Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Citizen Kane

  • 19411941
  • PGPG
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
447K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,473
149
Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead, and Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
Watch the trailer for the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane.
Play trailer3:46
9 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaMystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
447K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,473
149
  • Director
    • Orson Welles
  • Writers
    • Herman J. Mankiewicz(original screen play)
    • Orson Welles(original screen play)
    • John Houseman(contributing writer)
  • Stars
    • Orson Welles
    • Joseph Cotten
    • Dorothy Comingore
  • Director
    • Orson Welles
  • Writers
    • Herman J. Mankiewicz(original screen play)
    • Orson Welles(original screen play)
    • John Houseman(contributing writer)
  • Stars
    • Orson Welles
    • Joseph Cotten
    • Dorothy Comingore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.6KUser reviews
    • 204Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #95
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 11 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos9

    Citizen Kane: Trailer
    Trailer 3:46
    Watch Citizen Kane: Trailer
    All About Filmmaker Amanda Kim
    Clip 2:33
    Watch All About Filmmaker Amanda Kim
    'Mank' Disputes Who Wrote 'Citizen Kane'
    Clip 3:00
    Watch 'Mank' Disputes Who Wrote 'Citizen Kane'
    6 Movie & TV Podcasts When You Need a Binge Break
    Clip 4:16
    Watch 6 Movie & TV Podcasts When You Need a Binge Break
    Citizen Kane: Kane For Governor
    Clip 2:28
    Watch Citizen Kane: Kane For Governor
    Citizen Kane: Kane Marries
    Clip 2:06
    Watch Citizen Kane: Kane Marries
    Citizen Kane: Death
    Clip 2:03
    Watch Citizen Kane: Death
    Citizen Kane: Montage
    Clip 2:06
    Watch Citizen Kane: Montage
    John Landis on Citizen Kane
    Featurette 4:41
    Watch John Landis on Citizen Kane

    Photos198

    Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, and Everett Sloane in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, and Everett Sloane in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Ruth Warrick in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, and Everett Sloane in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Orson Welles
    Orson Welles
    • Kane
    Joseph Cotten
    Joseph Cotten
    • Jedediah Leland…
    Dorothy Comingore
    Dorothy Comingore
    • Susan Alexander Kane
    Agnes Moorehead
    Agnes Moorehead
    • Mary Kane
    Ruth Warrick
    Ruth Warrick
    • Emily Monroe Norton Kane
    Ray Collins
    Ray Collins
    • James W. Gettys
    Erskine Sanford
    Erskine Sanford
    • Herbert Carter…
    Everett Sloane
    Everett Sloane
    • Mr. Bernstein
    William Alland
    William Alland
    • Jerry Thompson
    Paul Stewart
    Paul Stewart
    • Raymond
    George Coulouris
    George Coulouris
    • Walter Parks Thatcher
    Fortunio Bonanova
    Fortunio Bonanova
    • Matiste
    Gus Schilling
    Gus Schilling
    • The Headwaiter…
    Philip Van Zandt
    Philip Van Zandt
    • Mr. Rawlston
    Georgia Backus
    Georgia Backus
    • Miss Anderson
    Harry Shannon
    Harry Shannon
    • Kane's Father
    Sonny Bupp
    Sonny Bupp
    • Kane III
    Buddy Swan
    • Kane - Age Eight
    • Director
      • Orson Welles
    • Writers
      • Herman J. Mankiewicz(original screen play)
      • Orson Welles(original screen play)
      • John Houseman(contributing writer) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Vertigo
    8.3
    Vertigo
    Casablanca
    8.5
    Casablanca
    North by Northwest
    8.3
    North by Northwest
    Rear Window
    8.5
    Rear Window
    Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
    8.4
    Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
    2001: A Space Odyssey
    8.3
    2001: A Space Odyssey
    Psycho
    8.5
    Psycho
    Lawrence of Arabia
    8.3
    Lawrence of Arabia
    M
    8.3
    M
    Sunset Blvd.
    8.4
    Sunset Blvd.
    Singin' in the Rain
    8.3
    Singin' in the Rain
    A Clockwork Orange
    8.3
    A Clockwork Orange

