Citizen Kane

February 8, 2016
Lebo (The Godfather Legacy) deftly pays tribute to Orson Welles’s masterpiece Citizen Kane, in this history of the film’s production and release, written just in time for its 75th anniversary. The book certainly honors Welles’s filmmaking genius, but it also goes notably in-depth on Welles’s principal collaborators. With memorable sections on, among others, cinematographer Gregg Toland; Welles’s cowriter, Herman J. Mankiewicz; and art director Perry Ferguson, Lebo illustrates just how much thought and hard work went into the film from a whole team of artists, though Welles was writer, producer, director, and star. Again and again, the emphasis is on the unprecedented level of artistic freedom given to Welles by George Schaefer, the head of RKO Radio Pictures, a move that was seen as highly risky by the Hollywood establishment. The second part of the book is dedicated to Kane’s tortured release. The author recounts the battle between RKO and publisher William Randolph Hearst, who tried to prevent the film from coming out when he saw too much of himself in the morally shaky title character. Lebo’s book is highly readable; it’s dense, lucid, and page-turning. Fans of Welles and classic Hollywood will be delighted by this comprehensive, intelligent work.

February 15, 2016
Everything you wanted to know about one of the greatest films of all time--and then some. Orson Welles (1915-1985) could read when he was 2 and discuss politics at 3, and he wrote his first play at 9--or maybe that's just a myth he started. But it's widely accepted that the first film Welles co-wrote, directed, produced, and starred in is one of the truly great films. Lebo (The Godfather Legacy, 19997, etc.) agrees, and he makes a convincing case with this fascinating, in-depth story of the film's making. Not only does he describe how the film was made, from beginning to end and afterward, but he also includes any film lover's candy: cast and production credits, a conversation with Bernard Herrmann, who did the score, a detailed scene-by-scene guide (with running times), the film's budget (actor Everett Sloane, who played Mr. Bernstein, received a $2,400 payment to shave his head), and more. After successes in radio and drama, the 25-year-old wunderkind was able to negotiate a contract with RKO to make two movies with the "most liberal creative terms ever granted to a director working within the confines of the traditional studio system." Lebo skillfully sorts through the controversy of who exactly wrote the Kane screenplay. Herman J. Mankiewicz and John Houseman began work on a screenplay loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. There were multiple drafts, with Welles editing each along the way. Commenting on the unconventional and difficult filming techniques used, cinematographer Gregg Toland said it "had to be done!" When film editor Robert Wise reviewed daily rushes, he felt they were on to "something very special." Extensive quotes from many participants add a real immediacy to the story, and Lebo splendidly chronicles all the drama, infighting, ups and downs, excitement, and genius that went into creating Welles' masterpiece. Published to coincide with the film's 75th anniversary, this book is a gold mine for fans.

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February 15, 2016

Hot on the heels of Orson Welles's centenary in 2015, we have the 75th anniversary of Citizen Kane. Numerous accounts have been published about what many consider the greatest film ever made, but the last comprehensive book devoted specifically to the film's creation was James Naremore's Orson Welles's Citizen Kane: A Casebook. In this, Lebo's second book on the film (after Citizen Kane: The Fiftieth Anniversary Album), the author gives as full a view of Kane and its origins as has ever been written. With access to "previously unpublished material," he begins with Welles's arrival in Hollywood, moves through every stage of production--featuring all of the key collaborators, of which there were many--and concludes with the eventual yet belated recognition of the production's greatness in the 1950s and its now established place in film history. Aside from this thorough study, it's Lobe's engaging writing style that is the chief feature of this volume. VERDICT Devotees of Welles or Citizen Kane will love this work, and all libraries should have it on their shelves.--Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA

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