The American Film Institute's choice for Best American Film of All Time, Citizen Kane marks the feature-length writing, directing, and acting debut of Orson Welles (The Stranger). Borrowing elements from the life of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in order to create fictional protagonist Charles Foster Kane (Welles), Welles crafted this technically innovative portrait of power and ambition.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, on the other hand, remains one of the most influential horror movies ever made. Director Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist) brings a vérité-style approach to this tale of five young adults terrorized by a cannibalistic Texas family, the most terrifying member being Leatherface, a savage, unstable killer who uses a mask made from human flesh to cover his facial disfigurations.
The technical and supplementary specifications for Warner and New Line's "40th Anniversary Edition" of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Blu-ray are still unknown.
Regarding Kane, however, Warner's new two-disc Kane edition presents the film in its 1.37:1 original aspect ratio with a monaural DTS-HD Master Audio track. The disc also retains the following special features from the three-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition:
Audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich
Audio commentary by Roger Ebert
World Premiere 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 a separate DVD
Previously available as a Best Buy-exclusive, this version of Citizen Kane expands its release schedule to retailers everywhere on January 17th, while The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is expected to street on October 1st.