ORSON - AUCTIONEERS EXPECT $1 MILLION FOR CITIZEN KANE OSCAR

An Oscar won by ORSON WELLES for his 1941 film CITIZEN KANE is expected to go for in the region of $1 million at auction.

The statuette, which was the only one awarded to the iconic film, will go under the hammer on December 11th at an estimated price of between $800,000 (£393,000) and $1.2m (£0.5 million).

"The movie had a star-studded cast," said Leila Dunbar, senior vice president at Sotheby's, which is auctioning the award.

"Welles was fearless in the filmmaking and he had complete autonomy, all of which helped him create a landmark movie."

Welles and Herman J Mankiewicz were awarded best original screenplay for their tale of power-hungry newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane and his dying word "rosebud".

The best picture Oscar awarded to GONE WITH THE WIND, a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel set in the American South, went for over $1.5 million in 1999. Starring VIVIEN LEIGH and CLARK GABLE, Leigh's best actress statuette for the film also made over $550,000.