The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth

1958 · 27 min · ★ 6.2 · TV Movie, Drama

A darkly comic fable about vanity and desire, "The Fountain of Youth" follows a newly married couple whose relationship is destabilized by the arrival of a potion that promises centuries of youth and beauty—but in a quantity sufficient for only one person. As temptation and resentment grow, the gift becomes a catalyst for moral and emotional collapse. Written, directed, and narrated by Orson Welles and based on John Collier’s short story “Youth from Vienna,” the film uses stylized narration and experimental visual techniques to construct a compact essay on human vanity. (Note: Originally produced in 1956 as a television pilot and broadcast once in 1958 as part of NBC’s Colgate Theatre anthology series (S1E5); it later achieved independent archival and cultural status, including a 1958 Peabody Award.)

Directed by Orson Welles · Written by Orson Welles

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Cast

Marjorie Bennett journalist
Madge Blake journalist
Billy House Albert Morgan
Rick Jason Alan Brody
Nancy Kulp Stella Morgan
Joi Lansing Carolyn Coates
Dan Tobin Humphrey Baxter
Orson Welles the narrator

Make it a double feature

2h 18m together

The Fountain of Youth

Touch of Evil

Both from Orson Welles.

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