''The Dreamers'' is an unfinished film project directed and produced between 1980 and 1982 by
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
. Adapted from
Karen Blixen stories, Welles co-wrote a script with his companion
Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar ( ; born Olga Palinkaš; 1941) is a Croatian actress, screenwriter and director known as Orson Welles's romantic partner during the later years of his life.
Personal life
Olga Palinkaš was born in Zagreb to a Hungarian father and a ...
and filmed a few scenes but was unable to complete the film due to financing problems.
Production history
In 1979, Welles and
Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar ( ; born Olga Palinkaš; 1941) is a Croatian actress, screenwriter and director known as Orson Welles's romantic partner during the later years of his life.
Personal life
Olga Palinkaš was born in Zagreb to a Hungarian father and a ...
, the
Croatian actress and writer who was Welles' companion in his later years, collaborated on a screenplay based on two stories from
Karen Blixen, ''The Dreamers'' and ''Echoes''.
Henry Jaglom
Henry David Jaglom (born January 26, 1938) is an English-born American actor, film director and playwright.
Life and career
Jaglom was born to a Jewish family in London, England, the son of Marie (née Stadthagen) and Simon M. Jaglom, who w ...
, the U.S. filmmaker who directed Welles in the 1971 feature ''
A Safe Place'', made inquiries to potential investors to back this project, which was originally called ''Da Capo''. Northstar Productions, a company created by filmmaker
Hal Ashby
William Hal Ashby (September 2, 1929 – December 27, 1988) was an American film director and editor associated with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking.
Before his career as a director Ashby edited films for Norman Jewison, notably ''The R ...
, provided Welles with funding to complete the script, but declined to pursue the project after reading the completed script.
[Brady, Frank. “Citizen Welles,” 1989. Charles Scribner’s Sons. ]
Welles shot 20 minutes of 35mm footage based on the screenplay, using his Hollywood home as the set for the film.
[“From the Beginning: Notes on Orson Welles' Most Personal Late Film,” Senses of Cinema]
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It remains unclear whether Welles intended the footage to be used strictly as a test reel to pique the interest of potential investors, or whether Welles planned to complete production of the screenplay. Kodar has stated that Welles was prepared to go forward with a full production after the screenplay was rejected by the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, who shot the footage, has stated Welles never intended to self-finance the film and would not have gone further on the project without outside financing.
The footage for ''The Dreamers'' consists of two segments running 10 minutes each. The first segment was shot in black-and-white and involves Welles in costume and make-up as a 19th-century Dutch-Jewish merchant who recounts the story of Pellegrina Leoni, an
diva who mysteriously disappeared after losing the ability to sing.
The second segment was shot in color and features Kodar as Pellegrina, who declares her farewell to her merchant friend while announcing that she is disappearing to seek a new anonymous life. Part of the Kodar footage was shot outdoors in the garden of Welles' home.