Citizen Kane

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3:44

Citizen Kane

PG

In Theaters Jul 5

1h 59m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

132 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When a reporter is assigned to decipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane's (Orson Welles) dying words, his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. Though Kane's friend and colleague Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and his mistress, Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), shed fragments of light on Kane's life, the reporter fears he may never penetrate the mystery of the elusive man's final word, "Rosebud."

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Critics Consensus

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

Director

Orson Welles

Charles Foster Kane

Joseph Cotten

Jedediah Leland

Ruth Warrick

Emily Norton Kane

Everett Sloane

Bernstein

Agnes Moorehead

Mrs. Mary Kane

Tom Huddleston

Time Out

12/12/2024

5/5

It remains as witty, tragic, unlikely, unique and fascinating as ever.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

01/18/2024

Genuinely innovative film-making.

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Ida Belle Hicks

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

03/02/2021

We aren't going to quibble about the genius business. Time will take care of that and if Welles goes down in history as one well be happy to have been among those who enjoyed the results of his great talent.

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

07/01/2024

5/5

Utterly unmissable.

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

09/14/2023

Kane innovated several filmmaking techniques. The film pioneered a genre.

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Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

07/24/2023

A+

Everything about this movie's production and origin, the precedent-setting technical aspects, and the innovative storytelling all prove that Orson Welles was a perfectionist filmmaker far ahead of its time.

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Kia B

Sep 8

Proof that all good classic films should be seen on the big screen. Seeing the issues of my grandparents time shows the more things change, the more they stay the same.

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R

Sep 8

A true classic. It's been so homaged and referenced that it may seem cliche but thats BECAUSE it's a classic. The Mise-en-scne and thoughtfulness of the production is breathtaking on the big screen. If you get the chance to see it in a theater, GO!

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Ellie S

@Ellie196 Feb 3

I loved all the twists and turns, ended way better than I was anticipating!

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Geoff M

@ReelGeoff Jan 31

Cinema’s north star: revolutionary in form and eternal in theme. Deep focus, fractured narrative and chiaroscuro genius made it a blueprint for modern storytelling. Few films aim this high. Fewer still touch the ceiling it cracked wide open.

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William G

@WilliamLaurentGagnon Jan 15

A true masterpiece for his time! This movie is the start of a whole world of wanders. Believe it or not, it is the first movie to actually show the ceiling! And some very ingenious special effects are in this move. As a movie-buff, this picture has a lot of importance for me, as for the entire industry of cinema. I think it issafe to say : It held up through all these decades.

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Julian L

@Kubrickians Dec 25

Rosebud. That's the classic line. Rosebud. While not my absolute, absolute favorite, it's a Top 3, or a Top 5 at the very least. Citizen Kane is the most influential mystery film ever made, a story of a broken man told from many different perspectives. It's the story of a boy who could've had simple happiness, but was torn away from his family for wealth. He spent the rest of his life trying to find love, but with none to give. The ending revelation is just as surprising as that 2001: A Space Odyssey stunt in zero-G (everyone was expecting sound, but, there was none), or Vertigo's plot twist. This is a story of the loss of innocence and the emptiness of wealth,

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Synopsis

When a reporter is assigned to decipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane's (Orson Welles) dying words, his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. Though Kane's friend and colleague Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and his mistress, Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), shed fragments of light on Kane's life, the reporter fears he may never penetrate the mystery of the elusive man's final word, "Rosebud."

Director: Orson Welles
Producer: Orson Welles
Screenwriter: Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles, John Houseman
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: Mercury Productions, RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 1, 1941, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 5, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 28, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $977.3K
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Academy (1.33:1)

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