The Deep (partially found unfinished Orson Welles film; 1966-1969)

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A still from the film.

Status: Unfinished

The Deep (aka Dead Reckoning) is an unfinished thriller film written and directed by Orson Welles from 1966 to 1969, based on the novel Dead Calm by Charles Williams. It starred Welles along with Lawrence Harvey, Jeanne Moreau, Oja Kodar and Micheal Bryant. The film was about a newlywed couple on their yacht who encounter a stranded boat and a man aboard who claims to be the only survivor of a tragedy. Upon inspecting the ship, the husband discovers a man living below deck. He then finds that the first man from the boat is absconding with his wife and yacht.

Shooting for the film was met with many challenges, including the weather and an early departure for one of the actors. As with most of his personal projects, Welles quickly ran out of money and could only continue shooting as more finances came in. However, as Welles struggled to finish the movie with several large scenes remaining to be shot, lead actor Lawrence Harvey died in 1973, effectively ending any chances of the film being finished.

The original negative has been lost, and the only thing that exists of the film are two workprints, but neither have seen a public release. Although there are plans to finish the film with intertitles filling in the missing scenes, the only footage that has surfaced so far is a trailer shown in a documentary about Welles' unfinished works, seen below.

Surviving Footage

Footage from The Deep from One Man Brand documentary about Welles' unfinished films.