While this 43-minute documentary for French TV could easily have been pared down to 30 minutes, if they'd cut out anything that didn't involve Welles himself in conversation or Jeanne Moreau, I'm still grateful for anything that gives us more footage of Welles. He's interviewed in French, with subtitles, and is clearly fluent in the language. Moreau is shot separately in a studio reciting quotes that could be applied to Welles, including one by Sartre, followed later in the film by her own feelings about Welles and the unique nature of an actor's relationship to a director. Since she worked with so many great directors, it's something she can certainly expound on at length. In fact, I'd love to see a feature documentary compiling interview footage with her from over the decades. She's brilliant! This was made for French television to coincide with the release in France of Welles' film starring himself and Moreau, THE IMMORTAL STORY (1968), and it's included as an extra on the Criterion Blu-ray of the film. Definitely a must for Welles fans.
One thing that bothered me, though, and this is true of so many European interviewers from that time (and American critics influenced by them!), is the tendency they have to make academic statements, to which Welles can only respond in terse, monosyllabic replies. Don't make statements to show off how much you know or how smart you are, just ask questions! We're here to see Welles share his knowledge and insight, not yours. Oh well...
