The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth

1958
27m
6.1

6.1/10

15 votes • View on IMDb
Overview

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.)

Status: Released

Language: EN

Watch "The Fountain of Youth"

Open in New Tab

Production Information

Production Companies
Orson Welles Enterprises Desilu Productions
Production Countries
United States of America
Spoken Languages
English

Keywords

Quick Facts

Release Date September 16, 1958
Status Released
Language EN
IMDb ID tt0166198

Cast

Marjorie Bennett
Marjorie Bennett

journalist

Madge Blake
Madge Blake

journalist

Billy House
Billy House

Albert Morgan

Rick Jason
Rick Jason

Alan Brody

Nancy Kulp
Nancy Kulp

Stella Morgan

Joi Lansing
Joi Lansing

Carolyn Coates

Dan Tobin
Dan Tobin

Humphrey Baxter

Orson Welles
Orson Welles

the narrator

Key Crew

Orson Welles
Director
John Collier
Writer
Orson Welles
Producer
Orson Welles
Writer
Desi Arnaz
Executive Producer