For this post, I decided to write on the Carringer chapter entitled, Heart of Darkness. I chose this one because I thought the events leading up to the making of Citizen Kane are of particular interest because, in essence, one of the most popular films in movie history was only a result of some extreme extenuating circumstances. Let's backtrack a bit: RKO studio head George Schaefer approaches Welles and gets him to agree to sign a contract to start production on the film (Heart of Darkness) the summer of 1939. The contract entitled Welles to a whole lot of leeway concerning his degree of control of the film- something unheard of for the time. Schaefer, however, had other plans in mind-- he did not want to disrupt the creative vision of his director.
"To get him (Welles), Schaefer violated one of the most sacred canons of the industry. In granting Welles the right of final cut, he allowed creative considerations to take priority over the studio's means of protecting its financial investment."
What was so interesting to me was how much Scheafer believed in Welles when no one else did. While the team worked tirelessly on production, they were receiving complete bombardments of criticism and "lack of confidence" votes from critics and other industry officials alike. When Welles's budget outlook turned out to be more than double the terms as outlined in his contract, coupled with the fact that RKO was in the middle of a financial crisis, Heart of Darkness took a backseat. It was during this stressful period and time of urgency for Welles and Schaefer that the birth of Citizen Kane could be formulated. I guess this classic film is proof that the best ideas often come from the most perplexing of times.
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I found this chapter extremely interesting as well. When watching a movie, most people do not consider where the idea came from, or how it came into being. Schaefer's continued belief in Welles seems to have been the only part of the circumstances that led Welles to create Citizen Kane.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of this chapter I cound interesting was that Welles' desire to stay so true to the novel of Heart of Darkness was what had made it fall apart. People usually say that the book is always better than the film, but when reading this chapter, it is explained why. Welles may have been able to create an amazing film version of Heart of Darkness had he been willing to find new creative ways to depict the story. At the same time, his failure to make Heart of Darkness is what led to the creation of Citizen Kane, which captured the attention of everyone who saw it, whether they like it or not as an amazing film and piece of art.
Great ideas really do come at the most unexpected moments which is clearly reflected in Citizen Kane.