Orson Welles Narrates an Animation of Plato’s Cave Allegory

in Philosophy | July 19th, 2011

In 1973, Orson Welles narrated this animated short, which features somewhat surreal artwork by Dick Oden. You can see more of Oden’s work here.

The Allegory of the Cave illustrates Plato’s view of knowledge as presented in Book VII of The Republic: in ordinary experience, we see only shadows of the true world, which we can only behold by pursuing rigorous philosophical analysis.

This is not the only time “The Cave” has been set to film in some form. Open Culture readers may recall this brilliant version done with claymation. Gluttons for punishment may wish to peruse this collection of 20 YouTube versions at PartiallyExaminedLife.com, many of them frightfully amateurish and some of them presenting a warped and/or incomprehensible version of the story.

If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here.

If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, Venmo (@openculture) and Crypto. Thanks!

Related Content:

Freedom River: A Parable Told by Orson Welles

Orson Welles Reads Moby Dick

Free Philosophy Courses

Mark Linsenmayer runs the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast and blog, which recently released an episode discussing Plato’s Republic.

by | Permalink | Make a Comment ( 4 ) |

The War of the Worlds: Orson Welles’ 1938 Radio Drama That Petrified a Nation

in Radio, Sci Fi, Theatre | December 15th, 2009

Back in the late 1930s, Orson Welles launched The Mercury Theatre on the Air, a radio program dedicated to bringing dramatic, theatrical productions to the American airwaves. The show had a fairly short run. It lasted from 1938 to 1941. But it made its mark. During these few years, The Mercury Theatre aired The War of the Worlds, an episode narrated by Welles himself that led many Americans to believe their country was under Martian attack. The legendary production was based on H.G. Wells’ early sci-fi novel, also called The War of the Worlds, and you can listen to the classic radio production here, or above.

The Mercury Theatre also adapted a series of other major novels, including Dracula, Treasure Island, and The Count of Monte Cristo. And then there’s Dickens. In 1938 and 1939, The Mercury Theatre produced two versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In the 1938 version (get mp3), Welles played the role of Scrooge. The 1939 version (mp3) features Lionel Barrymore (yup, the granduncle of Drew Barrymore) playing the same role. You can listen to these shows and others at this web site dedicated to The Mercury Theatre on the Air.

Related Content:

Orson Welles Meets H.G. Wells in 1940: The Legends Discuss War of the Worlds, Citizen Kane, and WWII

The Dead Authors Podcast: H.G. Wells Comically Revives Literary Greats with His Time Machine

Orson Welles Explains Why Ignorance Was the Genius Behind Citizen Kane

Various films directed by (or starring) Orson Welles can be found in our collection of Free Movies Online.

by | Permalink | Make a Comment ( 3 ) |

Quantcast
Open Culture was founded by Dan Colman.