Watch This: Orson Welles Discusses Greta Garbo and James Cagney

With a career as impressive as Orson Welles‘ was, he was bound to have some stories to tell. In a fascinating interview with British broadcasting legend Michael Parkinson in 1974 (the entirety of which can be viewed here), Welles shared his views on the golden age of Hollywood, specifically how it was long gone by the 1970s in his opinion. His thoughts on silver screen icons like Greta Garbo and James Cagney are so interesting because they speak not only from his own personal experience — one that saw him experience tremendous highs and crippling lows — but also due to the reverence in which Welles talks about a period that he lived through that he felt was truly unique. Whether you agree with what he has to say here or not, it’s hard to outright dismiss some of the points he raises here about the stars with which he once shone so brightly.