Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, William Alland

Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" is widely considered to be the greatest film to ever come out of Hollywood. The film is basically about a group of reporters who are trying to decipher the last word ever ...( read more  read more... )spoke by Charles Foster Kane, the millionaire newspaper tycoon: "Rosebud." The film begins with a news reel detailing Kane's life for the masses, and then from there, we are shown flashbacks from Kane's life. As the reporters investigate further, the viewers see a display of a fascinating man's rise to fame, and how he eventually fell off the "top of the world." Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles won an Oscar for writing the original screenplay.

Flixster Users

91% liked it

119,589 ratings

PG, 119 min.

Directed by: Orson Welles

Release Date: May 1, 1941

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: September 25, 2001

Stats: 10,694 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (10,694)


  • November 18, 2009
    "Rosebud."

    Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

    REVIEW

    Still impressive after all these decades, today "Citizen K...( read more)ane" is probably more admired and analyzed than it is enjoyed, but there is plenty to admire. Even for those who just want to watch a good movie, not to analyze one, there's a lot to see. True, it's not really 'the greatest film ever made', especially because there isn't really such a thing, anyway, as 'the' one greatest film. There are a lot of great films, and by almost any standard this is one of them.

    Welles used his own skill and creativity along with his talented cast and crew to create a story that is a compelling character study and a thoughtful look at some significant aspects of life. The main character was based on a notorious figure of the era, but Welles made it much more than a story limited to his times, by bringing out what was behind his characters, and making the audience understand what the characters did not see about themselves. There are Kanes in every era (and also equivalents of those around him), some as large as the character himself, and others merely small-scale replicas. Since the story is based on characters and on ideas, rather than on action, it can seem slow if you are expecting more activity, but it's a story that has something to offer.

    Its outstanding technical accomplishments and historical importance may not be so obvious now, only because Welles's ideas and techniques have influenced so many later movies in one respect or another, making much that was imaginative then seem commonplace now. But it was quite an achievement all the same, and worthy of the attention it is still getting.
  • September 17, 2009
    The benchmark film that all others should aspire to!
  • February 25, 2009
    I recently wrote a review for "2001: A Space Odyssey", and in said review I pointed out the absurdity of writing about a movie with such a reputation. Well, here I go again, abusing film history even further by reviewing what is widely considered as the best American film of all ...( read more)time!

    Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) is a character widely recognized to have been inspired by William Randolph Hearst, a successful publisher who built himself the mansion known as San Simeon. A highly flamboyant billionaire, Hearst took exception to the parallels drawn between Kane and himself, and went as far as to calling Welles a communist in his publications prior to the 1942 Academy Awards. Perhaps that is to blame for the fact that "Citizen Kane", considered the greatest film in history, only took home one Oscar: for it's screenplay.

    A much more eerie close cousin of Charles Foster Kane is Orson Welles himself, whom never had much of a career following "Citizen Kane" due to the politics of RKO Radio Stations, whom although had given Welles the opportunity of a lifetime with disturbing his first picture, "Citizen Kane", nearly castrated his next picture, "The Magnificent Ambersons". Welles, like Kane, would eventually die alone - and prior to that was his legacy shamed by living in isolation and cashing paychecks by doing commercials.

    The film opens with a large castle on a hill known as "Xanadu", and inside the former publishing giant whispers his dying word - "rosebud". I don't feel i'm spoiling a thing by telling you that "rosebud" turns out to be a childhood sled, not the suspected mistress or racehorse that Kane's peers had expected it to be. The conundrum behind "Citizen Kane", however, is that although the mystery of the film is the meaning of the word "rosebud", Welles lets us know that one word can't define a man. In this way, Welles is able to show Kane's longing for a simpler life without compromising the depth of his character into a weeping little child who wants to hop on his sled one more time.

    Do I personally think that "Citizen Kane" is the unrivaled king of motion pictures? Perhaps not. However, along with "Cries and Whispers", I truly believe it's one of the most well-shot films in cinema history - not only an extreme innovator for it's time, but still rather unrivaled in modern film. While there's films I hold more dearly to my heart than this picture, it goes without saying that it's a must see for any film fanatic. Over 60 years later it still shows you things you've never seen before. And, besides, it's fucking "Citizen Kane", man. YEAH~!
  • February 12, 2009
    "Rosebud..."

