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.

August 29, 2016
Lebo pays tribute to Orson Welles’s masterpiece Citizen Kane in this history of the film’s production and release, published just in time for its 75th anniversary. The book honors Welles’s filmmaking genius, but it also goes notably in-depth on Welles’s principal collaborators. Lebo’s detailed examination takes listeners from Welles’s success on the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast to the nuances of the Kane’s production to its complicated release, impaired by 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. Reader Zingarelli’s deep and projective voice is reminiscent of Orson Welles, which makes him a fun choice to read the audio edition. When the text quotes primary sources, he creates distinct voices that do not attempt to imitate the original speakers but are distinguished enough to guide the listener. His energetic pacing keeps Lebo’s prose lively—there is never a dull moment. A St. Martin’s/Dunne hardcover.