Posted on 10/05/2018 1:17:27 AM PDT by gattaca
Citizen Kane, the 1942 drama made by Orson Welles, is frequently cited as one of the greatest movies ever made.
In the 76 years since its release, critical support for the film has gone from strength to strength, and historians of cinema have recognized its crucial importance in setting the agenda for filmmaking in the 20th century.
So why did this classic of modern cinematography fail at the box office?
The movie was the brainchild of Orson Welles, a rising star on the 1930s theater and radio scene.
According to the Guardian, by the tender age of just 22, Welles had earned a reputation as a powerful performer and innovative theatrical producer.
In particular, his radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds was an unprecedented success. In what may be considered the first “mockumentary,” The War of the Worlds convinced many listeners that a Martian invasion of Earth was actually underway.
Cinematographer Gregg Toland wanted to work with Welles for the opportunity of trying experimental camera techniques that other films did not allow.
On the back of this and several other critical successes on the stage, Welles made the move into Hollywood. He was able to negotiate for a greater degree of creative control than was typically awarded to filmmakers, and finally struck a deal with RKO Radio Pictures that gave him full reign over two movies. Welles would write, direct and perform, and would have the last word on the final cut of each film.
According to the Guardian, Welles had his heart set on an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. However, the studio bosses rejected the script, and Welles was forced to abandon his idea. He then struck upon a script that had been developed by Herman J. Mankiewicz.
The story was a mystery drama based on the character of a real-life press baron, William Randolf Hearst. Welles and Mankiewicz collaborated on a revised script, and so Citizen Kane was born.
Welles was a completely untried director, but he surrounded himself with talented, experienced people, and proved to be an exceptionally quick learner. His lack of training meant that he was more adventurous and creative than many of his peers, and the film exploded many of the conventions of mid-20th century cinematography.
Toland replied that this was ideal, saying, “I’m tired of working with people who know too much about it.” Toland and Welles pioneered many techniques and approaches to cinematography, including composite shots and unusual camera angles, which would later become Hollywood staples.
The film also broke new ground in make-up design and special effects. Welles and his team adopted experimental new techniques using latex to achieve the look of the elderly Kane.
The approaches pioneered on Citizen Kane are still in use today, and transformed the use of make-up to achieve special effects.
Citizen Kane should have been an overwhelming success. However, William Randolph Hearst, the real-life figure upon whom the movie was allegedly based, worked extremely hard to sabotage it. According to the Guardian, when Hearst heard about the movie, he was furious.
As a major press mogul, he had considerable power over the way in which Citizen Kane was covered in the media, and he launched a boycott in all of the outlets he had connections to. He even attempted to buy the film in order to ensure that it would never be released.
Welles fell ten feet while shooting the scene in which Kane shouts at the departing Boss Jim W. Gettys; his injuries required him to direct from a wheelchair for two weeks.
Citizen Kane was eventually released to critical acclaim, but Hearst’s boycott had done the trick. Many exhibitors refused to show the film, and at the box office, it was a financial catastrophe for RKO Pictures, which failed to recoup its losses.
The failure of Citizen Kane as a commercial venture was a huge embarrassment for the studio, particularly given the unprecedented amount of control that had been given to Welles.
Read another story from us: David Bowie Refused the Role of a Bond Villain for Some “Hidden” Reasons
He would never again be able to negotiate such a favorable contract with a Hollywood studio, and the perceived “failure” of the greatest movie of all time would haunt him for the rest of his career.
>>According to the Guardian, when Hearst heard about the movie, he was furious.
shades of the Kavanaugh witchhunt.
when you are attacked and smeared, you are supposed to lie back and take it.
I thought about that, too. When I saw “political sabotage” I thought about how much power the press has had for years to shape opinion. Henry Ford bought a newspaper. Most recently Jeff Bezos.
Are they trying to draw parallels between Citizen Kane and Ruin Johnson’s “last jedi”?
According to IMDB ratings, one of the Batman films is the third best film ever made.
“Rosebud” was supposedly the nickname Hearst gave to his side piece/lover’s clitoris.
Rosebud ! That flick is a masterpiece . When War of the Worlds went on I was listening to I think it was The Lone Ranger my BFF school chum Eddie Nickols was running out on Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood Morgan street along with others looking for those Martian space saucers.
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Because it's not the Greatest Film Ever Made?
I've watched it two times straight through and watched segments of it perhaps three other times.
It's a visually interesting film with good actors, but the story is a standard Hollywood cliché - a tormented rapacious rich man tries to buy respect and happiness, but fails.
Bottom Line for me - you can't make a great film if the audience doesn't care what happens to the main characters.
Hearst’s lover was actress Marion Davies.
Wow, you have great courage to post that here. I happen to agree with you. I can hardly stand to watch Kane.
My personal favorite is Doctor Zhivago. It speaks to every issue we are encountering today.
Agree Dr Zhivago should be mandatory viewing to graduate High School.
Surely, you jest. First off, it’s Russian. Second, it’s old (anything more than 29 years old). Third, it’s too big (anything bigger than a comic book).
But it accurately portrays what happens when bolsheviks grab power.
That was Marion Davies who was a beautiful silent film star and shouldn’t be compared to the terrible opera singer portrayed in the movie. I suspect that Rosebud story is Fake News.
Agreed.
The Clintons gave the brilliant “Path to 9/11” the William Hearst treatment, and Disney first censored and then buried it.
Interesting post; thread. Thanks to all.
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