Citizen Kane Overview:

Citizen Kane (1941) was a Drama - Mystery Film directed by Orson Welles and produced by Orson Welles and George Schaefer.

SYNOPSIS

Welles's greatest achievement, and a landmark of cinema history. The narrative charts the rise to power of a newspaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately leave him alone in his castlelike refuge. Every aspect of the production marked an advance in film language: the deep-focus, deeply shadowed cinematography; the discontinuous narrative (in a screenplay by Herman Mankiewicz); the innovative use of sound and score; the ensemble acting forged in the fires of Welles's Mercury Theater. Essential viewing. The laserdisc contains a second audio track with commentary by a noted film historian, and the 50th anniversary release includes the restored original movie plus the 30-minute documentary Reflections on Citizen Kane, featuring the recollections of the actors and editors along with commentary by other filmmakers.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Citizen Kane was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.

Academy Awards 1941 --- Ceremony Number 14 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorOrson WellesNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Perry Ferguson, Van Nest Polglase; Interior Decoration: Al Fields, Darrell SilveraNominated
Best CinematographyGregg TolandNominated
Best DirectorOrson WellesNominated
Best Film EditingRobert WiseNominated
Best PictureMercuryNominated
Best WritingHerman J. Mankiewicz, Orson WellesWon
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BlogHub Articles:

Book Review--Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane

By KC on Mar 8, 2017 From Classic Movies

Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane Patrick McGilligan Harper, 2015 The universally acclaimed Citizen Kane (1941) alone would have assured Orson Welles a solid place in entertainment history. That the 25 years leading up to that unique cinematic achievement were fi... Read full article


The 75th Anniversary Of CITIZEN KANE

By Dan Day Jr. on May 3, 2016 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the theatrical premier of CITIZEN KANE. I don't think I need to tell you that this is one of the most renowned and famous films of all time. Orson Welles' magnum opus remains a stunning cinematic achievement, and the title of the film itself has become a gener... Read full article


1001 Classic Movies: Citizen Kane

By Amanda Garrett on May 2, 2016 From Old Hollywood Films

Citizen Kane (1941), starring Orson Welles, is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. Each Monday, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 series and reviews of earlier films covered go here). Throughout May, I'll celebrate the 75th anniversa... Read full article


Review: Citizen Kane (1941)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 15, 2016 From 4 Star Films

“That’s all he ever wanted out of life… was love. That’s the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn’t have any to give.” – Jedediah Leyland It might seem rather trite to attempt to write anything on Citizen Kane, but as someone who can admitte... Read full article


Citizen Kane (1941) – Updated

By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 15, 2016 From 4 Star Films

“That’s all he ever wanted out of life… was love. That’s the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn’t have any to give.” – Jedediah Leyland It might seem rather trite to attempt to write anything on Citizen Kane, but as someone who can admitte... Read full article


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Quotes from

Charles Foster Kane III: Mother, is Pop governor yet?
Emily: Not yet, Junior.


Leland: That's all he ever wanted out of life... was love. That's the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn't have any to give.


Leland: Bernstein, am I a stuffed shirt? Am I a horse-faced hypocrite? Am I a New England school marm?
Bernstein: Yes. If you thought I'd answer you any differently than what Mr. Kane tells you...


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Facts about

The ice sculptures at the Inquirer party behind Mr. Bernstein are caricatures of Bernstein and Leland. The placards under them read ["Broadway Jed" Leland] and ["Mr. (Big Business) Bernstein"]. The "Broadway Jed" is certainly due to Leland being the newspaper's drama critic, and "Mr. Big Business" could be due to Bernstein being something of a manager, but no clue is given as to why "(Big Business)" appears in parentheses.
In 1971, shortly after Pauline Kael's infamous "Raising Kane" essay first appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire printed the "Kane Mutiny", an essay apparently by Peter Bogdanovich that disputed most of Kael's claims. However, the essay was actually written by Orson Welles.
After production wrapped, William Randolph Hearst forbade any advertisement of the film in any of his newspapers - or indeed any other RKO movies - and offered to buy the negative from studio head George Schaefer with a view to destroying it. Fortunately Orson Welles had already previewed the film to influential industry figures to rave reviews, so it was granted a limited theatrical release. Critics from non-Hearst newspapers fell over themselves praising the film. The film itself was not reviewed in any Hearst newspaper until the mid-1970s, when the film critic for the "Los Angeles Herald-Examiner" finally reviewed it.
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National Film Registry

Citizen Kane

Released 1941
Inducted 1989
(Sound)




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