Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Citizen Kane: The Film of a Lifetime

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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see the 1941 classic, Citizen Kane, on the big screen at Chicago's historic cinematic gem, the Music Box. As part of the theater's 30th re-opening anniversary, the Music Box was showing a series of masterpieces and cult classics. I was lucky enough to get tickets for their showing of Citizen Kane, considered by many to be one of- if not the- greatest movie ever made.


Orson Welles' film pieces together recollections and remembrances of one man's life, like pieces of a puzzle. It fittingly begins with a death; and not just any death, but the death of the publishing tycoon, Charles Foster Kane. While the film opens on his deathbed, it spends the remaining 100 or so minutes, examining Kane's life and trying to answer one seemingly simple question: Who is rosebud?

"Rosebud...It will probably turn out to be a very simple thing."



The story behind the scenes of the 1941 film Citizen Kane has become the stuff of Hollywood legend, and would actually make for a pretty entertaining movie itself. From screenwriting credit feuds to the scandalous real-life basis for the character of Kane, controversy has surrounded the film since its release. However, all of these disputes aside, the making of Citizen Kane is a pretty incredible underdog story of a first-time director and his radio/stage acting troupe who came together to make one of best picture ever made.

A young Orson Welles during his famous "War of the Worlds" broadcast.. Via.
In 1934, 24 year old Orson Welles was offered the contract of a lifetime from RKO studios. A carte blanche contract allowing Welles to write, direct, produce and act in any movie of his choosing; one film a year and $150,000 per film (plus a percentage of the movies' gross). This was an unheard of agreement in Hollywood at the time. The dollar signs alone made headlines, but what was even more unbelievable was the creative freedom and power being given to a virtually amateur filmmaker. Although Welles had been in stage and radio since he was 16 (founding the Mercury Theatre at the mere age of 21), he had very little knowledge about film which makes this contract deal, and his consequential debut movie, even more astounding.

One of Welles' most famous productions at the Mercury Theatre was his modern-day interpretation of Julius Caesar. Via.
While the RKO studio head who had struck the deal with Welles had confidence in his new talent, other studio decision-makers did not have the same faith. They began to grow worried when Welles kept failing to produce a script for his first movie endeavor. Even after the script for Citizen Kane had been finalized, Welles continued to give the studio heads grey hairs and high blood pressure. Welles took complete advantage of his creative power; he never showed the script fully to the studio heads, only ever giving them bits and pieces of the story line. He refused to follow the traditional Hollywood process of showing the studio the daily film takes after each day of shooting; none of them saw the film 100% until after it was already shot and edited. And if any studio bigwigs decided to surprise Welles with a set visit, Welles had a standing agreement with the entire cast and crew;  at the first sight of an RKO employee, they were to drop everything and do anything except work on the film.

"There's only one person in the world who's going to decide what I'm going to do, and that's me."- Charles Foster Kane


Welles and writer, Herman Mankiewicz. Via.
Welles wouldn't have been anywhere, however without his co-script writer, Herman Mankiewicz. In 1940, shortly after he signed his contract with RKO, Welles partnered with Mankiewicz to write his first screenplay. Together they conceived the idea of chronicling a man's life in fragmented memories and recollections. This idea was then developed and drafted into a screenplay entitled The American. Switching back and forth from the hands of Mankiewicz and Welles, this script went through 5 different completed versions before finally becoming the Citizen Kane we know and love today. With each script edit, the character of Kane became more developed; and the more developed Kane became, the more he began to resemble a well known public figure of the time.

Kane vs. Hearst Via
William Randolph Hearst was the publishing mogul of early 20th century who built the nation's largest newspaper chain and media conglomerate. Mankiewicz, being a personal friend of Hearst's longtime mistress Marion Davies, was a frequent guest of Hearst's personal castle, San Simeon. It is strongly theorized that Mankiewicz, at Welles' request, wrote Hearst's personal stories and scandals into the script. Although most evidence suggests this theory is correct, Welles denied this for many years. Many believe that Welles based Kane off of Hearst simply for a publicity hack; a quick way to shock and get people talking about his debut film. Others believe Welles was criticizing Hearst, his life style, and his fellow business moguls. Whether his purpose was self-promotion or social commentary, it's undeniable that Welles shamelessly used Hearst's life when crafting Charles Foster Kane.

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The similarities between Hearst and Kane are so obvious, it's actually laughable that Welles tried to deny it. In the first 5 minutes of the film you learn Kane, like Hearst, is the nation's most successful newspaper publisher. Just as Hearst had San Simeon, Kane had his own lavish castle, Xanadu. During his later life, Hearst had a very public and scandalous affair with actress, Marion Davies; in Citizen Kane we see Kane woo, romance, and, in the end, stifle the shop girl-turned-opera singer, Susan Alexander. The similarities only continue to pile up from there.

