Beschreibung:

WELLES' COPY OF EARLY "CITIZEN KANE" DRAFT." Mimeographed manuscript, 156 numbered pages pages (approx. 189 leaves), quarto, n.p., July 9, 1940, being Orson Welles' copy of an earlier draft of the screenplay, Citizen Kane, pages 6-19 bound verso/recto, all other leaves recto only, several typed and carbon leaves inserted throughout, stamped "Second Revised Final Script" at upper right corner and with "Mr. Welles" in pink crayon to upper left corner, annotated throughout by Welles and another hand, bound in pink paper wraps with brads (lower cover missing), pages thumbed and toned, some wear to edges, upper cover soiled, creased, chipped at edges, tape repairs at spine. The writing of the screenplay for Citizen Kane has been a well-documented event, with critics on all sides weighing in on the degree of Welles' participation versus that of co-author Herman Mankiewicz. Though Welles is not solely responsible for the screenplay (and in spite of his shameless attempt to grab all the writing credit for himself), he nonetheless contributed greatly to the final shape of the story. The evolution of the screenplay is well documented in the first chapter of Robert L. Carringer'sThe Making of Citizen Kane. According to Carringer, the "Second Revised Final" script represents the 6th draft of the screenplay, the first submitted to the Hays Office, and the penultimate draft before the final shooting script. Revisions that occurred during this draft include the removal of the assassination attempt and its long, talky aftermath; the adjustment of Kane's first meeting with Susan moved from her narration to Leland's; the relegation of Kane's marriage to the famous montage scene; and the insertion of the walk down the corridor of mirrors after Kane destroys Susan's room. The bulk of Orson Welles' manuscript materials were housed during his career in two separate collections, the RKO files, and the Mercury Theatre files. The RKO script files are currently housed at the UCLA Theatre Arts Library, and included seven drafts of the Citizen Kane script, including a copy marked "Second Revised Final" and dated July 9, 1940. The Lilly Library of the University of Indiana, where the Mercury Theatre archives are deposited, contains nine scripts, complete and partial, of Citizen Kane, also contains a copy marked "Second Revised Final," dated July 9, 1940, with holograph revisions, 156 pages. Welles presented this copy sometime in the 1940s to his friend Fletcher Markle, an uncredited co-writer on The Lady from Shanghai, and Welles collaborator from his radio days. Provenance: From the Estate of Fletcher Markle. See illustration.