Anna Daniels
Citizen Kane is the granddaddy of all movies that angered people prior to release. Sure, today, it’s often listed as one of the best films — if not the best film — ever made. When it hit theaters, however, it was a financial failure. That’s because before the movie was even released, filmmaker Orson Welles had angered a dangerous foe, a newspaper magnate named William Randolph Hearst. And like many before him, Welles learned the risks of fighting opponents who buy ink by the barrel.
The film’s titular character of Charles Foster Kane was a composite of several people, including Hearst. The biographical similarities between Kane and Hearst were striking, but the grievance went beyond that. A long held rumor in Hollywood is that “rosebud” — the key phrase in the movie — referenced intimate information about Hearst’s mistress. In other words, there were a whole lot of parallels between the two businessmen, and when word got out at a press screening that the movie was based on Hearst and portrayed him unfavorably, a press war was born.
Welles and his forthcoming movie were attacked from all fronts by the Hearst media empire. Mentions of the film were banned from any Hearst publication, and Hearst’s lackeys tried to smear Welles and undermine his credibility. The studio and exhibitors were threatened with lawsuits, and the planned premiere at Radio City Music Hall was cancelled after the venue was threatened with a total press blackout.
In the long run, Welles won. These days, Hearst is remembered more for his temper tantrum over the film than his time running newspapers. In the short term, though, Hearst won. The movie flopped and permanently tanked Welles’ career in America at age 26. It wasn’t until years later that people truly realized Welles made something special.
Written by: Looper
