Orson Welles - Citizen Kane (1941)

Multimillionaire newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane dies alone in his extravagant mansion, Xanadu, speaking a single word: "Rosebud". In an attempt to figure out the meaning of this word, a reporter tracks down the people who worked and lived with Kane; they tell their stories in a series of flashbacks that reveal much about Kane's life but not enough to unlock the riddle of his dying breath.
Un importante financiero estadounidense, dueño de una importante cadena de periódicos, de una red de emisoras, de dos sindicatos y de una inimaginable colección de obras de arte, muere en su fabuloso castillo de estilo oriental, Xanadú. La última palabra que pronuncia al expirar es ”Rosebud”. El país entero y la prensa en general quedan intrigados por saber el significado de esta palabra. Para descubrirlo, un grupo de periodistas se pone a investigar.




Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, and the first feature film directed by Orson Welles. It was nominated for an Academy Award in nine categories, but won only for Best Original Screenplay by Herman Mankiewicz and Welles. It was released by RKO Pictures.

The story is a fictionalized pastiche of the life of William Randolph Hearst and Welles' own life. Upon its release, Hearst prohibited mention of the film in any of his newspapers. The film traces the life and career of Charles Foster Kane, a man whose career in the publishing world is born of idealistic social service, but gradually evolves into a ruthless pursuit of power. Narrated principally through flashbacks, the story is revealed through the research of a newspaper reporter seeking to solve the mystery of the newspaper magnate's dying word: "Rosebud."




Citizen Kane is often cited as being one of the most innovative works in the history of film. The American Film Institute placed it at number one in its list of the 100 greatest U.S. movies of all time in 1997 and again in the revised list of 2007. In a recent poll of film critics and directors conducted by the British Film Institute, Citizen Kane was ranked the number one best film of all time by both groups.




Aging newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies in his sprawling Florida estate after uttering a single, enigmatic final word - "Rosebud" - and newsreel producer Rawlston (Phil Van Zandt) sends reporter Jerry Thompson (William Alland) out with the assignment of uncovering the meaning behind the great man's dying thought. As Thompson interviews Kane's friends, family, and associates, we learn the facts of Kane's eventful and ultimately tragic life: his abandonment by his parents (Agnes Moorehead and Harry Shannon) after he becomes the heir to a silver mine; his angry conflicts with his guardian, master financier Walter Parks Thatcher (George Coulouris); his impulsive decision that "it would be fun to run a newspaper" with the help of school chum Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten) and loyal assistant Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloane); his rise from scandal sheet publisher to the owner of America's largest and most influential newspaper chain; his marriage to socially prominent Emily Norton (Ruth Warrick), whose uncle is the President of the United States; Kane's ambitious bid for public office, which is dashed along with his marriage when his opponent, corrupt political boss Jim Gettys (Ray Collins), reveals that Kane is having an affair with aspiring vocalist Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore); Kane's vain attempts to promote second wife Alexander as an opera star; and his final, self-imposed exile to a massive and never-completed pleasure palace called Xanadu.
While Citizen Kane was a film full of distinguished debuts -along with Welles', it was the first feature for Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, and Ruth Warrick- the only Academy Award it received was for Best Original Screenplay, for which Welles shared credit with veteran screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz.

My rip, from the NTSC DVD5.
IMO, an upgrade from the film found at http://www.avaxhome.ws/video/citizen_kane.html




En Xanadu, su paraíso, acaba de fallecer Charles Foster Kane. Un noticiario da cuenta de la personalidad del multimillonario, de su imperio económico, su cadena de diarios, emisoras y fábricas. De sus ambiciones políticas, finalmente frustradas. De su vida sentimental con Emily Norton, sobrina del presidente de los Estados Unidos con la que se casó. Y de su idilio con una atractiva cantante, para quien construyó un teatro de la ópera. Todo se sabe de Kane menos una cosa ¿qué significa "Rosebud", la palabra que pronunció justo antes de morir? Un periodista inicia una investigación al respecto, entrevistado a todas aquellas personas allegadas al fallecido.



Script/Guión: Orson Welles, Herman J. Mankiewicz and John Houseman (uncredited)
Music/Sonido: Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography/Fotografía: Gregg Toland (B&W)
Cast/Reparto: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, William Alland, Paul Stewart, Fortunio Bonanova