Citizen Kane

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Why was Citizen Kane such a controversial movie?

I'm writing a paper about it, but I cannot come up with as many things as I thought that there would be. So I was just curious if I was overlooking something?

The main controversy had to do with William Randolf Hearst, a very rich Newspaper mogul and his hatred for the film's diguised references to his life story.

Hearing about the film enraged Hearst so much that he offered RKO Pictures $800,000 (a large sum at that time) to destroy all prints of the film and burn the negative. It is often said that Hearst was upset because the film was about him, but possibly more upset about the portrayal of Marion Davies (as singer Susan Alexander) than himself in the film.

When RKO rejected Hearst's offer to suppress the film, Hearst banned every newspaper and station in his control, from reviewing - or even mentioning - the movie. Some sources blamed the film's financial failure on Hearst. The film did OK at the box-office and went on to be the sixth highest grossing film in its year of release, but fell short of its creators' expectations.

In a pair of Arena documentaries about Welles' career produced and broadcast domestically by the BBC in 1982, Welles claimed that during opening week, a policeman approached him one night and told him: "Do not go to your hotel room tonight; Hearst has set up an undressed,underage girl to leap into your arms when you enter and a photographer to take pictures of you. Hearst is planning to publish it in all of his papers". Welles thanked the man and stayed out all night. However, it is not confirmed whether this was true.

Although Hearst's efforts to suppress it damaged the film's success, they backfired in the long run, since almost every reference of Hearst's life and career made today typically includes a reference to the film's parallel to it. The irony of Hearst's efforts is that the film is now inexorably connected to him.

I almost forgot. Many people feel that the controversey with Hearst cost Orson Welles film, potentially 3 Oscars, best picture, best director, best actor (It only won for best writing). Hearst and his mistress, actress Marion Davies were popluar in Hollywood circles and that probably affected the academy voting