The Deep (Orson Welles film)
Encyclopedia
The Deep is an unfinished film
directed by Orson Welles
and based on the novel Dead Calm
by Charles Williams
, which would later be adapted into the film of the same title
. Welles produced and wrote the film, and also played the role of Russ Brewer opposite Jeanne Moreau
and Laurence Harvey
.
Welles worked on the film from 1966 to 1969. The film is incomplete; several major scenes were never shot, and portions of the soundtrack remain unrecorded. The original negative has been lost and the film exists in two work prints, one in color (the way the film was intended to be shown) and the other in black and white.
The film was shot off the coast of Yugoslavia
between 1966 and 1969. It was photographed in color by Belgian cinematographer
Willy Kurant, who also shot The Immortal Story
for Welles. The production was plagued by financial and technical problems. As work on the film became more sporadic and difficult, Welles became more withdrawn. Amongst the unshot scenes was an explosion that would have formed the climax of the film.
Though the production was deeply troubled, many of the people involved have spoken highly of the film, including lead Jeanne Moreau
, who in 2000 looked back on the film as "a fantastic experience" and noting that "the only disastrous thing was that later on, the film disappeared." Welles struggled to finish the film after production effectively halted in 1969. He edited trailers and short scenes to help secure financing and at one point contacted Charlton Heston
about recording voice-over narration
.
In 1973, lead Laurence Harvey
died, effectively ending any hope for Welles of finishing the picture.
Because production had never finished, the film never entered post-production
, and therefore the surviving versions of the film feature no music and use rough audio which Welles planned on re-dubbing
later. Welles even dubbed in some of the actor's lines himself while editing the film, and this can be heard in the current version. There are plans to "complete" the film using subtitles or intertitles to replace or explain the missing scenes.
Footage from The Deep is included in the 1995 documentary Orson Welles: One-Man Band, which is included as a bonus on the DVD release of Welles' mockumentary
F for Fake
.
Unfinished work
An unfinished work is creative work that has not been finished. Its creator may have chosen never to finish it or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances outside of their control such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have...
directed by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and based on the novel Dead Calm
Dead Calm
Dead Calm is a 1963 novel by Charles F. Williams, which was the basis for the unreleased film The Deep and the later film Dead Calm .- Plot :...
by Charles Williams
Charles Williams (U.S. author)
Charles Williams was an American writer of hardboiled crime fiction. He is regarded by critics as one of the finest suspense novelists of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1951 debut, the pulp paperback novel Hill Girl, sold over a million copies...
, which would later be adapted into the film of the same title
Dead Calm (film)
Dead Calm is a 1989 thriller film starring Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane. It was based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Williams...
. Welles produced and wrote the film, and also played the role of Russ Brewer opposite Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
and Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
.
Welles worked on the film from 1966 to 1969. The film is incomplete; several major scenes were never shot, and portions of the soundtrack remain unrecorded. The original negative has been lost and the film exists in two work prints, one in color (the way the film was intended to be shown) and the other in black and white.
Production
Welles intended the film as a less personal, more commercially-viable project, saying of The Deep: "My hope is that it won’t be an art-house movie. I hope it’s the kind of movie I enjoy seeing myself. I felt it was high time to show that we could make some money."The film was shot off the coast of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
between 1966 and 1969. It was photographed in color by Belgian cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Willy Kurant, who also shot The Immortal Story
The Immortal Story
The Immortal Story is a 1968 French film directed by Orson Welles and starring Jeanne Moreau. The film was originally broadcast on French television and was later released in theaters. It was based on a short story by the Danish writer Karen Blixen...
for Welles. The production was plagued by financial and technical problems. As work on the film became more sporadic and difficult, Welles became more withdrawn. Amongst the unshot scenes was an explosion that would have formed the climax of the film.
Though the production was deeply troubled, many of the people involved have spoken highly of the film, including lead Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
, who in 2000 looked back on the film as "a fantastic experience" and noting that "the only disastrous thing was that later on, the film disappeared." Welles struggled to finish the film after production effectively halted in 1969. He edited trailers and short scenes to help secure financing and at one point contacted Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
about recording voice-over narration
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
.
In 1973, lead Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
died, effectively ending any hope for Welles of finishing the picture.
Existing versions
Because the original negative has been lost, the only versions of the film that exist are two work prints, one in color and the other in black and white. The Munich Film Museum later created a version using these elements.Because production had never finished, the film never entered post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
, and therefore the surviving versions of the film feature no music and use rough audio which Welles planned on re-dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
later. Welles even dubbed in some of the actor's lines himself while editing the film, and this can be heard in the current version. There are plans to "complete" the film using subtitles or intertitles to replace or explain the missing scenes.
Footage from The Deep is included in the 1995 documentary Orson Welles: One-Man Band, which is included as a bonus on the DVD release of Welles' mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
F for Fake
F for Fake
F for Fake is the last major film completed by Orson Welles, who directed, co-wrote, and starred in the film. Initially released in 1974, it focuses on Elmyr de Hory's recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory's story serves as the backdrop for a fast-paced, meandering...
.