80 years ago and under the most adverse circumstances, Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” premiered in 1941. The hour of birth of a masterpiece.
A broken snow globe and one last, whispered word: “Rosebud!” These are the opening scenes of Orson Welles’ (1915-1985) film “Citizen Kane”, which premiered on May 1, 1941 at the Palace Theater in the heart of New York City. Nowadays the drama is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, film of all time. In 1942, at the 14th Academy Awards in the middle of World War II, it wasn’t even named the best film of the year – it became a film called “Schlagende Wetter”. But it is not the film by John Ford, which, exactly 80 years later, still knows how to surprise with its innovations.
The rich man’s poverty – that’s what it’s all about
“Citizen Kane” tells the story of Charles Foster Kane (Welles), who came from a poor background. However, the viewer gets to know him as a forbidden rich newspaper magnate, who breathes his last breath in solitude in his private castle. After the death of the multimillionaire, a journalist named Thompson is tasked with finding out what Kane’s last word might be. Was “Rosebud” the nickname of an old flame? The symbol of something that Kane, despite his wealth, could never afford?
Through Thompson’s research, viewers gradually learn how a charismatic visionary became a lonely monster that pissed off everyone he loved. And in contrast to the reporter, with the final shot of the film, the audience also learn what “Rosebud” is all about.
The story of its origins – material for a new film
It didn’t take much imagination to see who was the model for Charles Foster Kane. The triad of the character’s name alone was a pointer to the real media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. As in the case of Kane, he made a fortune from his parents’ mining business, which he used to buy his own newspaper. Like Kane, he turned it into a tabloid that made the circulation skyrocket with a lurid, more than questionable sensational style. And like Kane, he built himself a lock.
Said Hearst, 78 years old in 1941, was accordingly not very enthusiastic about the film. He tried with all his might to prevent the publication of “Citizen Kane”, each of his newspapers was strictly forbidden from even mentioning the film. And some cinemas actually refrained from showing “Citizen Kane” out of fear of being “broken” by Hearst. An attempt was even made to brand Welles as a pedophile, only to destroy his reputation and thus the film forever. But that wasn’t grown on Hearst’s crap, as Welles later revealed. “That was a lackey from one of Hearst’s local newspapers who thought he could fight his way up the favor.”
The quarrels surrounding the creation of “Citizen Kane” are so cinematic that this is exactly what happened recently. David Fincher (58) dedicated himself to the subject with the Netflix film “Mank”, which was nominated ten times for an Oscar and has received two awards. The eponymous “Mank” is Herman J. “Mank” Mankiewicz, who was largely responsible for writing “Citizen Kane”. For many years he was an employee and confidante of Hearst himself, eventually fell out with the Mughal – and wrote his personal revenge as a film script.
Hollywood prodigy
Orson Welles made film history at an age when others drop out of secondary school. The Hollywood prodigy was just 26 years old when he directed “Citizen Kane”, impersonated the leading role and co-wrote the screenplay. In addition to the narrative structure, technical tricks were considered to be groundbreaking, even if Welles played them down rather pragmatically.
As young as the cinema is, it would be “just ridiculous if you couldn’t win a few new pages from it,” says the filmmaker. And where did he get the certainty that he could do some things, even though he was repeatedly told that they were technically not possible? “Pure stupidity”, revealed Welles on the “Dick Cavett Show” in 1970. “Ignorance. There is no more powerful authority in this world.”
In contrast to some much more recent works, the film from 1941 still stands up to today’s standards. This also applies to the make-up, which was outstanding at the time, and which still believably transforms a 26-year-old into an old man.
When asked if “Citizen Kane” is really the best movie of all time, Welles replied, “Definitely not. But it will be my next one. It will make history. I just haven’t decided what it will be about yet. ” Exactly which film he was talking about in 1970, he took this secret to his grave in 1985 at the age of 70. Orson Welles’ very personal “Rosebud”, if you will …