Thanks, Rick. I didn't read your reply about
Mildred Pierce because I haven't seen it yet -- thanks for the spoiler alert! I know it's based on a novel by noir icon James Cain, but with a name like "Mildred" I used to assume it was a ladies' weeper rather than a noir.
As for Welles, I got his
Chimes At Midnight at the
previous Criterion sale ...

... and was so deeply impressed by him in it. Even though I can't hear, it was apparent to me that he had the gift of making Shakespeare's archaic English poetry sound like a real person conversing. Try watching it with the sound off and just compare the visual speaking of Welles versus Gielguid, who is also pretty adept at making Shakespeare conversational but nothing like Welles's presentation. Seriously, try it someday: I think a lot of viewers will find it an interesting experience.
At the next sale, I'll be picking up a few of Criterion's Welles films including the upcoming
Othello. Wish they would tackle
The Trial. Somebody out there has released a double-bill DVD of
The Trial and
The Stranger but without captioning.
Jim