Citizen Kane

By Maddalena Dottori
05.06.2009

Citizen Kane (1941) is the first feature film directed by the young (he was only 25) and very talented Orson Welles. Nominated for a staggering nine Academy Awards, Citizen Kane is undoubtedly Welles' best film. The movie tells the story of fictitious US publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane. Welles got inspiration for the story from real life press baron William Randolph Hearst, who was reportedly very offended by this characterisation of his life.

Following Kane's death, news reporter Jerry Thompson is assigned to investigate and decipher the meaning of the very last word uttered by the magnate on his death bed: 'Rosebud' Thompson talks to key figures in Kane's life, such as Mr. Bernstein, chief executive of his media empire, and Jedediah Leland, Kane's best (and only) friend, who followed him from the start in his business and political venture and, through a series of flashbacks, Kane's gripping story is gradually unravelled. This tale of a fast and quite precocious rise to extreme wealth and power, followed by a painful descent into isolation and death is the plot of a classic American tragedy and Welles, alongside a terrific cast, masterfully portrays it. Since its release nearly 70 years ago, Citizen Kane has been voted 'best film ever made' by many, including the British Film Institute, Time magazine and the American Film institute. A real must-see.