Praising ‘Kane’ 50 Years Later

The Scene: The party Paramount Pictures and Turner Entertainment hosted at the studio’s Stage 32 before the Wednesday night screening of RKO’s “Citizen Kane.� The black-and-white classic (to which Turner owns the U.S. rights) has been restored for theatrical re-release. It plays locally at the Nuart through Thursday.

History Notes: It was 50 years ago that the 25-year-old Orson Welles’ masterpiece chronicling newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst’s audacity, greed and power premiered in New York. A half-century is about the right distance studio execs want between themselves and a controversial film. Check your newspapers for the re-release of “The Last Temptation of Christ� in 2039.

Who Was There: More than 300 guests, including Joseph Cotten, Ruth Warrick, Paul (Bud) Swan and William Alland from the cast, plus editor Robert Wise and visual effects associate Linwood Dunn. Also on hand were Buck Henry, Charlton Heston, Dina Merrill and Ted Turner. Seeing “Kane� with a Hollywood crowd is a curious experience: Kind of like visiting the Pyramids with modern-day Egyptians. They’re awed and proud of their culture’s creation, but they leave with the a disquieting realization that they aren’t making pyramids like they used to.

Best Alibi to Keep From Being Lynched by Film Buffs: “I don’t think I was ever really serious about colorizing this movie,� said Ted (Tinting) Turner. “I only said it to get a little publicity.�

Hollywood Reality: Like there’s an ice cube’s chance on a Calcutta street corner of a studio taking a risk like this again. Who would trust a first-time enfant terrible director with a scathing look at one of the world’s most powerful media owners?

Dress Mode: As one woman put it, the crowd “dressed respectfully, like they were going to a wedding or a funeral.�

Quoted: “I once told Orson, ‘If we’d known it was going to be such a big production, maybe we should have worked harder,’ � said Cotten.

Best Line Not in the Movie: “Kane� screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz on Orson Welles: “There, but for the grace of God, goes God.