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Despite all the publicity, the film was a box-office flop and was quickly consigned to the RKO vaults. At the 1941 Academy Awards, the film was booed every time one of its nine nominations was announced. It was only re-released to the public in the mid-1950s.
    • Goofs
      During the picnic scene towards the end, Welles had to shoot against a back-projection because a location shoot was too costly and time-consuming. The stock footage used for the exterior was taken from King Kong (1933), hence on closer inspection the four birds that fly by are in fact very definite pterodactyls. RKO told Welles to take the pterodactyls out of the shot, but he liked them, and decided to keep them.
    • Quotes

      Mr. Bernstein: Old age. It's the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don't look forward to being cured of.

    • Crazy credits
      In a very rare move the director's credit is shown on the same card as the cinematographer's. This was Orson Welles's personal decision to show his thanks to cinematographer Gregg Toland for his enormous contributions to the film, meaning equal rights.
    • Alternate versions
      The Italian-language version cut an overwhelming number of scenes, leading to "complete" versions of the film to be circa half of the time in English and only the remaining half in Italian.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Projectionist (1970)
    • Soundtracks
      It Can't Be Love
      (uncredited)

      Written by Charlie Barnet and Haven Johnson

      Arranged by The King Cole Trio

      Performed by Raymond Tate, Buddy Collette, Buddy Banks, CeePee Johnson, and Alton Redd

    User reviews1.6K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    See it for what it is
    OK look, let me settle something between those who love and hate this film. A lot of people hail this film because it is technically brilliant and ground breaking. Director Orson Welles did a lot of things visually that no one had ever done before. Nearly every film maker was in some way influenced by this movie. This movie also had a great impact in its time. The title character was based on media giant William Randolph Hearst. He was that generations Donald Trump. He opposed this film so much he did everything in its power to stop its release and almost succeeded. Lastly this film contains some of the strongest and most common themes in literature; Life versus death. It is for these reasons why this film is so revered.

    On the contrary people who hate this film mainly complain that it is boring. Which is a legitimate complaint. The story is slow compared to today's standards, and there is no real Hearst character alive today in which to relate. So yes, the story on the surface is outdated. However, this does not make it a bad movie. It was not made as a Matrix/Star Wars type of movie which can be enjoyed even at surface level. This is not pure entertainment. Remember there is more to film than storytelling. This film was designed to be cinematically beautiful and to tell a basic story of love and redemption. There is much more to the story than the thinly veiled attack on Hearst, one just needs to look deeper. Look at Shakespeare or Hawthorne for example, their literary works are universally loved. Yet, many people blow them off because they refuse to look past the outdated language into the beautiful prose and simple ubiquitous themes. Just because something is outdated does not mean it lacks worth in today's world.

    My advice to those who did not like it the first time or have not seen it yet is simple. Watch it again for what it is. Do not expect to be on the edge of your seat for two hours. Watch it for the cinematography that alone makes this film among the best (I don't agree with AFI's number one ranking but I think it still ranks high). Look deeper into the story and try to connect with it on some level. At the very least appreciate how influential this film was and where the industry would be without it. If you can do this, then maybe some of the naysayers will change their minds. Again, you do not have to love Citizen Kane, but at least respect it for what it is.
    helpful•744
    350
    • gobosox
    • Apr 21, 2004

    FAQ6

    • What is 'Citizen Kane' about?
    • Is 'Citizen Kane' based on a book?
    • Is this film based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 5, 1941 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • American
    • Filming locations
      • Busch Gardens - S. Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA(Xanadu Grounds, demolished)
    • Production companies
      • RKO Radio Pictures
      • Mercury Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $839,727 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,627,530
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,645,944
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.