Thumbnail

About this movie

Genres:
Drama
Language:
English
Running time:
1:59:20
Rating:
PG
Released:
Quality:
480 (DVD equivalent)

Cast & Crew

Cast

  1. Orson Welles Charles Foster Kane
  2. Joseph Cotton
  3. Dorothy Comingore Susan Alexander
  4. Everett Sloane Mr. Bernstein
  5. Ray Collins Boss Jim Gettys
  6. George Coulouris Walter Parks Thatcher
  7. Agnes Moorehead
  8. Paul Stewart Raymond
  9. Ruth Warrick Emily Norton Kane
  10. Erskine Sanford
  11. William Alland
  12. Joseph Cotten Jedediah Leland
  13. Buddy Swan Kane as Child
  14. Joan Blair Georgia
  15. Edmund Cobb Enquirer Reporter
  16. Eddie Coke Reporter
  17. Gino Corrado Gino
  18. Herbert Corthell City Editor
  19. Louise Currie Reporter
  20. Pedro de Cordoba Kane senior

Directors

  1. Orson Welles

Producers

  1. Orson Welles

Writers

  1. Orson Welles
  2. Herman Mankiewicz

Watch your movie on...

  • Android Devices

    Your YouTube movie will play on Android tablets loaded with Honeycomb, like the Motorola Xoom.
    Learn more

  • Google TV

    Your YouTube movie will play on Google TV in the web browser.
    Learn more


If you've experienced an issue, please contact customer support or visit our Help Center

Citizen Kane (70th Anniversary)

You have 30 days to begin watching. Once started, you have 24 hours of viewing time. By purchasing, you agree to these terms.


ThumbnailPlay video in overlay9:48

Trailer for Citizen Kane (70th Anniversary)

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... 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 (Phil Van Zandt) sends reporter Jerry Thompson (William Alland) out with the assignment of uncovering the meaning behind the great man's dying thought. As Thompson interviews Kane's friends, family, and associates, we learn the facts of Kane's eventful and ultimately tragic life: his abandonment by his parents (Agnes Moorehead and Harry Shannon) after he becomes the heir to a silver mine; his angry conflicts with his guardian, master financier Walter Parks Thatcher (George Coulouris); his impulsive decision that "it would be fun to run a newspaper" with the help of school chum Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten) and loyal assistant Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloane); his rise from scandal sheet publisher to the owner of America's largest and most influential newspaper chain; his marriage to socially prominent Emily Norton (Ruth Warrick), whose uncle is the President of the United States; Kane's ambitious bid for public office, which is dashed along with his marriage when his opponent, corrupt political boss Jim Gettys (Ray Collins), reveals that Kane is having an affair with aspiring vocalist Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore); Kane's vain attempts to promote second wife Alexander as an opera star; and his final, self-imposed exile to a massive and never-completed pleasure palace called Xanadu. While Citizen Kane was a film full of distinguished debuts -- along with Welles, it was the first feature for Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, and Ruth Warrick -- the only Academy Award it received was for Best Original Screenplay, for which Welles shared credit with veteran screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz.

Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes

Scored 'fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes

100%Tomatometer score: 100% positive reviews from professional critics.

percent positive reviews

  1. Positive review
    Ben Walters, Time Out Many of the novel techniques Welles developed with cinematographer Gregg Toland were calculated to offer new angles on film space. Full review External link
  2. Positive review
    Toby Young, Times [UK] There's no denying that his bravura performance, both in front of the camera and behind it, is spellbindingly effective. Full review External link
  3. Positive review
    Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [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. Full review External link
  4. Positive review
    John C. Flinn Sr., Variety Welles has found the screen as effective for his unique showmanship as radio and the theatre. Full review External link
  5. Positive review
    Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader It is still the best place I know of to start thinking about Welles -- or for that matter about movies in general. Full review External link

Read more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

You might also like...

  1. Thumbnail

    A River Runs Through It

    PG 2:03:55 | 1992

    Robert Redford's lyrical direction sets the tone for this evocative adaptation of author Norman MacLean's memoir of his idyllic Montana youth. The MacLean family is presided over by the strict but encouraging Rev. MacLean (Tom Skerritt) and his loving wife (Brenda Blethyn). Craig Sheffer stars as the young Norman, the older son in his family, wh...

    Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Joseph Gordon-leavitt

  2. Thumbnail

    The New World

    2:15:28 | 2005

    Terrence Malick, the universally acclaimed American filmmaker responsible for the key 1970s features Badlands and Days of Heaven, returns for a rare directorial outing with the sweeping period piece The New World -- an epic dramatization of Pocahontas' relationships with John Smith and John Rolfe. Malick's story opens at the dawn of the 17th cen...

    Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer

  3. Thumbnail

    The Fish Child

    1:32:22 | 2009

    Lala, a teenager from the most exclusive suburban neighborhood in Argentina is in love with the Guayi, the 20-year-old Payaguayan maid working at her place. They dream of living together in Paraguay, at the shores of lake Ypoá. Robbing every purse and wallet in the house to fulfill their dream, hiding the money in a shoe box. But when the box is...

    InéS Efron, Mariela Vitale, Pep Munné, Diego VeláZquez, Carlos Bardem

  4. Thumbnail

    The Phantom of the Opera

    PG 1:31:23 | 1925

    Lon Chaney stars as Erik, the Phantom, in what is probably his most famous and certainly his most horrifying role. Produced by Universal, the film shot in 1923 and shelved for nearly two years, and was subjected to intensive studio tinkering. While many expected a disaster, the film turned out to be a rousing success. It was both the stepping of...

    Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry

  5. Thumbnail

    Taking Sides

    No labels 1:45:19 | 2001

    Set in Germany in 1946, Taking Sides tells the story of the investigation of Wilhelm Furtwängler (Stellan Skarsgård), the renowned conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras, by the American occupying army. Major Steve Arnold (Harvey Keitel) has been told by his superiors that they want Furtwängler convicted of being...

    Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard

  6. Thumbnail

    Garden Party

    1:28:11 | 2007

    Filmmaker Jason Freeland draws inspiration from the eponymous song for this tale of five lost souls attempting to navigate the treacherous urban landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. April is an ambitious beauty in search of success, but can she learn to get by and keep on her clothes at the same time? Sally St. Clair is a sexy realtor with a s...

    Willa Holland, Vinessa Shaw, Richard Gunn, Alexander Cendese, Erik Smith


YouTube Movie Extras

  1. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay9:46

    Orson Welles on Citizen Kane and Rosebud

    George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 -- October 10, 1985), best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, writer, actor, and producer, who worked ext...

    by THEBLACKPELICANS
  2. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay28:36

    Ruth Warrick - Archive Interview Part 3 of 9 TVLEGENDS

    Actress Ruth Warrick discusses her work in the movies "Citizen Kane", "Journey into Fear". This is part of a multi-segment oral history interview. For all...

    by tvoralhistory
  3. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay1:56

    Martin Scorsese On CITIZEN KANE

    Martin Scorsese talks about Orson Welles and CITIZEN KANE. AFI FACEBOOK APP: http://apps.facebook.com/afiytapp/ AFI FACEBOOK APP: http://apps.faceboo...

    by afi
  4. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay3:40

    Critics' Picks - 'Citizen Kane'

    A.O. Scott examines the themes of power and isolation in Orson Welles's 1941 film about a newspaper baron. Please visit http://nyti.ms/dNEWbT to embed this ...

    by TheNewYorkTimes
  5. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay2:09

    CITIZEN KANE: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION - ROSEBUD

    Available on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand, and for Download 9/13! http://bit.ly/rlVzkB Like us on Facebook http://on.fb.me/qg5Xlo

    by WarnerBrosOnline
  6. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay2:03

    CITIZEN KANE: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION - DEATH

    Available on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand, and for Download 9/13! http://bit.ly/rlVzkB Like us on Facebook http://on.fb.me/qg5Xlo

    by WarnerBrosOnline
  7. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay1:51

    Citizen Kane - (Movie Clip) I Think It Would Be Fun

    Charles Foster Kane (eventually writer, director and star Orson Welles) grows up and gets into the newspaper business, commentary throughout by his trustee T...

    by TurnerClassicMovies
  8. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay2:22

    Citizen Kane - (Movie Clip)

    An example of Gregg Toland's deep-focus cinematography in Citizen Kane (1941) using a mixture of focused foreground and background in the same sequence.

    by TurnerClassicMovies
  9. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay5:10

    Bernard Herrmann: A master of movie music

    June 29, 2011 marks the 100th birthday of Bernard Herrmann, one of America's most innovative composers. In addition to his work for CBS Radio and the concert...

    by CBSNewsOnline
  10. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay6:01

    Orson Welles Accepts the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1975

    The legendary Orson Welles accepts the 3rd AFI Life Achievement Award in 1975. CONNECT WITH AFI: http://AFI.com http://twitter.com/AmericanFilm http://...

    by afi
  11. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay1:36

    Peter Bogdonovich On Orson Welles and Black & White Film

    Director Peter Bogdonovich talks about Orson Welles and the use of black & white film. AFI FACEBOOK APP: http://apps.facebook.com/afiytapp/ CONNECT WI...

    by afi
  12. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay2:38

    Citizen Kane - (Movie Clip)

    Whether it was an intentional homage or not, Citizen Kane (1941) bears similarities on a visual level with the Peter Lorre horror film, Mad Love.

    by TurnerClassicMovies
  13. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay0:08

    Roseburger

    It may not seem like much these days, but to gain a true appreciation for "Roseburger" you have to look at it in the context of film history to see what boun...

    by 5secondfilms

    Roseburger

  14. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay2:09

    Orson Welles "Tha Godfather of Hip-Hop"

    Not many people know that a lot of famous hip-hop lyrics actually originate from actor/director Orson Welles. We recently discovered this rare footage of Ors...

    by blamesocietyfilms
  15. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay3:47

    Citizen Frog

    He was one of the most intriguing and charismatic figures of the 20th Century. His dying words left a enduring mystery! One intrepid reporter makes it his qu...

    by ArtistsInExile13

    Citizen Frog

  16. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay0:59

    Steven Spielberg on CITIZEN KANE

    In this interview with AFI, Steven Spielberg discusses CITIZEN KANE.

    by afi
  17. ThumbnailPlay video in overlay1:57

    Frame By Frame: Deep Focus

    University of Nebraska-Lincoln Film Professor Wheeler Winston Dixon digs into the history of "deep focus," a cinematic technique in which objects in the fore...

    by unl
Unsaved Playlist (0) Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...