Mr. Arkadin

Arkadin has a fascinating history and says a lot about the power of editing, but what’s really important is the film itself.  I watched Criterion’s “comprehensive version”, and won’t bother with the other versions.  It’s a good story — kind of a twisted, noir-ish version of Kane, where the identity of a powerful figure is gradually revealed through interviews and flashbacks.  There are oodles of spectacular shots.  Some of them service the story well: in one particular three-way confrontation, the framing of characters suggests shifting allegiances.  Other shots seem to be rather show-offy, and it can get tiresome seeing so many radical camera angles in succession.  Where Arkadin truly fails, however, is the casting of Robert Arden.  This is a horrible, horrible actor with zero screen presence.  The fact that he dominates the movie, especially in the beginning, makes it a chore to sit through.  By the midway point, you’ve gotten used to him and the story is picking up… but that first half is a drag (at least in the comprehensive version).  There’s obvious greatness in this film, but it’s severely hamstrung by Arden, and by Welles’s more ostentatious leanings.  Look for a brief appearance by Goldfinger himself, Gert Frobe.  Rating: 7

IMDb