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.
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.
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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
PG, 1 hr. 59 min.
May 1, 1941 Wide
Sep 25, 2001
RKO Radio Pictures
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (0) | DVD (39)
It is a work of art created by grown people for grown people.
Top CriticWelles has found the screen as effective for his unique showmanship as radio and the theatre.
It is still the best place I know of to start thinking about Welles -- or for that matter about movies in general.
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.
More than a great movie; it is a gathering of all the lessons of the emerging era of sound.
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.
One of the best films out there, and certainly a high point in early cinema. The love for Citizen Kane is deserved.
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.
Above all, Welles was a showman and Citizen Kane is a three ring circus of cinematic ingenuity...
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.
Citizen Kane may very well be the most talked-about movie in history.
Orson Welles' epic film, his stunning feature debut from 1941, is an enduring masterpiece that was underestimated at the time of its release due to political reasons.
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.
Classic should be required for any movie lover.
To revisit it now is still to marvel at its wit, audacity and sheer entertainment value.
Many of the novel techniques Welles developed with cinematographer Gregg Toland were calculated to offer new angles on film space.
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.
There's no denying that his bravura performance, both in front of the camera and behind it, is spellbindingly effective.
There can hardly be anything left to say about Citizen Kane, now revived on the big screen, other than to comment on sublime moments.
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).
Truly one of the greatest films ever.
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.
...an impressive dramatic epic that articulates some of the myths of capitalist America in a personal and human way.
Citizen Kane is the biggest cinematic landmark since pictures first started moving.
Young filmmakers should watch this picture, before wrote or direct a film. Welles' epic tale Citizen Kane is a powerful satire of the world of news. A fresh way to tell a story, a cinema revolution! Fresh.
September 16, 2011Super Reviewer
This is a terrific film. The screenplay is outstanding, the acting is great as is the cinematography, which broke ground evidently. By having many morals ranging from wealth to happiness and getting every little detail right, this film will have you thinking well after it is over. It is widely thought of as the best
February 14, 2012Super Reviewer
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