Citizen Kane (1941)

Genre

Drama | Mystery

Director

Orson Welles

Country

United States

Cast

Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, George Coulouris, Agnes Moorehead, Paul Stewart, Ruth Warrick, Erskine Sanford, William Alland, Harry Shannon, Georgia Backus, Fortunio Bonanova, Sonny Bupp, Buddy Swan, Gus Schilling, Philip Van Zandt, Charles Bennett

Plot

A group of reporters are trying to decipher the last word ever spoken by Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), the millionaire newspaper tycoon: "Rosebud".

Opinion

Citizen Kane is many things. It is the first film directed by and starring Orson Welles, rising star of the world cinema at the time. It is an excellent and chaotic series of flashbacks. It is the outstanding story of an outstanding man. In short, it is a timeless masterpiece, one of the best films ever made.
The cinematography is outstanding: the ceiling oppresses, and the wide angle isolates the subject. In this film nothing, or almost nothing, is natural, starting from the lights coming from impossible sources.
The mystery keeps the viewers glued to the screen, and the solution is meaningful: facing such an important life, nothing remains but a burning piece of wood.

Quotes

Bernstein: Old age. It's the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don't look forward to being cured of.

Bernstein: A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl.

Rating

10/10