Great Kane sources/articles, is it the greatest?

[jett_theory]

Heya guys, doing a project on Citizen Kane's continual validity as the greatest or one of the greatest films. Currently I've got some good articles from academic source and looking through the whole Kael/Sarris thing;

and just wondering if any of you guys know of any good ones yourselves (since there is a lot out there)?

[Glenn Anders]

Dear jett...theory: Welcome to Wellesnet!

If you will go to the Wellesnet Facebook Page [http://www.wellesnet.com/?cat=21], you will find an Archive List on the righthand side. Click on "CITIZEN KANE," and you will find a wealth of articles, tips, and commentary about Orson Welles' first major theatrical film.

Glenn Anders

[Glenn Anders]

While in exile, I came across an interesting interview with Richard France, a Welles scholar who worked on THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE. France, one of George Romero's original "Living Dead," dwells on his varied career, and about half way through the hour comes up with a couple of surprising conclusions about Orson Welles, given how distorted the CITIZEN KANE documentary is. First, as we might expect, he tells us Welles did not write the original radio play for "The War of the Worlds," and he tells a story of being granted search rights to a pile of throwaway scripts at CBS, one of which turned out to be Howard Koch's own draft of the famous Mercury Production, with interlining and emendations by Koch. France carried the script off and gave it to Koch in Hollywood, who subsequently sold the manuscript at auction, according to France, for over $100,000. [The fact gives him some chagrin.] The real surprise is that France says, without a doubt, Orson Welles was responsible for the creation of CITIZEN KANE. How France's conviction was so turned around in THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE is, I suppose, in the nature of the collaborative process, which he also comments upon. Mike Teal asked me to post my discovery. Listen for yourself:

http://wfiu.indiana.edu/podcasts/audio/ ... .mp3?nopop

Glenn Anders

[mteal]

I didn't realize that that interview was from 2002. France is an interesting guy, even when he's not talking about Welles. I liked his part as the Professor in DAWN OF THE DEAD, and think he's got a great voice. He should play Welles in his own play OBEDIANTLY YOURS, ORSON WELLES sometime. Maybe he can be the first one to perform it in America. Very interesting when he says that his book THE THEATRE OF ORSON WELLES got a better reception then it deserved.