Much as previous generations believe you can tell everything about a person whether or not they love The Beatles or Elvis, you can tell a lot about a film fan depending on their opinions of Citizen Kane. The film is like a lightning rod in the movie blogosphere where you’ve either seen it and love it, respect it, hate it because it’s been built up too much or don’t even care to watch it. No matter which statement best describes you, there’s no denying that Orson Welles‘ 1941 masterpiece set out what it was meant to do: spawn discussion, debate, and show film lovers everywhere just what this little medium we call movies is capable of. Now, 70 years after Kane was released in theaters, Warner Bros. is doing a frame by frame high definition restoration so they can release the film on Blu-ray September 13. Read more about the package after the jump.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the upcoming release, which is being enhanced from an original film nitrate to ensure this version of Citizen Kane is the best looking one since its initial release. Here’s Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging colorist Janet Wilson:
The work to re-create the original look of the film and to clean up the effects of aging was a painstaking, frame-by-frame process. The source for most of the picture was a 4K scan from a 1941 composite fine grain positive master.
In addition to the pristine image, the package will have a 48-page book which includes the original program, lobby cards, letters from Wells and more. The rest of the special features will be identical to the previous two-disc special edition including the Oscar-nominated documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane as well as RKO 281, an HBO movie about the making of the film starring Liev Schrieber and James Cromwell.
It sounds like, if you are already a fan of Kane, this set is a must own. If you aren’t a fan, or god-forbid haven’t seen it yet, this Blu-Ray is a chance to make amends. Is it really one of, if not the, best movies ever made? Where do you stand?
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