Is Orson Welles from Hvar? Well not exactly, but he remains one of the larger-than-life foreigners whose name is indelibly linked to the island, largely because of a film which was never properly finished and which few people have seen. Welles' connections with Croatia were long-lasting and form. His partner for the last 25 years of his life was Croatian sculptor and screenwriter Oja Kodar; they had a house at Primošten on the Dalmatian coast, and the pair pursued several projects that involved shooting Adriatic locations. One of these was The Deep, Welles' adaptation of Charles Williams's novel Dead Calm, in which a couple on a yacht are spooked by a mysterious stranger. Filmed in 1967-69, it was shot in the waters around Hvar, where the cast and crew stayed for long periods. Female lead Jeanne Moreau allegedly fell in love with the place and promised to retire there, although there is no evidence of her ever going back. Moreau didn't get on that well with either Kodar or Welles, however, and the lack of harmony on set is one reason why the film was never properly finished.
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