Around the World With Orson Welles (1955) review

A five-part TV series by Welles - made for British Television - that has him traveling over Europe and talking to an American sandal maker in France, watching a bullfight in Spain and having a chat with some of the older people of England. The episode about the Basque people playing their own unique game of handball (pelota) is certainly illuminating, but the real treat is the episode about bullfighting, co-hosted by legendary British theater critic Kenneth Tynan and his wife Kathleen - since I know virtually nothing about the sport, their commentary and Welles' explanation (Welles took part in bullfighting during his youth) makes it essential viewing. The rest of the footage ranges from the awkward to the mediocre - French intellectuals like Jean Cocteau and Simone de Beauvoir are given silent cameos that last no more than a few seconds.