Citizen Kane (partially found colorized footage of drama film; late 1980s)

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Citizen Kane Colorized.jpg

A still from the colorized reel.

Status: Partially Found

In 1941, Orson Welles' Citizen Kane was released and received much controversy and praise, from before day one of release to even decades later. The film's story is about a reporter who deciphers Kane's dying's words; his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. The film is widely considered one of the greatest American films of all time among critics and audiences.

During the late 1980s, despite initial claims against it, Ted Turner stated that he wanted to try colorizing the film.[1]

Two companies were reported to be behind colorization of the film, One of those id Color Systems Technology Inc (CST),[2] but both of them ceased when it was revealed that one of Orson's last wishes was for Ted Turner to not "deface [his] movie with his crayons".[3] Only the final reel of the film had been colorized before the process stopped, and that entire reel has not surfaced since, Turner spokeswoman Alison Hill said;

"The tests ... are to determine whether coloring is feasible at all - whether we have the elements required to do a top-quality job"

[4] However, a few clips of the colorized footage can be seen in the 1991 BBC documentary The Complete Citizen Kane.

Gallery

The clip from The Complete Citizen Kane.

External Links

References