    LANDMARK film in cinema. Citizen Kane is widely considered the greatest film of all time, most notably by AFI.

    This is the film that invented many aspects in film making that we still see today. Most notably "twist" endings and unique camer...( read more)a angles and panning. Although the big "twist" at the end is not as shocking in present time as it was in the 1940's, it's still a brilliant cinematic achievement.

    Citizen Kane is a story centered around self-titled newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane. The film begins with Kane on his deathbed uttering his mysterious final words: "Rosebud." The director Orson Welles then effectively uses flashbacks and news reels to retell Kane's life and discover the significance behind his mysterious final words.

    Orson Welles, who also starred in this film, gave a brilliant performance as Kane.

    A bit slow moving at times, and it has certainly dated. But no one can deny the monumental achievements, and it's landmark effects on cinema.
  • January 23, 2009
    Citizen Kane is possibly the most important film ever made. The cast are brilliant, the choreography is brilliant, but the thing that tops over all of that is the moral message it signals out to its audience. In this movie we see his tragic life, and then he tries to overpower it...( read more) with fame and money its almost like Travis Bickle the rich version, he had it all but in the end nothing ever made him as happy as he was when he was a little boy living with his real mother & father. It's there we see the comparison beetween having money and not having it, and in the outcome at the end of the day, your better not having it.
  • November 13, 2009
    I don't get the fuss over this movie. It's good, but not that good.
  • November 12, 2009
    This only won one Oscar why?! And for writing no less! Agreed, this is a VERY well written script- maybe not now, but when it was first made, this was new and very odd! Either way I liked it! And the visuals! OMG! The cinematography was AMAZING! The man was robbed of an Oscar! RO...( read more)BBED!!! Very well acted! Dorothy Comingore never got an Oscar nomination why?! Lots of robbery here! Either way, a classic and clearly why! Everything is near perfect and very, VERY modern!
  • November 3, 2009
    Orsen Welles' tale of a wealthy men going from the top of the world to lonlieness is an epic and amazing one. Kane becomes the leading newspaper man in the world but that does not accomplish his dream. He always wants more and is never satisfied. He soon relizes that only thing w...( read more)orse than no life is a hopeless and lonely one. Should have won best picture
  • November 1, 2009
    WHATS THE DEAL

    IM SERIOUS
  • November 1, 2009
    Read the Dark Knight

Critic Reviews


No recent reviews.

Comments


  • jk2060
    November 9, 2006
    Rosebud: The mysterious final word of Charles Foster Kane on his dying bed. What does it mean? We could only guess among all the possibilities. (Personally I came up with my own meaning for “rosebud” but I don’t want to spoil the ending if you haven’t seen the movie). What we don’t have to guess is the moral of the story: the great difference between giving money and giving love. And more than sixty years after the production of this film it seems that society, particularly in the American culture, will never get it. As Charlie Kane said himself: “If I wouldn’t have been such a rich man, I could have been a great man”. Selfish individuals who believe in “love in their own terms” are unfortunately at the core of our society and we can only pray for some of these people to wake up to a life with more meaning than exchanging everything they love for something as common as money.
    Needless to say, Orson Wells was a genius miles ahead of his time, in more senses than cinematography.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Brokeback Mountain
    Brokeback Mountain (18%)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl
    Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the B... (19%)
  • Spider-Man 3
    Spider-Man 3 (21%)
  • There Will Be Blood
    There Will Be Blood (76%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Citizen Kane : Watch Free on TV


Citizen Kane Trivia


  • The word 'rosebud' plays a pivotal role in the 1941 American movie about newspaper magnate Mr. Kane. Name this movie...   Answer »
  • According to the American Film Institute, what is the #1 greatest movie?  Answer »
  • What film has "Rosebud" as a recurring theme?  Answer »
  • What movie was named in the hall of fame for the best movie ever made?  Answer »

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?