The Citizen Kane Book

Citizen Kane's reputation as one of the greatest films of all time is matched only by the accumulation of critical commentary that surrounds it. What more can there be to say about a masterpiece so universally acknowledged? Laura Mulvey, in a fresh and original reading, illuminates the richness of the film, both thematically and stylistically, relating it to Welles's political background and its historical context. In a lucid and perceptive critique she also investigates the psychoanalytic structure that underlies the film's presentation of Kane's biography, for once taking seriously what Orson Welles himself disparagingly referred to as 'dollar-book Freud.' In her foreword to this special edition, published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the BFI Film Classics series, Laura Mulvey focuses on the film's politics, highlighting the contemporary 'rhymes' in Kane's portrayal of a scandal-prone press baron in a time of economic crisis.

Citizen Kane, widely considered the greatest film ever made, continues to fascinate critics and historians as well as filmgoers. While credit for its genius has traditionally been attributed solely to its director, Orson Welles, Carringer's pioneering study documents the shared creative achievements of Welles and his principal collaborators. The Making of Citizen Kane, copiously illustrated with rare photographs and production documents, also provides an in-depth view of the operations of the Hollywood studio system. This new edition includes a revised preface and overview of criticism, an updated chronology of the film's reception history, a reconsideration of the locus of responsibility of Welles's ill-fated The Magnificent Ambersons, and new photographs.

Originally published: London: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd, 1971.

Walking Shadows dramatically dissects the wild, high-profile battle between newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and famous young actor, director, and filmmaker Orson Welles over Welles's groundbreaking film Citizen Kane. In 1940 and 1941 it became the center of public controversy and scandal, especially in Hollywood where Welles's own stark honesty and blatant self-confidence heightened the drama. Citizen Kane portrayed the ruthless career of an all-powerful magnate bearing (not accidentally) a striking resemblance to Hearst, who immediately tried to kill the picture. John Evangelist Walsh here illuminates the conflict between these two outsize personalities and for the first time brings Hearst's vengeful anti-Kane campaign to the fore. Walsh provides thorough documentation, supplemental notes, and an extended bibliography.

A comprehensive history of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs behind the creation of one of the greatest films of all time, Citizen Kane. CITIZEN KANE: A Filmmaker's Journey is an updated and expanded softcover of Lebo's 2016 hardcover that traces the creation of Orson's Welles's classic film. This filmland history is itself a sinister tale of conspiracy, blackmail, and Coummunist witch hunts, while detailing the extraordinary rise of Welles, the legend who, at 23 years old, defied the studio system and became a Hollywood icon simply by making the greatest film of all time.

First published in 1971 by Secker and Warburg, 2002 reprint by Methuen for Sight and Sound.

Citizen Kane has generated a significant amount of critical scholarship since its release in 1941. Orson Welles' work continues to be recognized as a singular artistic achievement, and this collection of reviews, articles and essays reveal the entire history of the film - from its conception, pre-production, and previewing, to its critical reception and influence. Included in this volume are many essays by such scholars as Morris Dickstein, Bruce Kawin, Robert Carringer and Robert Wise.