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Citizen Kane

Play trailer 3:44 Poster for Citizen Kane PG Released May 1, 1941 1h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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99% Tomatometer 133 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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Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane

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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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Critics Reviews

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Tom Huddleston Time Out It remains as witty, tragic, unlikely, unique and fascinating as ever. Rated: 5/5 Dec 12, 2024 Full Review Wendy Ide The Times (UK) Genuinely innovative film-making. Jan 18, 2024 Full Review Ida Belle Hicks Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com 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. Mar 2, 2021 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times Utterly unmissable. Rated: 5/5 Jul 1, 2024 Full Review Noah Gittell Washington City Paper Kane innovated several filmmaking techniques. The film pioneered a genre. Sep 14, 2023 Full Review Manuel São Bento MSB Reviews 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. Rated: A+ Jul 24, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Vidhu K Each camera gesture, each cut has such an exuberance that never lets up. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/23/25 Full Review randomshjt 2. Quite possibly the most overrated film of all time and it’s really boring Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/20/25 Full Review C D Ok so whoever Tyler L is who wrote that 1 star review is a dum dum Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/15/25 Full Review Tyler L. Horrible worst movie I’ve ever seen Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/02/25 Full Review Steve W Bit odd pacing at times and a little dated, but brilliant for its time. Worth a watch! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/25 Full Review Anna B Einer der besten Filme, die ich je gesehen habe. Großartige und innovative Techniken. Besondere Kameraführung und Schnitttechnik. Wegweisend für die folgenden Generationen!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/27/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Citizen Kane

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Movie Info

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
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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