'Citizen Kane' Blu-ray Coming Sept. 13

13 Jun, 2011 By: John Latchem

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Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane is getting the deluxe treatment for its 70th anniversary.

Warner Home Video has remastered the film in 4K from original nitrate elements and has slated Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ulimate Collector's Edition for a Blu-ray ($64.99) and DVD ($49.92) release Sept. 13 (order date Aug. 9).

The boxed set includes more than three hours of bonus content and several collectibles, including a 48-page photo book, a 20-page reproduction of the original 1941 souvenir program, lobby cards, and reproductions of rare correspondence.

The film, which tops the American Film Insititute's list of the greatest films of all time, among other accolades, tells the story of Charles Foster Kane, who spends a lifetime building a ruthless media empire hoping to reclaim the lost innocence of his youth. The film earned Welles the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

The three-disc set also includes commentaries by film critic Roger Ebert and Welles biographer Peter Bogdanovich, deleted scenes, vintage featurettes, interviews with actress Ruth Warrick and editor Robert Wise, various behind-the-scenes material and photo galleries, and the documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane. The set also includes the 1999 HBO dramatization RKO 281, starring Liev Schreiber as Welles and James Cromwell as William Randolph Hearst, the media mogul who allegedly provided the inspiration for the Kane character.

In addition, Warner will release Citizen Kane with iTunes extras and on demand via cable and satellite providers, as well as for digital download through online retailers such as iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Instant Video.

TCM will air Citizen Kane Sunday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. to promote the Blu-ray release.

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