The Turner Film Diaries Exclusive //free\\
Turner was a fly on the wall during Orson Welles’ turbulent production of Citizen Kane . According to the diary, Welles shot an alternative ending where the sled "Rosebud" is not burned but is instead saved by a janitor who recognizes it from his own childhood. Turner writes: "Orson threw the reel into the lake at 3 AM. 'Too sentimental,' he said. 'The public doesn't deserve happy ghosts.'" This exclusive entry reframes Welles not as a pure auteur, but as a ruthless editor of his own psychology.
It is this vulnerability that transforms the Diaries from a simple "making-of" featurette into a standalone work of art. It humanizes the monolithic figures of the film industry, reminding us that great art is often born from great struggle. the turner film diaries exclusive