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.

The Battle Over Citizen Kane

In 1995, Michael Epstein and Thomas Lennons' acclaimed documentary, The Battle Over Citizen Kane was aired on the PBS series, The American Experience. Narrated by Paul Winfield, it chronicled the lives of Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst and the furor caused by Citizen Kane. It was later packaged as a bonus disc with the Citizen Kane DVD, which features audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert and director Peter Bogdanovich. In part, the documentary inspired the 1999 HBO biopic, RKO 281, starring Liev Schreiber as Welles, James Cromwell as Hearst, Melanie Griffith as Marion Davies, John Malkovich as Herman Mankiewicz, and Roy Scheider as RKO boss George Schaefer.

Related Topics:
PBS - Paul Winfield - Roger Ebert - Peter Bogdanovich - HBO - RKO 281 - RKO

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~