Tue Feb 14, 2012 8:24 pm
I liked this film right up until the ending when Welles replaced the kid in the part. That just didn't work for me, and it made Welles look unfairly petty in a way even his egomanaical self wouldn't have likely been. And once the show opened, there was no point, and you don't mess with a hit. Welles didn't fire the real-life Arthur Andersen who was acting in JULIUS CAESAR at the time when he actually let off the fire sprinklers in the theater. I think it would have left a less sour taste in my mouth if the kid had done the run,realized the theater wasn't for him, and called it a day.
Then again, the kid did try to hold the show hostage, and one should never give in to blackmailers.
RICHARD M ROBERTS