war of the worlds

not being employed has its benefits: no alarm clocks, no schedule, no pants. it also allows me to watch a movie while i eat lunch. usually i'll pick one from my library but since it isn't that big i've seen all the films a number of times. so today i went to the web for entertainment. inspired by the last film in my collection, "citizen kane," i searched for welles' famous radio broadcast of "war of the worlds." it's really good. from the beginning welles states that the following is a production by his mercury theater but through a series of "break-in" news bulletins and "format" changes, welles quickly confuses the listener as to the ficticious nature of the radio show. from there the production increases the tension until the climax of the attack on new york city. then the show stops for station and broadcast identification. welles clearly knew the impact this production would have for him to stop and remind everyone that the story is fiction. from there the show returns to what i guess is classic radio-play format. in one of my favorite moves welles finishes the broadcast by announcing the show was a halloween prank. i can picture him in front of the microphone then, flashing that famous grin we see in "the third man" eleven years later. other productions by orson welles include these films: "citizen kane", "touch of evil", "the trial", "lady from shanghai", "the magnificent ambersons", and "the stranger." they are all quite enjoyable.