Charles Foster Kane - Inspiration

Inspiration

The general consensus is that William Randolph Hearst is the primary — but not the only — inspiration behind Charles Foster Kane. (Welles himself is considered the other main inspiration.) Though Citizen Kane is often considered one of the best films ever made, Hearst was allegedly not amused by how he—or his mistress Marion Davies, widely considered the inspiration for Susan Alexander—were depicted, and he attempted to destroy both the film and Welles' career.

In the film, Kane is given the line "You provide the prose poems; I'll provide the war," undeniably similar to "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war," a quote widely attributed to Hearst. Also, an overhead shot of Hearst's ranch is shown in the film as Xanadu, the lavish estate where Kane resides.

In addition, Kane's unsuccessful attempt to make his second wife an opera star parallels Hearst's effort to make his Davies a serious dramatic movie actress despite critics's complaints that she was miscast and better in light comedy roles. The connection with Hearst is strengthened by the fact that Mankiewicz was a frequent guest of Davies at Hearst Castle.

Some biographies of Welles posit that Welles himself was a source of inspiration for the character. Some of the character's dialogue on how to run a newspaper are direct quotes from Welles's comments on how to make a motion picture (though this was his first). Welles's co-writer, Herman J. Mankiewicz, included dialogue about Kane's voracious appetite, also meant to echo Welles's character.

In recent years, Kane has been compared unfavorably to contemporary media figures such as Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner.