How did audiences feel about Citizen Kane when it was released in 1941?

A preview of Citizen Kane in early February 1941 had drawn almost universally favorable reviews from critics. However, one viewer, the leading Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, was incensed by the film and Welles’ portrayal of its protagonist, Charles Foster Kane.

How did Hollywood gossip columnists Louella Parsons react to seeing a preview of Citizen Kane?

After the gossip columnist alerted the Hearst organization, Louella Parsons, Hopper’s rival for The Los Angeles Examiner, viewed the dailies for “Citizen Kane.” She was outraged by its storyline and thought the movie was about her boss.

What were William Randolph Hearst last words?

After being in poor health for a few years, Hearst died of a heart attack on August 14, 1951, and was buried in the Hearst family mausoleum at Cypress Lawn in Colma, California. Were his last words as famous as Charles Foster Kane’s utterance of “Rosebud”?

Why is Citizen Kane so praised?

For many critics and film fans, Citizen Kane can lay claim to the title of the greatest movie ever made precisely because, even if only in the form of in-camera effects and a wealthy, lonely anti-villain, Welles’ movie even influenced the direction of Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated movie, 2017’s Paddington 2.

Is Citizen Kane a true story?

The protagonist of Citizen Kane is said to have been based on real-life magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst was an American newspaper publisher who built up the nation’s largest newspaper chain and whose methods significantly influenced the practice of American journalism.

Is Citizen Kane William Randolph Hearst?

Citizen Kane was a brutal portrait of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. When Hearst learned through Hopper of Welles’ film, he set out to protect his reputation by shutting the film down.

What was William Randolph Hearst known for?

William Randolph Hearst, (born April 29, 1863, San Francisco, California, U.S.—died August 14, 1951, Beverly Hills, California), American newspaper publisher who built up the nation’s largest newspaper chain and whose methods profoundly influenced American journalism.

Why did Kane say Rosebud when he died?

“Rosebud is the trade name of a cheap little sled on which Kane was playing on the day he was taken away from his home and his mother. In his subconscious it represented the simplicity, the comfort, above all the lack of responsibility in his home, and also it stood for his mother’s love, which Kane never lost.”

Was Citizen Kane real?

The film is commonly regarded as a fictionalized, unrelentingly hostile parody of William Randolph Hearst, in spite of Welles’s statement that “Citizen Kane is the story of a wholly fictitious character.” Film historian Don Kilbourne has pointed out that much of the film’s story is derived from aspects of Hearst’s life …

What did Rosebud mean in Citizen Kane?