Citizen Kane (1941)

After the death of publishing magnate Charles Foster Kane, a young reporter sets out to decode the meaning of his last, enigmatic word: "Rosebud." What follows is a reporter-led investigation that stitches together a life from the memories of those who knew Kane—friends, lovers, rivals—unspooling his meteoric rise from an impoverished boy to a powerful newspaper baron and the personal compromises that accompany his success. Watching Citizen Kane is both an intellectual puzzle and an emotional experience. The story unfolds largely in flashback, so you’ll be piecing together contradictory perspectives as the film deliberately withholds a single, simple explanation. Visually, the movie is striking: moody black-and-white cinematography, deep-focus shots, dramatic low-angle framing and inventive editing create an atmosphere of grandeur and decay. Orson Welles’s towering central performance and the ensemble’s varied recollections reveal a man at once charismatic and deeply lonely, whose wealth and influence fail to fill the void left by lost innocence and broken relationships. Expect a slow-burning, richly textured drama that doubles as a mystery about memory, power, and the American dream. The film’s innovations in storytelling and camera work make it as much a landmark in cinema craft as it is a compelling character study—engaging both your curiosity about the central riddle and your sympathy for the flawed figure at its core.

Actors: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore

Director: Orson Welles

Runtime: 119 min

Genres: Drama, Mystery

8.2 /10 100 /100 8.3 /10 8.8 /10