Citizen Kane
Director: Orson Welles Run Time: 119 min. Rating: PG Release Year: 1941
Starring: Dorothy Comingore, George Coulouris, Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Ray Collins
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.”
“The sheer brilliance and audacity of Citizen Kane… make the film the most astounding cinematic achievement of the season. It ranks with Disney’s Fantasia as a milestone in motion picture technique.” ~ Marjory Adams, Boston Globe
Sight & Sound Rank #3