Latest news with #Grossberg
Otago Daily Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
The search for Orson Welles' missing masterpiece
In 1942 Orson Welles was the biggest name in Hollywood. His masterpiece Citizen Kane came out in 1941, and he had an unheard-of deal with studio RKO giving him final cut creative control. Citizen Kane however was not a great commercial success, and for his next project The Magnificent Ambersons , RKO clipped Welles' creative wings, eventually taking his cut and "mutilating it," Josh Grossberg told RNZ's Culture 101 . The studio took his cut and removed almost an hour of footage, including changing and re-shooting the ending. Welles' original cut of The Magnificent Ambersons is considered one of the great lost films, and it's long been thought a copy may still exist. Grossberg documents his quest to find it in a new documentary, The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons . Welles was in Brazil working on a government film project when the RKO got its hands on his cut, and audience screenings did not go well, Grossberg said. "Welles was out of the loop at this point, and try as he might, cabling editing suggestions left and right, those were ignored, and RKO cut the footage down and held another test screening. "And subsequent to that, they released the film in an 88-minute form. They completely re-shot the ending and what was considered by those who saw the original version to be a masterpiece that even excelled the level of artistry in Citizen Kane , ended up being essentially mutilated." RKO ordered Welles' print be destroyed but there are no first-hand accounts of that happening, he said. "There's no tangible evidence, no accounts that someone saw the actual print being destroyed. There was documentation that RKO ordered the print destroyed, but there is no official confirmation that it actually was destroyed. "So, this print's essentially missing. It's gone into the ether. And my thought was, well, if we can find it in the world, in the words of the great, late director William Friedkin, it would be like finding the holy grail of cinema." The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons funded by Turner Classic Movies follows Grossberg's travels around the globe searching to for the 43 minutes that the studio hacked from Welles' original. The journey ends in Brazil where Welles' had been working at the time. "I think this is a story that needs to be told. People need to understand what the original version of Ambersons entailed, because the studio did Orson Welles a great disservice in cutting it," he said. The documentary is more broadly about the preservation of cinematic cultural heritage, he said. "So many of our films are being lost to time. So, I think it's important to emphasise how do we save our cultural heritage in cinema." As to whether he finds the missing print, wait and see, he said. "Will I find the print? Will they turn up any evidence or any footage or any stills? And we're going to answer that question in the documentary. "I can't talk about that now, but you're definitely going to have some answers as to the fate of the print."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Another primary challenger hopes to unseat embattled Louisville Democrat
The Kentucky Capitol. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) Embattled Louisville Democrat Rep. Daniel Grossberg has gained a second primary challenger for his seat in the state legislature. Cassie Lyles, a high school teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools, announced her candidacy for the 30th House District Tuesday. The primary will be held in May 2026. 'For years, I've been in the classroom, on the front lines, shaping young minds and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed,' Lyles said in a press release. 'Now, it's time to take that passion to a broader level. Teachers see first-hand how the decisions made in Frankfort affect Kentucky's kids and families. Everything affecting our communities walks into our classrooms as well. We need more educators in office, and I am ready to step up.' Lyles kicked off her campaign during a Tuesday event at the Jefferson County Teachers Association office where she was introduced by Kentucky AFL-CIO President Dustin Reinstedler and former U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth. Lyles aims to make 'future of public education, workers rights, the needs of her community' a focus of her campaign. In December, Max Morley, who has worked as a teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools and is a Democratic political adviser, announced his candidacy for the primary election. Grossberg faced no opponent in the 2024 general election after narrowly winning his primary. However, prominent Kentucky Democrats, including Gov. Andy Beshear and House Democratic Caucus members, said Grossberg should resign following Lexington Herald-Leader investigations that detailed allegations of inappropriate behavior from Grossberg, including receiving a lifetime ban from a Louisville strip club after inappropriately touching a dancer and instances of alleged sexual harassment toward women in Kentucky politics. The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission has opened investigations into allegations against Grossberg. Grossberg has repeatedly denied the allegations and vowed to remain in office. The 30th House District includes central parts of Jefferson County.
