Hearts of Age

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The Hearts of Age
Directed by Orson Welles
William Vance
Written by Orson Welles
Starring Orson Welles
Virginia Nicholson
William Vance
Paul Edgerton
Running time 8 min
Language Silent
IMDb profile

The Hearts of Age is the first film made by Orson Welles. The film is an eight-minute short, which he co-directed with William Vance in 1934. The film stars Welles' first wife, Virginia Nicholson, as well as Welles himself. He made the film while attending the Todd School for Boys, in Woodstock, Illinois, at the age of 19. The plot is a series of images loosely tied together, and is arguably influenced by surrealism. This once rare film is easily seen today thanks to DVD extras and sites such as You Tube. Many point to it as an important precursor to Welles' first Hollywood film, Citizen Kane. Welles and Vance were college friends. The latter's only other film on record is another student short - an adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1932.

[edit] Cast

  • Orson Welles Death
  • Virginia Nicholson Old woman/Keystone Kop
  • William Vance Indian in blanket
  • Paul Edgerton Bell-ringer in blackface

[edit] External links

The film is available on Google Videoand can be viewed at this location.