Customer Reviews

The Battle Over Citizen Kane

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I've seen "Citizen Kane" dozens of times over the years, and had a general idea of who the film was really about (Hearst) and the controversy it created. After watching "The Battle Over Citizen Kane," however, I now feel that I have a much better understanding not only of the movie itself, but the full story of the two men locked in battle over it---Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst.

This documentary provides a generous amount of personal information about both men, and comments from experts in relevant fields (Hearst biographers, etc.) as well as people who knew Welles personally. If you're a fan of "Citizen Kane," this companion piece is not to be missed.

Isn't The Battle Over Citizen Kane included in the 2-disc Citizen Kane? If I'm right, why buy the doc when you get it with the movie? Sorry, but I saw Kane and Battle were paired as recommended package deal. That makes no sense to me.

I watched this documentary as part of the Citizen Kane DVD. It is good, telling about the power struggle between Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst. I also never knew before just how much Welles and Herman J. Mankewickz borrowed from Hearst's life when they wrote the Citizen Kane screenplay. But though it was supposed to be about Citizen Kane, the documentary didn't tell that much about the film itself. It was also rather slow and repetitive. How many times do I need to know that Hearst was a powerful man or that Welles was a young genius? I wanted to learn more about the movie itself. The extras were also nil, there being only a chapter selection and ads for other documentaries...

This documentary is more than just a rendition of the controversy surrounding "Citizen Kane," it is a pair of parallel biographies of the two men. (Everyone knows about the "War of the Worlds" broadcast, but how many know about his successes on stage--"Julius Caesar" on Broadway commenting darkly on the rise of fascism, or "MacBeth" set in Haiti with an all-black cast.) In the end, it poses the question of whether "Kane" is after all, as much about Welles as it is about Hearst.

Time and time again Welles tempts fate, risking disaster to create masterpieces. Star of stage and radio, film with its limitless possibilities (and Hollywood with its machinations) prove his undoing.

Watch and see how perilously close to losing arguably the greatest film ever made. Watch and see why Welles is still a legendary figure whose measure is still be taken.

This lengthy examination on the large-scale, take-no-prisoners lives of both William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles examines just how much the two personalities had in common, how their winding roads intersected, and why a high-stakes showdown was almost inevitable once the Welles parade stormed Hollywood. It's a thorough, unbiased glimpse into both men's lifestyles, triumphs, mistakes and defining moments. The documentary is a bit on the long side, but in retrospect I can't imagine which slab of material could've been sliced away. It's all integral to the big picture. Considering all that led up to it and everything that worked against it, it's something of a miracle this film ever saw the light of day. That it turned out as good as it did is nearly unimaginable.

This Doc is included in the enhanced DVD of the film. I bought both thinking that it wasn't.