Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray (Updated)
Posted June 13, 2011 10:04 PM by Josh Katz
Amazon has finally listed one of cinema's enduring classics—Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition is now available for pre-order. This long-anticipated Blu-ray collection contains not only Citizen Kane and a wealth of related collectable materials but also director Orson Welles' long-unavailable follow-up film, The Magnificent Ambersons.
Update: Warner Home Video has released the full list of special features accompanying the 4K restoration of the film. Features include:
48-page collector's book
20-page reproduction of the 1941 program
Lobby cards
Production memo and correspondence reproductions
Audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich
Audio commentary by Roger Ebert
World Premier of Citizen Kane featurettes
Interviews with Ruth Warrick and Robert Wise
Production galleries (featuring commentary from Roger Ebert)
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer
Full-length The Battle Over Citizen Kane documentary on DVD
HBO Films' docudrama RKO 281, starring Liev Schreiber as Orson Welles and James Cromwell as newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst on DVD
The Magnificent Ambersons on DVD
The only downsides are that The Magnificent Ambersons is the studio-mandated cut of the film (running 88 minutes) and that it will be on DVD only. No word on whether or not it will receive a future Blu-ray upgrade—however, the fact that The Magnificent Ambersons is available on any digital format is cause for celebration.
Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition with The Magnificent Ambersons will street on September 13th, and you can pre-order them or the slightly less expensive Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray, which appears to contain all of the same features save The Magnificent Ambersons. Amazon currently offers this edition for $44.99.