We Love Orson Welles
4 Tuesdays, May 5 to May 26, 2026, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Instructor: Jennifer Fleeger, Ph.D., Montclair State University
Orson Welles is often described as a genius stifled by industry. He plays an outsized role in his films’ production, yet seems impossible to pin down; his work escapes the parameters of genre and the demands of story. Throughout his career, Wisconsin’s Boy Wonder narrated stories that inspired generations of artists, yet he often had difficulty securing financing, leaving critics perplexed about his intentions and scouring fragments to piece together the man and the art. Was Welles too much for Hollywood? How can we explain the work, the remnants, and the mythology he left behind?
This course examines four films by Welles: the classics Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942); the European version of his Mr. Arkadin story, released as Confidential Report (1955), and the delightfully tricky documentary F for Fake (1973). Distinct in their source materials, funding models, and generic affiliations, each one nonetheless carries the markers and mystery of Orson Welles, which we’ll contextualize through his work on radio, stage, and screen.
We’ll discuss the director’s signature use of nonlinear narrative, long takes, angles, and lighting, but we’ll also address his creative practices, his innovative approach to the cinematic soundscape, and his interesting relationship to the truth. We might not end up with all the answers, but we’ll certainly have a greater appreciation for the enigma of Orson Welles.
$120 for members, $160 for non-members
Schedule