The biggest kicker though, and the thing that reportedly drove Hearst over the edge, was Welles' use of the phrase "rosebud." It's the enigmatic word that Kane whispers just before his death, and is the integral mystery of the film. According Hollywood legend, "rosebud" had quite the significance in Hearst's life as well; rumors have it that it was the nickname that Hearst gave a particular part of Davies' anatomy, to put it modestly. The fact that Welles knew about this nickname, let a lone used it in his film, frustrated and enraged Hearst to no end. At the time of the film's release, all Hearst newspapers boycotted Welles' film, refusing to review or advertise it. On top of that, Hearst began to campaign around Hollywood, convincing cinema moguls to not show the film in their theater houses. He tried to sue Welles and get RKO to destroy all the existing prints of the film. I can't help but wonder how Hearst must have reacted when he found out that Welles' informant was none other than his frequent house guest, Herman Mankiewicz.

Welles and Mankiewicz meeting to discussion the Citizen Kane script. Via.
This is where the controversy and debates over the screenwriting credits begin. Because the script was being passed back and forth between Welles and Mankiewicz who were on totally different sides of the country, it has become foggy which man contributed what to the story. As Mankiewicz , was the source for all of the Hearst gossip and scandal, many question if Welles contributed anything to the script at all. According to several of Mankiewicz's friends and family, he alone wrote the script with no help from Welles. Meanwhile Welles and his supporters claim that although Mankiewicz is responsible for the initial shell of the script, Welles is the one who edited and added, making Citizen Kane what it is today. As always, every story had two sides; in the end, the two men split the screenwriting credit, much to Mankiewicz's disgruntlement. Despite the shared credit, the debate continues still today long after both Welles and Mankeiwicz's death.

"It's the greatest curse that's ever been inflicted on the human race: memory."



Love this shot. Via.
Even if Welles didn't contributed to the script as he claimed, you still cannot deny that Citizen Kane is Welles' own vision and creation. His directing is so personalize and unique, and although the story line is great, it's really the directing that makes Citizen Kane a masterpiece. His stunning camera movements and angles make the movie an aesthetic experience. Citizen Kane marks one of the first times in American cinema that the camera is actually part of the movie. In most films of the time, and even still today, you have an unobtrusive camera; the camera positioning is kept so seamless that audiences are not even be aware of it. Welles however does the complete opposite in Citizen Kane. Welles' camera is part of the storytelling in a very obvious and purposeful way. Throughout the film, the camera is flying through doors and windows; it travels up through the lofts and catwalks of the opera house; low angle shots, high angle shots. They were all strategically planned by Welles, for a specific cinematic purpose.

This short entrance sequence took hours to film, using craned cameras and set pieces that automatically dismantled.

Another signature of Welles' directing that never fails to leave me speechless, is his use of lighting. As paradoxical as it sounds, Welles' brings so much color to this black and white film. With the contrast of light and shadow, he brings a new dimension and texture to the medium of film. It has such a modern look and feel to it, that as you're watching you find yourself forgetting that this film is over 70 years old.

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I just love the lighting in this projection room scene. 


"Old age. 

It's the only disease, Mr. Thompson, 

that you don't look forward to being cured of."


One aspect of Citizen Kane that is always, unfortunately, over-looked is the acting. Citizen Kane boasts severe contrasts of youth and old age which every actor supremely accomplishes. Almost every character is shown both in flashbacks and in the contemporary time the film takes place in. This means every principle actor has to portray a drastic aging in their character. Every time I see this film, I am blown away by how authentic and believable the aging of each character is. It's a true testament to the actors' stage background, that none of them solely rely on the makeup or costumes to "age" themselves; they all adapt their voices, movements, and gestures to portray their character's old age. Character aging in film is a art that can easily cross the dangerous line of over-the-top and hokey. Yet, none of the portrayals in Citizen Kane suffer this flaw; they are all realistic and expertly executed.

Welles arriving at the premiere of Citizen Kane. Via.

"I don't think there's one word that can describe a man's life."


An interesting and incredible sad anecdote from Citizen Kane, is that Welles' ending for the character of Kane was actually self-professing. Although the Hearst-inspired Kane turns into an overweight, unhappy, and lonely old man, the end of Hearst's life was very different. He enjoyed life and his love, Davies, to the very end, dying among his loved ones. It's Welles, not Hearst, who went on to suffer career-breaking failures, a series of unhappy marriages, and extreme obesity. And, just as Kane's publishing empire came tumbling down in the film, so did Welles' Hollywood career which never did fully recover from Hearst's ire over Citizen Kane.

Orson Welles towards the end of his life. Via.

"I guess 'rosebud' is just a piece in a jigsaw puzzle...a missing piece."


Although it was a sad end for Welles, he did successfully leave his mark in cinematic history with Citizen Kane. It's a stunning film that deserves multiple viewings. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must-see. Most critics and film enthusiasts agree that Citizen Kane is an ingenious, cinematic work of art that revolutionized American film and still inspires filmmakers today.

If you've already seen it, do you think it's "the greatest movie ever made." Citizen Kane was actually just recently dethroned of that title by Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. Do you think Hitchcock's film deserved to replace Citizen Kane? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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