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Citizen Kane

  • 19411941
  • PGPG
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
435K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,267
178
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
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
  • Drama
  • Mystery
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
435K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,267
178
  • 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
    • 266Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #93
    • 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
    • Kaneas Kane
    Joseph Cotten
    Joseph Cotten
    • Jedediah Lelandas Jedediah Leland…
    Dorothy Comingore
    Dorothy Comingore
    • Susan Alexander Kaneas Susan Alexander Kane
    Agnes Moorehead
    Agnes Moorehead
    • Mary Kaneas Mary Kane
    Ruth Warrick
    Ruth Warrick
    • Emily Monroe Norton Kaneas Emily Monroe Norton Kane
    Ray Collins
    Ray Collins
    • James W. Gettysas James W. Gettys
    Erskine Sanford
    Erskine Sanford
    • Herbert Carteras Herbert Carter…
    Everett Sloane
    Everett Sloane
    • Mr. Bernsteinas Mr. Bernstein
    William Alland
    William Alland
    • Jerry Thompsonas Jerry Thompson
    Paul Stewart
    Paul Stewart
    • Raymondas Raymond
    George Coulouris
    George Coulouris
    • Walter Parks Thatcheras Walter Parks Thatcher
    Fortunio Bonanova
    Fortunio Bonanova
    • Matisteas Matiste
    Gus Schilling
    Gus Schilling
    • The Headwaiteras The Headwaiter…
    Philip Van Zandt
    Philip Van Zandt
    • Mr. Rawlstonas Mr. Rawlston
    Georgia Backus
    Georgia Backus
    • Miss Andersonas Miss Anderson
    Harry Shannon
    Harry Shannon
    • Kane's Fatheras Kane's Father
    Sonny Bupp
    Sonny Bupp
    • Kane IIIas Kane III
    Buddy Swan
    • Kane - Age Eightas Kane - Age Eight
    • Director
      • Orson Welles
    • Writers
      • Herman J. Mankiewicz(original screen play)
      • Orson Welles(original screen play)
      • John Houseman(contributing writer) (uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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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
    Top review
    CITIZEN KANE may let some people down, but it's still worth seeing.
    It's a difficult undertaking for someone of my generation to watch a film like CITIZEN KANE. Not because it's "too old" or "too boring", but because it has been hailed--almost universally--as the single best motion picture ever made. And while the anticipation of seeing a film with such overwhelming acclaim may be quite exhilarating, actually watching it is ultimately an intimidating and somewhat disappointing experience.

    This isn't to say that I thought CITIZEN KANE was a bad film; in fact, I thought everything about it was downright brilliant. From the enchanting performances right down to the meticulously planned camera movements and clever lighting tricks, there isn't a single element of CITIZEN KANE that isn't a stunning achievement in all areas of filmmaking.

    CITIZEN KANE's storyline is deceptively simple. Even though the plot unfolds by jumping in and out of nonlinear flashbacks, it is surprisingly easy to keep track of. The straightforwardness and relatively fast pace of the story are what make it seem intimidating. Because everything moves smoothly along without any standstill, it feels like we are being fooled-like there is something much greater that we just can't seem to grasp. As a first-time viewer, I knew from its reputation that there must be *something* that separates this movie from all the others; something buried within its simple plotline that everybody else has seen, but that I just could not seem to get a handle on. And then, during those final frames, that something was revealed, and it all began to make sense. To me, it was these moments of confusion and uncertainty followed by a sense of enlightenment and appreciation that made watching CITIZEN KANE such a meaningful experience.

    But no matter how great of a movie CITIZEN KANE really is, it can never live up to one's expectations. Although I do feel that it is deserving of its acclamation, the constant exposure to its six decades worth of hype and praise will invariably set most modern viewers' standards at a height that is virtually unreachable--even if it really *is* the best movie of all time.
    helpful•925
    230
    • Cowman
    • May 2, 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
    • 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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