“Citizen Kane” may be considered Orson Welles’ greatest film, but it wasn’t his favorite. That was “Chimes at Midnight,” released as “Falstaff” in the US, a lesser known 1965 effort that was beset with problems. Until a restored version was shown in the UK earlier this year, it hadn’t been seen in decades. Tomorrow, Bonhams will sell an archive of material related to the film, including 23 of Welles’ wash and watercolor drawings for the movie, along with his production notes. They’re expected to fetch $62,000-$94,000.
“If I wanted to get into Heaven on the basis of one movie, “Welles once said of ‘Chimes of Midnight,’ “that’s the one I’d offer up.” Many critics, who consider Welles’ performance as Falstaff in the film his finest, might agree. The archive, which offers all sorts of interesting notes on the director’s process, is being sold by the family of the film’s executive producer, Alessandro Tasca.
