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Citizen Kane
1941
CITIZEN KANE is Orson Welles's greatest achievement--and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newspaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castlelike refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, was based on a composite of Howard Hughes and William Randolph .. Read more
| Starring | Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane |
|---|---|
| Director | Orson Welles |
| Genres | Drama |
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Citizen Kane
CITIZEN KANE is Orson Welles's greatest achievement--and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newspaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castlelike refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, was based on a composite of Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst--so much so that Hearst tried to have the film suppressed. Every aspect of the production marked an advance in film language: the deep focus and deeply shadowed cinematography (from Gregg Toland); the discontinuous narrative, relying heavily on flashbacks and newsreel footage (propelled by a script largely written by Herman L. Mankiewicz); the innovative use of sound and score (sound by Bailey Fesler and James G. Stewart, music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann); and the ensemble acting forged in the fires of Welles's Mercury Theatre (featuring the film debuts of, among others, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, and Agnes Moorehead). Every moment of the film, every shot, has been choreographed to perfection. The film is essential viewing, quite possibly the greatest film ever made and, along with THE BIRTH OF A NATION, certainly the most influential.
| Starring | Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, Ruth Warrick, Paul Stewart, Alan Ladd, Arthur O'Connell, Louise Currie, Walter Sande, Gino Corrado, Charles Bennett, Ray Collins, Fortunio Bonanova, Erskine San |
|---|---|
| Director | Orson Welles |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 16 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 must-see movies |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 20 Sep 1999 Production year: 1941 |
| Format | DVD |
Citizen Kane (1941)
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Acclaimed by critics and film-makers alike, Citizen Kane has topped Sight and Sound's decennial “all-time top ten” since 1962. Not bad for the feature film debut of a 25-year-old, whose experience lay in theatre and radio (most of the actors in Kane were colleagues from his Mercury Theatre company), and who claimed his sole preparation was to watch John Ford's Stagecoach 40 times. In fact, Orson Welles considered a movie studio (his contract at the time was with RKO) to be the biggest train set a boy ever had. Unhindered by preconceptions, he proceeded to experiment with sound, camera angles and movement, and deep focus in a way few had even conceived of. Aided by cinematographer Gregg Toland, he brought visual drama to every shot, brilliantly disguising the picture's shoestring budget (it required a record 116 sets). In addition, Welles turned in a magnificent performance as Charles Foster Kane, the press baron whose torrid life was so similar to that of real-life press baron William Randolph Hearst that the latter broke the film at the box office through negative publicity. Utterly unmissable.
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A brilliant piece of Hollywood cinema using all the resources of the studio; despite lapses of characterization and gaps in the narrative, almost every shot and every line is utterly absorbing both as entertainment and as craft. See The Citizen Kane Bo
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Most helpful member's review
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35 out of 37 people found this review helpful
Yawn
Because everyone says it's the best film ever blah, blah,blah I've tried watching it several times. I've read umpteen reviews as to why it's oh so brilliant but I still don't like it. as everyone else in the universe seems nuts about this film I suppose it must be me that's at fault or is there another out there who will come out of the closet and join me!!
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Most recent members' review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
A good film, but not the greatest of all time:
I was apprehensive about Citizen Kane, could it be as great as pretty much all Critics Polls make it out to be ? I can happily say it didn't disappoint, it is by no means the greatest film ever made, but it is an excellent film. You can see why the direction is raved about so much, especially towards the end of the film, when Charles Foster Kane is pottering around his monolithic mansion, the sets are absolutely superb and the framing of the shots is inspired. The plot is good aswell, who is Rosebud ? That is the question that drives the whole movie and it keeps you hooked until the final revealing shot. There is a great cast, which consists mainly of stage actors making there first big screen appearance, there isn't a weak link to be seen. But it is Orson Welles who steals the show as Charles Foster Kane, he commands your attention whenever he is on screen and it is very poignant seeing his character develop from spunky young newspaper tycoon, to a doddering old man shuffling around a cavernous mansion filled with all the possessions a man could ever want, but noone to share it with. Don't be put off by this film reputation hire it, it is definitely worth it.
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News and features
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Citizen Kane voted top American film
- 22 Jun 2007
Legendary 1941 drama Citizen Kane has been named as the best American film ever in a recent poll, it has been announced. The 100 Years 100 Movies poll took place ten years after the American Film Institute's first ballot to find the greatest movies of all time - and Citizen Kane pipped The Godfather to the post to be voted number one. War romance Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, was named as the third most popular film, while Raging Bull and Singin' in the Rain were... Read more
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Citizen Kane
CITIZEN KANE is Orson Welles's greatest achievement--and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newspaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castlelike refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, was based on a composite of Howard ...
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