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IMDbPro

Citizen Kane

  • 19411941
  • PGPG
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
438K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,118
104
Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead, and Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
Watch the trailer for the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane.
Play trailer3:46
4 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
438K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,118
104
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • 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
    Top credits
    • 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
    • 201Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
    Top rated movie #94
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 11 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos4

    Citizen Kane: Trailer
    Trailer 3:46
    Citizen Kane: Trailer
    'Mank' Disputes Who Wrote 'Citizen Kane'
    Clip 3:00
    'Mank' Disputes Who Wrote 'Citizen Kane'
    6 Movie & TV Podcasts When You Need a Binge Break
    Clip 4:16
    6 Movie & TV Podcasts When You Need a Binge Break
    John Landis on Citizen Kane
    Featurette 4:41
    John Landis on Citizen Kane

    Photos175

    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Agnes Moorehead, George Coulouris, Harry Shannon, and Buddy Swan in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles, Baudelio Alva, Sonny Bupp, Mitchell Ingraham, Philip Morris, Francis Sayles, Ruth Warrick, Gene Chervow, James Brought, and T. Lockwood Arbright in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Ruth Warrick in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles and Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941)
    Orson Welles, Loretta Agar, Irene Crosby, Margaret Davis, Juanita Fields, Pauline Easterday, and Frances Deets 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

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    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 1941's 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-'50s.
    • 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
    Top review
    an example of a unique and well done movie
    The movie Citizen Kane was loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. The movie begins with the death of Charles Foster Kane, who was the editor of the New York Journal. He says the name rosebud and drops a crystal ball, which falls to the ground a shatters. News clips are shown about the different occurrences in Kane's life depicting how Kane acquired his fortune. Throughout the whole movie reporters are trying to figure out what the word rosebud meant and why it was the last word he said before he died. The reporters find people who knew Kane throughout his life trying to get information from them that would put some sense to Kane saying `rosebud' as his last word. Many of the stories told by the people interviewed show the audience a lot about his life through flashbacks. One of the opening scenes is that of Kane's mansion called Xanadu. It has a sign that says `no trespassing' that is hung from the outside gate. The shot is very dark and gloomy, hinting that maybe Kane's life was the same way. He was a very power-hungry man that went from being at the top to rock bottom. Many other movies have definitely taken note to style and effects of this movie. The camera work, lighting, acting a music contributed to making Citizen Kane one of the best American movies of all time. Orson Welles deserves all the credit that he receives from this movie. He was the leading character, producer and director; basically a one man show that still many of us appreciate. I thought that this movie was well done. It had so much symbolism that made the movie unique, although if you didn't know what was symbolic during the different scenes it would be hard to follow, but most of the symbolism is easily recognized. One of the best symbolic scenes that also foreshadows is when Kane is at the top of the stairs and he is told that he lost his position and as he walks down the stairs the camera is shooting from at the top and it looks like a spiral showing that Kane's life and career are out of control. Citizen Kane was very dramatic and all who took part in the movie played their roles well. The characters seemed very real and believable making this movie very memorable. This film has features that every movie should try to incorporate; symbolism, great actors, interesting storyline, excellent camera shots, lighting and sound techniques. I think everyone should see this movie at least once in their life time because it is one of the greatest American movies of all time.
    helpful•145
    103
    • meggs212
    • Nov 17, 2003

    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
    • 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
      • $1,645,133
    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

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