Citizen Kane : The Fiftieth-anniversary Album

by Harlan Lebo

The film Citizen Kane smashed all of Hollywood's filmmaking conventions, setting standards for visual style and storytelling that are still unmatched today. Here are rare photographs, letters, production sketches and behind-the-scenes stories from the seminal film by Orson Welles that made "Rosebud" a household word. 109 photos.

243 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1990

Reviews

[D.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came in a large box set I got more than 20 years ago, including the screenplay to Citizen Kane, a documentary about the movie & the movie itself on VHS tapes (!) and this book. I'm only just getting round to reading it.
Lebo is clearly not making any attempt at a definitive book about the film; for that, look elsewhere. What this is instead is more like one of those oversized magazine 'commemorative edition' sort of things: lots of nice photos, an attractive layout, easily readable, and just enough info to whet one's appetite for more (or make one the bane of lesser-knowledged friends). For the cost (which was as good as nothing, all things considered), this is an enjoyable read and one I'd recommend to the casually-interested Kane fan. It's probably just enough for me.

[Calvin]

An interesting history of the film, especially the time between the end of filming and the release.