Seventy-four years after its original release, and subsequent attempted takedown by William Randolph Hearst, Citizen Kane will be shown at Hearst Castle—the San Simeon, California, former estate of the newspaper and media mogul himself—as part of a fundraiser to benefit Friends of Hearst Castle’s support of conservation and education. Directed by Orson Welles and and written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz, the film (which is widely considered to be one of the best of all time) follows the story of Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper tycoon who is eerily reminiscent of Hearst, and his rise to unthinkable levels of power.
While still disputed by the Hearst estate and family about its accuracy and similarities, Hearst’s grandson Steven recently said that “there’s no reason to not show it there to make money to maintain the assets. It’s a great movie that won all kinds of awards, and it’s an enjoyable movie. It’s not an accurate depiction of W.R. or the estate, but so what? Enjoy the flick.” The film will be shown within the estate’s private movie theater as part of the twenty-first year of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival on March 13, and introduced by Mankiewicz’s grandson Ben.
Tickets for this historic event cost $1,000 each, with proceeds benefitting The Friends of Hearst Castle preservation group, along with the festival. If you’ve got the dough and happen to be there, don’t miss out on the “live auctions of a pair of Hearst Castle party packages—a movie night for 10 and a pool party for 10 at the indoor Roman Pool.” That will run you several thousands of dollars, considering the starting bid is $7,000.
Watch California’s Gold‘s Huell Howser take a dip in the estate’s Neptune Pool below.
(via Variety)
