Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


The Fountain of Youth (1956)

Director: Orson Welles

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

One of Welles' television ventures, a try-out for a possible series. A jilted professor revenges himself on his betrayers, flim-flamming them with the old 'serum of eternal youth' fantasy. Following suit, Welles aims to flim-flam the audience, deploying his engagingly urbane narration and arresting presentation (rapid cutting, caricature sets, dynamic use of projected backgrounds) to conceal the hollowness of the raw material - a misanthropic little tale (Youth from Vienna by John Collier) with an unsurprising payoff. Bustling us along in a manner reminiscent of the later F for Fake, to which this might be regarded as a sort of foreword, Welles ends up depositing us nowhere in particular. Still, unlike the majority of his mostly trivial made-for-TV oddments, this is not entirely unworthy of inclusion in the canon.

Author: BBa

Time Out Film Guide


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Ridley Scott interview

Ridley Scott interview

Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback

Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report

Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report

Dave Calhoun reports on the hits, misses and a shocking new masterpiece from Michael Haneke

Wes Anderson interview

Wes Anderson interview

Cath Clarke talks to the director of Cannes's opening film

Open-air movies in London

Open-air movies in London

Cath Clarke rounds up this summer's crop of outdoor film screenings

The 100 best French films

The 100 best French films

In honour of Cannes, we reveal the best French films of all time

Ken Loach interview

Ken Loach interview

Ken Loach talks to us about his Cannes Film Festival entry 'The Angels' Share'