Me And Orson Welles

Zac Efron continues his struggle to move away from his stereotype as the 'High School Musical' guy. Although his next film takes a bit of a step back.

Orson Welles is an amazing artist. He has achieved so much interesting work over his life in so many different mediums. It would be interesting to see what he would do with the internet if he was alive today. Having done so much it is hard to get all the stories of his life in one movie. Maybe someone could do a mini-series to cover it all. In the meantime we get these films based on small segments of his life. This is about his work in theatre and specifically his production of 'Julius Caesar' that Orson directed and starred in. The film is a fascinating look at not only how the production was put together but showing what sort of man Orson was. Considering this was an earlier chapter in his life I'm surprised he was able to get away with doing what he does. Mostly in the way he treats people. He does not come across as a terribly nice person but everyone seems to accept it. Possibly they see how talented he is. Although Zac's character Richard does see through that and stand up to Orson and his selfish ways. Aside from that it is a fascinating look at how theatrical productions are put together. Orson has assembled a very talented troupe of actors here who seem very talented to be able to put on this highly acclaimed production in such a short space of time.

This would be Zac Efron's first film that is very much removed from his work on 'High School Musical' and he does an excellent job. I think if he can do more roles like this he can become a great actor. Claire Danes gives a charming performance here. Although her character does something bad at the end you don't mind because Claire is so charming. But the real star of this film is Christian McKay. Much like the real Orson Welles, Christian gives a brilliant performance that dominates the film. He really convinces you that this is the real Orson and how he would have behaved to make people do what he wanted.

An excellent look at one of last centuries most talented artists. As well as showcasing the brilliant performance by Christian McKay.