural transition. Welles was a pop icon, world traveler, tireless idealist and cinematic visionary. These three films show off his radical filmmaking style and love for the art of cinema. Free to the public. Learn more at css.edu.  Or call 218-723-6144.