There’s a clip of Orson Welles that’s been appearing on the interwebs lately where he talks about what gave him the confidence to make Citizen Kane.
“Ignorance,” he says.
“Sheer ignorance.”
“There’s no confidence to equal it.”
He also credits the cameraman who he worked with on Citizen Kane, whose curiosity and creative thinking helped Welles deliver a masterpiece.
But who was this mysterious cameraman?
I was curious…
In 1940, Orson Welles was a 24-year-old wunderkind from radio and theatre, who had achieved notoriety for his radio adaptation of War of the Worlds.
Hollywood came calling – and Welles began planning work on his first motion picture, Citizen Kane.
And he needed a cinematographer.
Gregg Toland was a celebrated veteran cinematographer, who had just won the Academy Award for his work on Wuthering Heights.
Toland had heard about Welles’ nonconforming ways and was curious. He contacted Welles and offered to sign on to Citizen Kane.
When Welles asked why such a respected cinematographer would agree to work with him, Toland replied:
“Because you’ve never made a picture. And you don’t know what cannot be done.”
After working with a steady stream of directors who “knew everything there is to know” Toland said working with an amateur would be a real pleasure.
The two men were both unconventional thinkers, who rebelled against the rules of big studio filmmaking.
As Toland wrote after the film’s release:
“Welles was insistent that the story be told most effectively, letting the Hollywood conventions of movie-making go hang if need be.”
This approach suited Toland, whose dislike for conventional studio photography was legendary.
He was always at the forefront of change, and the first to adopt new methods using developing technologies.
Working on Citizen Kane gave Toland an opportunity to continue with a line of experimentation, testing and proving ideas that had generally been accepted as “radical” in Hollywood circles.
Welles not only encouraged Toland’s experimentation and tinkering – he insisted on it.
Robert Carringer wrote in his book, The Making of Citizen Kane, about the special dynamic between Welles and Toland on set:
“Those involved say there was a kind of running game between the two, with Welles coming up with one far-fetched idea after another and challenging Toland to produce it, and Toland delivering and then counter-challenging Welles to ask for something he couldn’t produce.”
The two collaborated and tested new techniques, including Toland’s use of “deep-focus.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted Toland’s work in their review of the film in March 1941:
“Gregg Toland’s camera has never performed such miracles. He has caught the players from daringly unusual angles. He produced effects so novel in some scenes that they cannot be described here.”
Time magazine also recognized the “extraordinary technical novelties” noting that Welles and the “wiry, experienced little Photographer Gregg Toland have given the camera a new eloquence.”
Welles and Toland used their creative thinking to solve problems beyond camera angles and lighting.
When Welles was forced to cut a third of the budget, he and Toland devised an “expressionistic lighting plan” that allowed them to tell their story while also cutting enough costs so they could get the green light.
The mutual trust, respect, and admiration between Welles and Toland was evident in the way they spoke about each other after they finished Citizen Kane.
Toland delighted in the opportunity he had on Citizen Kane to “experiment free-handedly” with the “new technical and artistic possibilities.”
He said that Welles was “one of the most cooperative artists with whom it has been my privilege to work.”
“Photographing Citizen Kane was indeed the most exciting professional adventure of my career,” he said.
Welles’ respect for Toland’s contribution was evident, too – and noted in Citizen Kane’s credits, where the director and cinematographer’s contributions share a title card.
Though their work was lauded by many critics, the film was surrounded by controversy, with rumors suggesting the character of Kane was modelled after wealthy publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst used his power and his papers to attack the film and Welles personally – but was not able to stop the film from dazzling audiences and critics.
Citizen Kane was nominated for nine Academy Awards (including nominations for Toland’s cinematography, as well as Welles’s work as director, co-writer, and lead actor).
But perhaps Hearst’s power (or Hollywood’s resentment toward Welles) prevented the film from dominating at the Academy Awards.
The film took home only one statue (for Best Screenplay, shared between Herman Mankiewicz and Welles).
As Time magazine noted in their 1941 review of Kane:
“Hollywood claimed Welles would never make the grade. From the moment he arrived there its citizens resented him and his Martians and his youth and his talent…
But whatever Orson Welles did do, Hollywood was pretty sure it would break all the rules.
“Hollywood was right.”
The new techniques adopted by Toland and Welles changed Hollywood storytelling and filmmaking.
What was once considered radical became the “new” Hollywood style by the end of the 1940s.
More than 30 years after their collaboration on Citizen Kane, Welles recalled his experience with Toland fondly, calling him “the greatest cameraman who ever lived.”
And the creativity and vision they showed in Citizen Kane lives on, with the film considered one of (if not the) greatest American film of all time.
Other Things On My Mind…
Classic films and the artists behind them are not the only things on my mind…
You can find other stories I write (mostly about business, leadership and life) on my blog, including:
What in the Zac Efron?! — Why is there a photograph of a former Disney star in a stylish Stockholm hotel?
This Arcade Game Took Me Back in Time — Who knew seeing the Claw Game would bring back so many memories?
Three Obvious Lessons from a Family Vacation — None of this is rocket science, but these reminders may help if you’re taking a family vacation.
How Can I Help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
And if you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap significant benefits – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Until next time, Stay Curious!
-Beth