Like a majority of movie enthusiasts I have a lifelong admiration for Orson Welles in each of his capacities - writer, director, actor - and whilst I have been disappointed with some of the dross in which he has appeared as an actor (Ferry To Hong Kong anyone) I have reasoned that he was almost surely doing so in order to fund or finish one of his directing projects, of which even the least accomplished (Macbeth) hold some interest. On the whole I find his best directorial efforts (Chimes At Midnight, Kane, Ambersons, have a very 'European' feel which is almost a signature. Too Much Johnson on the other hand appears to be little more than a cross between an homage and a satire of the Mack Sennet school of filmmaking with the best aspects by far being the framing of the outdoor scenes in the first of the three separate segments. Welles himself appears far too fleetingly and someone has seen fit to lumber the film with a joke music track which is too intrusive by half. See it if you are a Welles completist but don't set your expectations above moderate.
Review of Too Much Johnson
