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Post by radovic on Dec 18, 2007 10:20:29 GMT -5
Orson Welles Statue in Split Email a friend Save article Print article Increase text size Decrease text size Orson Welles10 December 2007 Orson Welles, cast in bronze and standing two-and-a-half-metres tall, was erected this week at the entrance of the "Broadway" multiplex, "right where he belongs" as the locals in the Croatian Adriatic city of Split would say.
The statue of the iconic actor, producer and writer was created by his friend, Oja Kodar. "It happened a little hastily", she said, quoted by the Croatian daily Vecernji list. "I planned an opening in the spring, in the presence of famous guests - Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty probably would have responded to the invitation. But a week ago the owner of the complex told me that the opening would be now."
Orson Welles shot to fame with the broadcast of his radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’s science fiction novel, "The War of The Worlds" which describes an alien invasion of Earth. Designed to sound like a live news programme, the play created mass panic in the United States on October 30, 1938, ensuring instant, though controversial fame for the 23-year-old Welles.
Among his others achievements are a Hollywood Oscar for the screenplay of "Citizen Kane"(1942) and a Cannes Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) for his 1952 version of "Othello".
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Post by vinjak on Dec 19, 2007 16:57:29 GMT -5
Hehehehe well i guess it has come complete circle and goes to show the world what Knuckleheads we all are I mean cmon a Bruce lee statue,Rocky statue etc......ugh
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Post by radovic on Dec 19, 2007 18:52:32 GMT -5
Hehehehe well i guess it has come complete circle and goes to show the world what Knuckleheads we all are I mean cmon a Bruce lee statue,Rocky statue etc......ugh Actually, this statue makes perfect sense. The place is a theater. Orson Welles was a great actor. Not only that but the owner of the theater chose it. So this was not a choice made by people of elected office but a decision of a private property owner. At least this decision wasn't made/approved by elected officials like Bruce Lee & Rocky statues were. If this cinema owner wanted to buil,d a statue of sharks with giant laser beams attached to their head he should.
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Post by vinjak on Dec 19, 2007 22:11:49 GMT -5
Lmao, I have just smited you for being right hehehehe
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Post by radovic on Jan 17, 2008 20:47:41 GMT -5
Orson Welles becomes "Citizen of Split" 17/01/2008
A new sculpture honours the legendary director and actor, who had a long association with the city. By Ivo Scepanovic for Southeast European Times in Split -- 17/01/08
The statue of US actor Orson Welles in Split. [Ivo Scepanovic] A year ago, local photographer Fedja Klaric thought that a monument of Orson Welles should be erected in Split, because he had enjoyed spending time in the city and in other Dalmatian towns in the last two decades of his life. Zeljko Kerum, a local businessman and owner of the multiplex movie theatre and shopping centre, financed the project in hopes it will increase tourism and revenue.
"With the unveiling of Orson Welles' sculpture in Split's Broadarica area, Citizen Kane has become a new citizen of Split," Klaric said.
''I once visited a hotel in Vienna where a wall inscription said that Mozart almost spent a night in that hotel, but his intention had been interrupted for some reason," she explained. "That inspired me to use the opportunity to forge a link between Split and one of the greatest movie directors ever."
In the late 1960s, Orson Welles met Croatian actress and sculptor Oja Kodar, with whom he spent about 20 years, until his death in 1985. She was delighted with Klaric's idea and agreed to make the sculpture herself.
''Orson loved the tiny Mediterranean stone-built streets of Split and other Dalmatian coastal towns," Kodar said. "He enjoyed the locals and had many friends. Unfortunately, all have passed away before seeing his monument unveiled."
Welles frequently visited Split and nearby Primosten, where the couple shared a villa, Kodar said. ''Orson even supported the Split football team, Hajduk. One of the players, Geza Senauer, was his close friend, and Orson would attend the games. He found something in common with the fiery temperament of people in the Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia," she said.
Kodar' s original name was Olga Palinkas. She changed it to "Oja Kodar" because "kodar" in Croatian means "gift". Welles used to tell her that she was like a gift to him, she explained to the large audience at the unveiling of the sculpture.
Meanwhile, Klaric would like to see Welles honoured in another way. She wants a street in Split e named after him.
Welles filmed ''Process in Croatia'' and also acted in a few Croatian movies such as ''The Secret of Nicola Tesla'' and ''The Battle on Neretva''. He started but never completed a few projects in Split and on the nearby island of Hvar.
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