RKO 281 Page #19

Around the table are gathered a group of stern businessmen Schaefer is

also present.

Welles looks at the men. And he speaks. For once, his usual

overwrought, theatrical tones are gone.

He speaks simply.

WELLES:

Today a man from Germany invaded Greece. He has

already swallowed Poland and Denmark and Norway and

Belgium. He is bombing London as I speak. Everywhere

this man goes he crushes the life and the freedom of

his subjects. He sews yellow stars onto their

lapels. He takes their voices.

In this country we still have our voices. And we can sing with them.

And we can argue with them. And we can be heard. Because we are . . .

for the moment . . . free. No one can tell us what to say or how to say

it, can they? We have no brown shirt thugs here ruling our lives, do

we? No one can take our voices, can they? Because we are free.

I am one voice and that is all. My picture is one voice. Men are dying

in Europe now -- and Americans soon will be -- so that we can surmount

the tyrants and the dictators. Will you send a message across this

country that one man can take away our voices?

So ... who is Mr. Hearst and who is Mr. Welles? Mr. Hearst built a

palace of brick and mortar and starting little wars and corpses piled

high. I built a palace of illusion. My castle Xanadu is a matte

painting and camera trick. It's nothing but . . . a dream.

Today you have a chance to let the dream triumph. For once.

He gazes at them and then slowly walks out of the room

INT. LONG HALLWAY. NEW YORK_DAY

Welles sits quietly on a bench in a long hallway in a tall building.

Schaefer emerges from an office and goes to him. He sits next to him.

SCHAEFER:

We open on May 1st.

Welles slowly nods.

SCHAEFER:

Orson, what you said in there. Did you mean it?

Welles looks at him.

WELLES:

Does it matter? They believed it

He stands and begins walking away.

SCHAEFER:

Orson.

Welles stops, not turning.

SCHAEFER:

Yes. It matters.

Welles continues down the hall

INT. HOTEL. NEW YORK_NIGHT

Title:
APRIL 30, 1941 Welles is rushing to catch an elevator as the

doors close

He nips in at the last minute and punches his button. He turns.

The elevator is deserted but for one other person: William Randolph

Hearst.

Welles and Hearst recognize each other instantly. As the elevator

ascends the two men look at each other.

A very long pause as we watch their faces -- the young man and the old

man -- both men of mad grandeur and malevolent passion and stunning

inspiration -- both men of incalculable achievement and measureless

poignancy.

Finally:

WELLES:

Mr. Hearst, we've met once before, my name is Orson

Welles and I've got a movie opening tomorrow night

at the Palace. I would be pleased to get you

tickets.

A pause as Hearst regards Welles.

Then Hearst carefully reaches over and presses the stop button on the

elevator. The elevator stops.

An exceedingly quiet exchange:

A beat.

A pause.

HEARST:

I wonder. Do you have any idea what you have done?

WELLES:

Do you?

HEARST:

Intimately. For every sin you have placed on my

head I could give you a hundred others. I have been

swimming in blood my entire life. But I retain a

belief, perhaps you will think it old fashioned,

undoubtedly you will, but I believe that private

lives should not be public property.

WELLES:

Elegant words, sir, when you have made your name

and your fortune on slander and innuendo and gossip.

In your papers you taught the world how to look

under every rock. I learned at the knee of the

master.

HEARST:

So where does that leave us, Mr. Welles? What kind

of sad future are we two making? A future where men

will do anything to sell their newspapers and their

movies? A future where no price is too high for fame

and power? When we will all scratch each other to

pieces just to be heard?

Can you truly envision such ... horror.

Hearst presses the stop button again and the elevator begins to move.

The doors opens on Hearst's floor and he leaves the elevator.

The doors are about to shut on Welles when he leans forward; and roars:

WELLES:

CHARLES FOSTER KANE WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED I

The doors shut on Welles and we remain with Hearst as he slowly walks

down the long hotel hallway.

He walks with dignity.

EXT. PALACE THEATER. NEW YORK_NIGHT

It is the premiere of CITIZEN KANE, at last.

The Palace Theater swarms with tuxedos and dress gowns as the elite of

New York and Hollywood descend from limousines and slowly parade into

the packed lobby.

On the Palace marquee "ORSON WELLES" is spelled out in enormous six

foot tall electric letters. Below that is "CITIZEN KANE" also in

electric letters. Above the marquee is a series of towering, flashing

neon Charles Foster Kanes and the words "IT'S TERRIFIC."

Title; MAY l, 1941

We float down and enter the crowded lobby with the patrons...

INT. PALACE THEATER. LOBBY_FOLLOWING

We swirl with the throng of patrons in the lobby as they file into the

theater and finally find Welles and Schaefer huddled together nervously

in a corner of the lobby.

They are studiously ignored and snubbed by all the movie people

filtering past.

SCHAEFER:

They're cutting us dead, every goddamn one.

They are ignored by a few more people

Beat

WELLES:

It's my birthday this week. I'll be 26.

SCHAEFER:

Happy birthday.

Mank fights through the crowd

MANK:

Monstro! Ran into Walter Winchell outside He wants

to play Herod in the picture. Hiya, George.

SCHAEFER:

Herman.

MANK:

(lighting a cigar)

So ain't this just the bee's knees? The high

muckey-mucks dolled up all Aztec-like for the human

sacrifice.

WELLES:

You gonna watch?

MANK:

Hell, I know how it ends.

(He calls to a passing stranger)

Hey, Rosebud's the sled!

WELLES:

Mank!

MANK:

Face it, Orson, they're gonna hate it. I told you,

not enough closeups and too many scenes with a bunch

of New York actors.

SCHAEFER:

(pained)

Oh God. . .

WELLES:

Relax, George. It's gonna go great. Trust me. Have

I ever lied to you?

Schaefer looks at him for a moment

SCHAEFER:

You know something, Orson, you haven't done

anything but lie to me from the moment we met. But,

ya know, I'd do it again in a second.

WELLES:

It was fun, wasn't it?

SCHAEFER:

(quietly)

It was the best, kid

WELLES:

So, on to the Life Of Christ!

SCHAEFER:

Without me. I'm afraid. I got the axe this morning.

MANK:

Sh*t

WELLES:

George...

SCHAEFER:

Forget it. Cause you know something..

When I'm an old coot playing dominoes down in Miami Beach fifty years

from now, I'll say, "Hey, you kids ever heard of a guy named Randolph

Hearst?" And they'll say, "Nope. Never heard of him." And then I'll

say, "Hey, you ever heard of a picture called CITIZEN KANE?" And they

will have. That's enough for me.

Pats Welles arm and goes into the theater

WELLES:

(softly)

What have I done?

MANK:

Aw, cheer up, George'll probably be running Fox by

the morning. Let's get a drink.

Mank pulls at Welles' arm.

WELLES:

But the picture...

Mank stops and looks at him deeply.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes