Editing William Randolph Hearst (section)

=== ''Citizen Kane'' ===
The film ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (released on May 1, 1941) is loosely based on Hearst's life.{{sfn|Nasaw|2000|pp=528–56}} Welles and his collaborator, screenwriter [[Herman J. Mankiewicz]], created Kane as a [[composite character]], among them [[Harold Fowler McCormick]], [[Samuel Insull]] and [[Howard Hughes]]. Hearst, enraged at the idea of ''Citizen Kane'' being a thinly disguised and very unflattering portrait of him, used his massive influence and resources to prevent the film from being released—all without even having seen it. Welles and the studio [[RKO Pictures]] resisted the pressure but Hearst and his Hollywood friends ultimately succeeded in pressuring theater chains to limit showings of ''Citizen Kane'', resulting in only moderate box-office numbers and seriously impairing Welles's career prospects.<ref>Howard, James. ''The Complete Films of Orson Welles''. (1991). New York: Citadell Press. p. 47.</ref> The fight over the film was documented in the [[Academy Award]]-nominated documentary, ''[[The Battle Over Citizen Kane]]'', and nearly 60 years later, [[HBO]] offered a fictionalized version of Hearst's efforts in its original production ''[[RKO 281]]'' (1999), in which [[James Cromwell]] portrays Hearst. ''Citizen Kane'' has twice been ranked No. 1 on [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies]]: in 1998 and 2007. In 2020, [[David Fincher]] directed ''[[Mank]]'', starring [[Gary Oldman]] as Mankiewicz, as he interacts with Hearst prior to the writing of ''[[Citizen Kane]]'''s screenplay. [[Charles Dance]] portrays Hearst in the film.