Citizen Kane (1941)

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

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Herman J. Mankiewicz (original screen play), Orson Welles (original screen play)

Stars:

Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore

Top Rated Movies #72 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Cotten	...	Jedediah Leland / Screening Room Reporter
Dorothy Comingore	...	Susan Alexander Kane
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mary Kane
Ruth Warrick	...	Emily Monroe Norton Kane
Ray Collins	...	James W. Gettys
Erskine Sanford	...	Herbert Carter / Screening Room Reporter
Everett Sloane	...	Mr. Bernstein
William Alland	...	Jerry Thompson
Paul Stewart	...	Raymond
George Coulouris	...	Walter Parks Thatcher
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Matiste
Gus Schilling	...	The Headwaiter / Screening Room Reporter
Philip Van Zandt	...	Mr. Rawlston
Georgia Backus	...	Miss Anderson
Harry Shannon	...	Kane's Father

Storyline

A group of reporters are trying to decipher the last word ever spoken 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.

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Plot Keywords:

new york | narcissism | materialism | newspaper publisher | suicide attempt | 

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Taglines:

Radio's Most Dynamic Artist . . The Man At Whose Voice A Nation Trembled . . . Now the screen's most exciting NEW star ! ORSON WELLES in the picture Hollywood said he'd never make

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

American

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$839,727 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$216,239, 5 May 1991, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,585,634

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures,Mercury Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Kane destroys Susan's room after she's left him was done on the first take. Director/star Orson Welles' hands were bleeding, and he is quoted as saying, "I really felt it."

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Goofs

In the beginning, Kane says, "Rosebud." The nurse enters the room after the word is spoken. The shooting script only mentions Kane and the nurse being in the room. However, within the movie itself Raymond the butler tells the reporter that he had heard Kane say "Rosebud" after the fight with Susan as well as just before he drops the snow globe, implying that what the viewer is shown in that scene is from Raymond's P.O.V.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Charles Foster Kane: Rosebud...

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Crazy Credits

Orson Welles's name is listed last and among the list of featured roles, instead of leading roles, saving his name as best for last.

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Connections

Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Orson Welles (1975)

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Soundtracks

Theme
(uncredited)
from RKO's Gunga Din (1939)
Music by Alfred Newman
Performed in a "News On The March" sequence

User Reviews

don't tell me you're sorry..

Citizen Kane

Depicting a marriage within few minutes or even a career of an entertainer represents a keen and devoting man behind the camera as it probably is the first time the cinema must have encountered a 'biography' genre film with such powerful sequence and fast paced acts. Citizen Kane is considered to be one of the few masterpieces ever to be set in cinema history but for me it doesn't quite works for I fail to connect it on the first instinct and the soul of it as its genre is something that I can't seem to understand but having said that I can definitely observe and appreciate the craft ensemble by the actors and projecting it majestically along with the writers and makers who are not only completely attentive to each and every frame of it but speaks the cinematic language through their work. And as its genre suggests and asks for, Orson hasn't let it down through out the course of it pushing Citizen Kane onto the major league with the help of a gripping screenplay, stellar performances and some nail biting sequences that genuinely oozes brutality and humanity in the characters.