May 6th is Orson Welles' birthday. His life is one of the great and insightful case studies in the psychology of God.
To this Blogger, God is the original inspiration for the film, the INVISIBLE MAN. God is the invisible entity; we cannot see him in our lives, but just like the people in the film, we can see God’s tracks in the snow, in the lives of men. The trick is to discern which tracks are manmade and which are His. The key to our understanding of the universe is that He does leave tracks.
The following case study helps us define the nomenclature of the Invisible God leaving visible tracks in the snow: the fall of Orson Welles.
ORSON WELLES.
This Blogger suggests one read the Orson Welles biography written by Simon Callow (the actor who was the subject of the Funeral in FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL).
It seems Welles was unbelievably lucky until a certain point in his life, almost anointed. His upbeat fate included the stage success of the Mercury Theater, the radio phenomenon of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast, bullfighting, the acting success at the Abbey Theater in Dublin, and at 26, film success, having the power of final cut on CITIZEN KANE, arguably the greatest film ever made.
Then there was a certain point at which Welles became unbelievably unlucky.
That tipping point, between good luck and bad luck, between being anointed and cast down, between being the anointed King Saul and the defrocked King Saul seems to have occurred during Welles’ trip to Brazil during World War II.
The future Vice President of America, Nelson Rockefeller sent Welles to Brazil, which was wavering in its support for America during World War II. He was supposed to enhance mutual relations by making a film in Brazil.
In Brazil, Welles went hog wild, and failed to deliver any product. Living high and wide had left Welles bereft of ideas and footage. Then the native Brazilian Indian Jacero and the jangadeiros appeared. The jangadeiros were four poor Brazilian Indians, led by Jacero, who had made a 1,500 mile journey down the Amazon River to Rio de Janiero to showcase Amer-Indian problems. It was an EPIC journey, against all odds, a first of its kind. Jacero thought that God had been with them as they had tempted fate. The jangadeiros had almost drowned in a whirlpool in Rio harbor at the end of their journey, but, according to Jacero, God had saved them.
Welles decided he would recreate the journey and film it. But since he was living the high life in Rio, Welles decided to start the filming by recreating the jangadeiros’ encounter with the whirlpool.
Jacero and the jangadeiros were frightened; they thought God would be angry if they dared his mercy again. But Welles cajoled, bribed, charmed, bullied them into doing it.
They finally gave in
The jangadeiros went back into the harbor, back near the whirlpool to test once again God’s mercy.
God was merciless; the whirlpool scooped them up, the jangadeiros drowned.
Welles alluded to that in this statement: “I was criminal because I put my actors at risk”
Welles was someone thoroughly versed in myths from all cultures, completely knowledgeable of Greek tragedies, Norse odes, Shakespeare, not to mention the Bible. Welles knew more about myth making than Joseph Campbell. Welles must have countenanced the idea that he was living a cursed life, and specifically a cursed life because of something that happened in Brazil.
Mr. Welles’ life was cursed from the minute Jacero drowned. Welles became King Saul, the one no longer anointed, the moment Jacero died for his film.
Welles NEVER had good luck again.
Welles’ protean talents raised him to challenge God, a bad career move.
Follow the tracks of the invisible God on the snow of Orson Welles’ life, before and after his artistic hubris caused the death of the Indian Jacero, and you will see the psychology of God at work.
SIDEBAR
May 6th is also Sigmund Freud's birthday; but this Blogger is a Jungian.
Orson Welles in Brazil
The jangadeiros
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