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Citizen Kane (1941)

tomatometer

100

Average Rating: 9.4/10
Reviews Counted: 61
Fresh: 61 | Rotten: 0

Orson Welles's epic tale of a publishing tycoon's rise and fall is entertaining, poignant, and inventive in its storytelling, earning its reputation as a landmark achievement in film.

100

Average Rating: 8.9/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 0

Orson Welles's epic tale of a publishing tycoon's rise and fall is entertaining, poignant, and inventive in its storytelling, earning its reputation as a landmark achievement in film.

audience

91

liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 125,779

My Rating

Movie Info

Orson Welles first feature film -- which he directed, produced, and co-wrote, as well as playing the title role -- proved to be his most important and influential work, a ground-breaking drama loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst which is frequently cited as the finest American film ever made. Aging newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies in his sprawling Florida estate after uttering a single, enigmatic final word -- "Rosebud" -- and newsreel producer Rawlston

Sep 25, 2001

RKO Radio Pictures

Cast

All Critics (61) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (0) | DVD (39)

It is a work of art created by grown people for grown people.

April 21, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comments (8)
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Welles has found the screen as effective for his unique showmanship as radio and the theatre.

April 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
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It is still the best place I know of to start thinking about Welles -- or for that matter about movies in general.

April 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (5)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Citizen Kane is far and away the most surprising and cinematically exciting motion picture to be seen here in many a moon. As a matter of fact, it comes close to being the most sensational film ever made in Hollywood.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

More than a great movie; it is a gathering of all the lessons of the emerging era of sound.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comments (5)
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Motion picture archives and collections across the world would be poorer without copies of this film, which will forever be recognized as a defining example of American cinema.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews | Comment
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

One of the best films out there, and certainly a high point in early cinema. The love for Citizen Kane is deserved.

January 29, 2012 Full Review Source: IGN DVD | Comment
IGN DVD

Warner Home Video has made the release of Orson Welles's tremendous Citizen Kane one of the few genuine Blu-ray events of this year.

September 26, 2011 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | Comment
Slant Magazine

Above all, Welles was a showman and Citizen Kane is a three ring circus of cinematic ingenuity...

September 14, 2011 Full Review Source: MSN.com | Comment
MSN.com

There is no doubt that even 70 years after its release, "Kane" still retains the power to hold an audience as it follows the life and death of Charles Foster Kane.

September 11, 2011 Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | Comment
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Citizen Kane may very well be the most talked-about movie in history.

May 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Parallax View | Comment
Parallax View

Osron Welles' epic film from 1941, his stunning feature debut, is an enduring masterpiece that was underestimated at the time of its release due to political reasons.

March 4, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comments (2)

Citizen Kane has been cited as the greatest film ever made from so many different quarters, it's a wonder that a Congressional law hasn't been passed making it required viewing for anyone who claims they like movies.

January 20, 2011 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | Comment
Creative Loafing

Classic should be required for any movie lover.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

To revisit it now is still to marvel at its wit, audacity and sheer entertainment value.

November 4, 2009 Full Review Source: This is London | Comment
This is London

Many of the novel techniques Welles developed with cinematographer Gregg Toland were calculated to offer new angles on film space.

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

With its spirit of visual and narrative innovation, and Welles's precocious, towering central performance, Citizen Kane almost lives up to its own reputation as the best of all time.

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

There's no denying that his bravura performance, both in front of the camera and behind it, is spellbindingly effective.

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Times [UK] | Comments (2)
Times [UK]

There can hardly be anything left to say about Citizen Kane, now revived on the big screen, other than to comment on sublime moments.

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | Comment
Guardian [UK]

A ground-breaking masterpiece. It contains so many examples of cinematic brilliance that it's a shock it won only one Oscar (for the screenplay).

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Sky Movies | Comment
Sky Movies

Truly one of the greatest films ever.

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Sunday Mirror [UK] | Comment
Sunday Mirror [UK]

It would be nice to be able to buck the critical orthodoxy and say how tired and overrated Citizen Kane is; but the dulll truth is, it's still, indisputably, one of the great masterpieces of cinema.

October 30, 2009 Full Review Source: Independent | Comments (2)
Independent

...an impressive dramatic epic that articulates some of the myths of capitalist America in a personal and human way.

July 26, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | Comment
ColeSmithey.com

Citizen Kane is the biggest cinematic landmark since pictures first started moving.

April 21, 2009 Full Review Source: Total Film | Comment
Total Film
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Citizen Kane

Orson Welles puts together a film with a type of storytelling that feels futuristic. As we follow 'Charles Foster Kane' through his poor childhood and on into absolute wealth, with his arrogant attitude and his desire to impress women for personal impact rather than true love. I absolutely love the pace, it makes the

October 1, 2010
KJ Proulx

Super Reviewer

If one is thinking about going into filming, this movie should be required viewing. The story is perfectly crafted and told. The cinematography makes every frame of this film absolutely breathtaking. Orson Welles was a genius.

August 5, 2011
Christopher Heim

Super Reviewer

    1. Charles Foster Kane: People will think what I tell them to think.
    – Submitted by Tashinga M (32 days ago)
    1. Charles Foster Kane: Rosebud.
    – Submitted by Jake C (33 days ago)
    1. Charles Foster Kane: Rosebud.
    – Submitted by Facebook U (3 months ago)
    1. Susan Alexander: Love! You don't love anybody! Me or anybody else! Whatever you want, just name it and it's yours!
    – Submitted by Brandy G (6 months ago)
    1. Charles Foster Kane: Rosebud.
    – Submitted by Andrew A (6 months ago)

Latest News for Citizen Kane

February 1, 2012:
10 Films That Should Have Won Best Picture
A look back at some of the times the Academy got it wrong. Which films would you add to the list?

January 23, 2012:
Citizen Kane Screens Inside Hearst Castle
Nearly 75 years after Hearst tried to destroy the film, it's showing in the tourist attraction that...

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Foreign Titles

  • Ciudadano Kane (ES)
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