''The Heroine'' is an incomplete 1967 film, now lost, that was directed 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 ...

. Jean-Pierre Berthomé and Frnancois Thomas, ''Orson Welles at Work'' (Phaidon, London, 2008) pp.231, 282-3

Plot

The film was due to be a one-hour adaptation of an

Isak Dinesen Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countrie ...

story of the same name, from her collection ''Winter's Tales'' (1942). It would have starred Oja Kodar as a young French aristocratic widow during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. After being arrested by the Prussians in Sarre, she would have been allowed to proceed to France, but a Prussian officer would have offered a passport to all the French prisoners if she would come to collect hers naked.

Production

Late in 1966, Welles had filmed another one-hour Karen Blixen adaptation '' The Immortal Story'', for French television. It would not be transmitted (or released in other territories) until 1968, and while editing was still underway on the project, Welles decided to shoot one or two more Blixen stories so that they could be combined with ''The Immortal Story'' as a feature-length anthology film, and secure a theatrical release. The film was financed by London-based Hungarian producer Alexander Paal and the Hungarian state film production board, and Welles brought in cinematographer Willy Kurant, whom he would subsequently work with again on '' The Deep''. The rest of the film crew came from the Hungarian film industry. Only one day of filming took place on ''The Heroine'', on 14 April 1967, Jean-Pierre Berthomé and Frnancois Thomas, ''Orson Welles at Work'' (Phaidon, London, 2008) p.311 in the opera house of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, using arc lights for the last time in Welles' career. During that day, Welles began to have serious doubts about the technical competence of the Hungarian film crew. Additionally, he was presented with a grossly inflated bill at the end of the day's filming. Consequently, Welles covertly left the country after just one day's filming, leaving his debts unpaid. The footage has never been found, and is believed lost.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heroine, The 1960s unfinished films Films based on works by Karen Blixen Films directed by Orson Welles Films with screenplays by Orson Welles 1960s lost films Franco-Prussian War films Lost Hungarian films 1960s English-language films