Reviews: The Films of Orson Welles

This e-single compiles a selection of film reviews from the New York Times archives, focusing on the directing career of filmmaker Orson Welles – whose 1985 obituary is included as well. The young Welles’ feature debut, “Citizen Kane,” is still universally ranked as one of the best films ever made. But after his follow-up feature, Welles’ quickly became a director critics loved to hate, including the Times’ own Bosley Crowther, who accused him of “marring his films with sloppiness.” But Welles’ later work has since been reappraised, with Times critic Vincent Canby suggesting that his “Chimes at Midnight” might be “the greatest Shakespearean film ever made.”