The Immortal Story

Though shot for television on a low budget, this is a sumptuous experience, a fairytale-like story, taken from Isak Dinesen, of a wealthy Macao merchant (Welles) who hires a young sailor to sleep with his wife (actually also hired, since he is unmarried) to make an old legend come true. Basically, it's about the conflict between the cold-blooded realism of the merchant and a romanticism he refuses to accept; and inevitably, the myth turns upon him. Welles is his usual megalomaniacal self, and the use of deep focus, deep shadow and colour is superb. The material itself is fascinating, and Erik Satie's music is perfectly chosen.