Dear Flynnstones,
the Mummy Man is back again. Brendan Fraser won the Academy Award for best actor yesterday at the Oscars. He gave a “Whale” of a performance in the namesake movie. Back in 2008 his then name in lights was attached to a project Errol failed to finish: William Tell .
Are some movies doomed from the start? Flynn`s “The Story of William Tell” and Orson Welles`”Don Quijote” were persued for years, but never materialized, due to mostly monetary problems. Terry Gilliam picked up the mule where OW had left off and got lost in la Mancha. Erstwhile.
The adventures of Swiss hero William Tell had already hit the movie screen in the 1930s starring Conrad Veit. Then in 1948 again, this time in Italy, Gino Cervi known from the “Don Camillo & Peppone” series took aim at the apple. In 1960 Switzerland took it up on themselves to immoviealize Will Tell on the big screen- Wilhelm Tell/Burgen in Flammen (“Castles in flammes”) was released.
In 2011 finally William Tell: The Legend 3D (alternate: Crossbow) was announced to be filmed in Altdorf and Romania. Alongside Fraser we would see Anne Paquin (“The Piano”) as his wife Hedwig, Dakota Goyo (“Real Steel”) as his son Walter and German actor Til Schweiger would become Gessler the Hat, the Austrian baddie. Nick Hurran (“Sherlock”) was to direct at first, then Eric Brevig (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”) took over the helm-et. The script came from Scott Reynolds. Tagline of the movie: Farmer. Family Man. Hero. Outlaw.
When in 2013 no arrow had been fired, Brendan sued the producer and saw himself stripped of the lead in favor of another avid archer, Hawkeye Avenger-actor Jeremy Renner. “Hunger Games” director Gary Ross wanted to end the head splitting and start splitting apples. Audiences were left hungry. Again.
Maybe with the new found pouch, ahm punch, B. Fraser will get to do W. Tell at last. A golden statue will get you things prior not available.
Even the appleshot Robin Hood missed.
Enjoy,
— shangheinz
Ralph Schiller
March 13, 2023 at 7:12 pm
Heinz, here is a postscript to Tell on film. There was a thirty-minute, British television series, “William Tell” (1958-1959) for 39 black & white episodes. Conrad Philips did splendid work as our hero Tell.
There was a second TV series about Tell, “Crossbow” (1987-1989) for two years of 72, thirty-minute color episodes starring Will Lyman as Will Tell.
A third series named “The Legend Of William Tell” (1998) lasted for just sixteen, one-hour color episodes starring Kieron Hutchison as Tell.
In the 1990’s there was a film producer drumming up money, who claimed he was going to make a feature film, “The Story Of William Tell” using the footage from Errol Flynn’s unfinished epic. He declared that he not only had the support of the Errol Flynn Estates but would shoot from a screenplay that was hand-written by Flynn himself. One could never pin down this slippery producer who quietly disappeared without a trace!
Orson Welles’ “Don Quixote” was slapped together in 1992 and released to European DVD. It was edited by Jess Franco, and this missing Welles film is dismal, long, boring and technically inferior and amateurish. Even worse, Terry Gilliam finally made his “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” which was released in 2018 by Sony Columbia. It is available on DVD and is a complete stinker making the Orson Welles version look like “Citizen Kane”!
shangheinz
March 14, 2023 at 7:41 am
Great info, Green River Ralph. Thanks!
Ralph Schiller
March 14, 2023 at 5:58 pm
Heinz, Orson Welles was always very touchy if anyone ever asked him about his “Don Quixote” and when it would come out. He would lose his temper and tell the person it was none of their business. He knew it was very bad and had no intention of letting “Don Quixote” destroy his legendary reputation. Even today, no critic has the courage to say Orson Welles’ last film as director “The Other Side Of The Wind” is a dud and a complete mess.
shangheinz
March 14, 2023 at 10:08 pm
Ralph, George (by birth) at a certain point in his life was more into expanding his waistline than finishing his films. Wizard he was he kept explaining the secret messages in movies, but mostly metaphorically speaking: www.austinfilm.org…
I think the former child prodigy was perennially disappointed that “Lady from Shanghai“ was not the success he had hoped for. “The Other Side of the Wind“ is a lot of hot air, while Oja Kodar is a heat wave.
Ralph Schiller
March 15, 2023 at 2:29 am
Detective Heinz; You are right on both counts! I saw footage of “The Deep/Dead Calm” and it looked very promising. Oja Kadar is a stunner in it.
shangheinz
March 15, 2023 at 6:31 am
[img]https://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/795BB97D-4637-4925-B175-07ABD10BA46E.jpeg[/img]
Another unfinished work of OW, right Captain Chicago? Was it the same story as the fabulous film with Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte??
On a side note of the wind Falstaff was stirring up when back in Hollywood from his Europa excursion- he met Steven Spielberg for lunch, ate a ton, told anecdotes of old and hit on SS for money, because he was planning an infallible project. He was left empty handed having to pay his own bill. Spielberg, the grand master of magic dreamworks, would later pay an equal amount as the budget Welles asked him for, at an auction for the wooden sledge of the Citizen Kane movie. Rosebutt.
Ralph Schiller
March 15, 2023 at 10:56 pm
Hollywood Heinz;
Orson Welles’ “The Deep” was also named “Dead Calm” based on the novel. by Charles Williams with the same title. It was finally made in 1989 as a good thriller “Dead Calm” starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, with Billy Zane playing a psychopath. In the Welles’ version the great Laurence Harvey plays the psycho. One day the Welles estate will put together this footage for us to enjoy. And frankly Oja Kadar looks better in the bathing suit than the future Mrs. Tom Cruise!
shangheinz
March 16, 2023 at 6:49 am
[img]https://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8E68D05A-308B-4258-92E0-3AA23D9CFB67.jpeg[/img]
Ah, I see, a mashup of “The Breaking Point“ and “Purple Noon“. If Errol had still been around we‘d probably have seen Oja on Zaca.
Ralph Schiller
March 16, 2023 at 12:46 pm
Heinz, Errol Flynn’s ghost must have stolen the blanket!
shangheinz
March 16, 2023 at 6:56 pm
Right RR. The title track, if I am not mistaken, was: “You can leave your hat on“. It was also a teaser for her next movie: m.imdb.com…