Citizen Kane is a dramatic film that explores the life of famous publisher Charles Foster Kane after his death when reporters attempt to decipher what he meant by his final word, “Rosebud.” Much of the film’s success is put on the shoulders of Orson Welles, who pulled quadruple duty on the film as director, producer, co-writer of the screenplay, and star in the role of Kane.
In the 1920s, Welles became famous in the theater community directing notable performances of the political musical The Cradle Will Rock and Macbeth with a cast of all black actors. His entertainment reach extended even further in 1938 when he directed and narrated the radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds – a production so compelling that some listeners believed aliens had invaded.
Hollywood studios were persistently courting him to ditch the stage and join the movie business. Since Welles was struggling financially after a few disappointing plays he finally agreed to try his hand in film when RKO Pictures’ studio head George J. Schaefer gave him a contract with extraordinary benefits.
Welles’ contract stated that he would write, direct, produce, and act in two films. Mercury Theatre, which Welles had founded, would receive $100,000 upfront for the first film and $125,000 for the second – plus a share of the profits. But the most surprising aspect of the contract was that after RKO approved the stories for both movies, Welles was granted full artistic control over them. He was free to choose his own cast and crew and develop the story without studio interference.
As long as he stuck to the budget, Welles didn’t have to show RKO any of the footage until he was ready. They couldn’t make any cuts without Welles’ approval and he was given control over the movie’s final cut. A studio giving a director final cut approval was a shock to the film industry because it prioritized the director’s creative aesthetic over the financial investment and gain. However, Schaefer was confident in his auteur.
That gamble paid off and once Citizen Kane was released on September 5, 1941 it became a Hollywood favorite. It is still lauded 80 years later as one of the greatest films of all time.
