Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is the first feature film directed by Orson Welles (he had directed two short films previously), and is loosely based on the lives of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the reclusive aerospace and movie mogul Howard Hughes, and the Chicago utilities magnate Samuel Insull. Welles maintained that the character is a composite of several historical individuals. Internally while it was under production, it was referred to as RKO 281. The film premiered on May 1, 1941. Endlessly discussed and dissected by critics and viewers alike, this innovative film is perhaps the most influential ever in film history.

Conflict with William Hearst

Much of Kane's life is seen by critics as a fictional parody of (or attack on) media baron William Randolph Hearst. The most notable reference to Hearst comes early in the film, as Kane (played by Welles) provides a quote that mirrors Hearst's own comment on the Spanish American War: "You provide the pictures, I'll provide the war." (An often-debated Hollywood legend says that the reference to "Rosebud" was also an attack on Hearst: allegedly, it was a nickname used by Hearst to refer to the clitoris of his mistress, Marion Davies, or to Marion Davies herself; Marion's mother was named Rose). According to Louis Pizzitola, author of Hearst Over Hollywood, "rosebud" was a nickname that a friend of Hearst's, Orrin Peck, gave to Hearst's mother, Phoebe Hearst. It was said that Phoebe was as close, or even closer, to Orrin than she was her to own son, lending a bitter-sweet element to the word's use in a film about a boy being separated from his mother's love.

Related Topics:
William Randolph Hearst - Spanish American War - Marion Davies

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On hearing about the film, Hearst offered RKO Pictures $800,000 to destroy all prints of the film and burn the negative. Although it's often said that Hearst was upset because the film was about him, one alternative theory is that Hearst was more upset about the portrayal of Davies (as talentless singer Susan Alexander) than himself in the film. Davies was a competent light comedic actress who was talked by Hearst into starring in pompous costume dramas many thought were out of her depth. Roger Ebert, in his full-length commentary of "Citizen Kane," suggested that the Alexander character had very little to do with Davies, but, rather, that it was based on the wife of another famous man upon which the Kane character was developed.

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When RKO refused Hearst's offer, Hearst was so angry that he banned every newspaper and station in his media conglomerate from reviewing or even mentioning the movie. Although these efforts damaged the film's success, they ultimately failed considering that almost every reference of Hearst's life and career made today typically includes a reference to the film's parallel to it. The irony of Hearst's efforts is that the film is now inexorably connected to him. This connection was reinforced by the publication in 1961 of W. A. Swanberg's extensive biography entitled Citizen Hearst.

Related Topics:
1961 - Biography

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