Questions about Citizen Kane
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is Citizen Kane about and why is it famous?
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film directed by Orson Welles that follows reporter Jerry Thompson as he investigates the meaning of "Rosebud," the last word spoken by wealthy newspaper publisher Charles Foster Kane. The film is famous for its innovative use of deep focus cinematography, non-linear storytelling through multiple unreliable narrators, and Bernard Herrmann's score. It has topped the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound decennial poll five consecutive times from 1962 through 2002 and is frequently cited as the greatest film ever made.
Who wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane?
The official credit reads "Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles." Mankiewicz wrote the first draft based on 300 pages of notes from Welles, supervised by John Houseman. Welles wrote a parallel version in Hollywood, then condensed and restructured both drafts and added scenes of his own. Welles's assistant Richard Wilson said it was Welles who penciled Mankiewicz's name into first position on the credit form.
What does "Rosebud" mean in Citizen Kane?
"Rosebud" is the trade name printed on the sled that eight-year-old Charles Foster Kane was playing with on the day he was taken from his home in Colorado and placed in the care of banker Walter Parks Thatcher. The sled represents Kane's lost childhood. Orson Welles credited the word to Herman J. Mankiewicz, and Patrick McGilligan's 2015 biography of Welles reported that Mankiewicz said it came from a famous racehorse named Old Rosebud, on which he won a bet in the 1914 Kentucky Derby.
What contract did Orson Welles sign with RKO Pictures for Citizen Kane?
Welles signed his contract with RKO on the 21st of August, 1939. It stipulated that he would act in, direct, produce, and write two films. Mercury would receive $100,000 for the first film and $125,000 for the second, each plus 20 percent of profits after RKO recouped $500,000. Most unusually, Welles was given final cut privilege and RKO executives were not permitted to view footage until Welles chose to show it to them. Granting final cut to a first-time director was unprecedented in Hollywood.
What cinematography techniques made Citizen Kane innovative?
Cinematographer Gregg Toland introduced extended deep focus, which he called "pan-focus," allowing action to remain in sharp relief from eighteen inches to over two hundred feet from the lens simultaneously. The film also used low-angle shots that required camera boxes drilled into concrete floors, and every set was built with a ceiling, breaking studio convention. Optical effects artist Linwood G. Dunn stated that up to 80 percent of some reels was optically printed.
Who composed the music for Citizen Kane and how was it recorded?
Bernard Herrmann composed the score for Citizen Kane, his first film score. Welles insisted Herrmann be paid at the same rate as Max Steiner. Herrmann was given 12 weeks to write the music, far longer than the two or three weeks typical in Hollywood. He worked reel by reel as the film was shot, using brief musical cues of five to fifteen seconds in length, a technique he drew from radio drama.