Sotheby's To Sell An Icon Of American Film
16 Octubre 2007 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
ORSON WELLES' ACADEMY AWARD FOR CITIZEN KANE NEW YORK and LOS
ANGELES, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On December 11, 2007,
Sotheby's New York will offer for sale an icon of American film and
one of the most important pieces of movie memorabilia ever to come
to auction -- Orson Welles' own 1941 Academy Award for Best
Screenplay for the renowned masterpiece, Citizen Kane. Widely
considered the greatest film of all time, Welles' cinematic
masterpiece was voted the number one film in history by the
American Film Institute in 2007 and by the British Film Institute
in 2002. The Oscar(R), once believed to be lost by Welles himself,
resurfaced in 1994 and, after a lengthy legal battle, was returned
to the Orson Welles Estate. The award was acquired from the Welles
Estate in 2003 on behalf of the Dax Foundation, a Los
Angeles-based, non-profit, charitable foundation which is selling
the Oscar(R) and using all of the proceeds to help fund the
organization's charitable initiatives and worldwide humanitarian
efforts. The Academy Award, which is estimated to sell for
$800,000/1.2 million, will be on public exhibition at Sotheby's
from December 7-10 prior to its sale on December 11, 2007*.
"Citizen Kane is Welles at genius level," said Leila Dunbar,
Director of Sotheby's Collectibles Department. "Welles was fearless
in writing and presenting the story of a powerful mogul such as
William Randolph Hearst despite the consequences, and the movie
broke new ground in its innovative photography, editing and sound.
Citizen Kane is probably the world's most famous film and for the
past six decades has and continues to influence generations of
filmmakers." Remarkably, Citizen Kane stands as Orson Welles' first
feature film after his move to Hollywood at just 25 years of age.
The film records the story of publishing magnate Charles Foster
Kane whose early career was guided by a loyalty to the greater
social good, a path which would later deteriorate to a narcissistic
quest for individual supremacy. Widely understood as being based on
the life of American publishing baron, William Randolph Hearst, the
film was the subject of a smear campaign, ignored by all media
outlets under the Hearst umbrella and the movie ultimately
underperformed at the box office, although it received universal
critical raves for its remarkable writing and production. Nominated
for three Oscars at the 1942 Academy Awards for writer (with Herman
J. Mankiewicz), director and actor in a leading role, Welles
received only one golden statuette that evening, and it remained
the only Academy Award he won in his lifetime. Even more shocking,
the film was not even nominated for Best Picture, as the far less
controversial (and memorable) "How Green Was My Valley" took home
the award. Welles continued to write, direct, produce and perform
film and radio productions throughout the rest of his life, but
none would receive the attention, nor the acclaim of Citizen Kane.
In 1971, Welles received an Honorary Award for his contribution to
the history of motion pictures and in 1975 the American Film
Institute gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award. Citizen Kane was
voted the number one U.S. film by the American Film Institute in
2007 and the greatest film in history by Sight & Sounds Top Ten
Poll 2002, conducted by the British Film Institute. The Dax
Foundation is selling Orson Welles' 1941 Academy Award for Citizen
Kane to "celebrate and honor Welles' accomplishments in the face of
great adversity and further raise awareness of the Foundation's
primary mission of helping all people follow their hearts, discover
their passions and, like Welles, to pursue and realize their dreams
in order to help make the world a better place." About The Dax
Foundation The Dax Foundation is a private, California-based
501(c)(3) non-profit, philanthropic organization that implements
and supports innovative programs that help people around the world
identify, pursue, and realize their dreams. The Foundation provides
resources, support, and raises awareness for those individuals and
groups whose vision includes making the world a better place for
all people and animals. Sample projects currently supported by the
Foundation include the Mayfair Foundation, a recreation and
educational facility for severely disabled children, Over A Barrel,
a rescue and treatment facility for abused and neglected animals,
Organs 'R' Us, a program dedicated to raising awareness about the
critical need for life-saving organ donation, Maui Cat, a humane
program to reduce the pain and suffering of rampant feral cat
populations, and other deserving programs around the world. For
more information on the Dax Foundation, please visit
http://www.daxfoundation.org/. About Sotheby's Sotheby's is a
global company that engages in art auction, private sales and
art-related financing activities. The Company operates in 40
countries, with principal salesrooms located in New York and
London. The Company also regularly conducts auctions in 11 other
salesrooms around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong,
France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Singapore.
Sotheby's is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
BID. *Estimates do not include buyer's premium DATASOURCE:
Sotheby's CONTACT: Lauren Gioia or Mac Joseph of Sotheby's,
+1-212-606-7176; Randy Shapiro of The Dax Foundation,
+1-310-499-1497 Web site: http://www.sothebys.com/
http://www.daxfoundation.org/
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