Rightly regarded as a groundbreaking masterpiece, Orson Welles’ debut remains a monumental achievement, its imaginative scope amply repaying countless viewings.
Seldom seen on the big screen in recent years, Welles’ witty, gripping film famously views the controversial life of the late Charles Foster Kane (Welles) – a media tycoon partly inspired by William Randolph Hearst – from the sometimes contradictory perspectives of his friends, employees and mistress. It’s an extraordinary work, not just technically (Gregg Toland’s cinematography, Bernard Herrmann’s score, the editing, design and quietly bravura direction are all superb); but in its dramatic sophistication and thematic richness. An affecting meditation on memory, self-knowledge, solitude and mortality; a wry reflection on fame, fortune and the spirit of America; an exhilarating exploration of the artistic possibilities of the film medium – Citizen Kane is all this… and so very much more.
– Geoff Andrew
Opens Fri 30 Oct: » London, BFI Southbank
Part of the Of Dreams and Cities: Architecture in
Film season at BFI Southbank
» Edinburgh, Filmhouse
» Newcastle, Tyneside Cinema
» Glasgow Film Theatre
From Fri 13 Nov: » Irish Film Centre, Dublin
Sun 15 Nov: » Rex, Berkhamsted
From Fri 27 Nov: » Cambridge Arts Picturehouse
From Tue 1 Dec: » Phoenix, Leicester
Wed 9 Dec: » Riverside Studios, Hammersmith
From Fri 11 Dec: » Queens Film Theatre, Belfast
» Cornerhouse, Manchester
Sat 12 - Sun 13 Dec: » Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds
From Fri 18 Dec: » Plymouth Arts Centre
Sat 19 - Sun 20 Dec: » Electric Birmingham
ORSON WELLES 'CITIZEN KANE'
THE MERCURY ACTORS
ORSON WELLES, JOSEPH COTTEN, EVERETT SLOANE, DOROTHY COMINGORE, RUTH WARRICK, RAY COLLINS, GEORGE COULOURIS, AGNES MOOREHEAD
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
HERMAN J. MANKIEWICZ, ORSON WELLES
PHOTOGRAPHY GREGG TOLAND, A.S.C
EDITOR ROBERT WISE
ART DIRECTION VAN NEST POLGLASE
MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY
BERNARD HERRMANN
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY ORSON WELLES
MERCURY PRODUCTIONS RKO RADIO PICTURES
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This 4-disc collection includes the classic film noir titles Fallen Angel (1945, Otto Preminger), Whirlpool (1949, Otto Preminger), Night and the City (1950, Jules Dassin) and Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950, Otto Preminger). With their combination of intrigue, moral ambiguity and stylised black and white photography, these essential noirs exemplify the very best that this much loved Hollywood genre has to offer. This release is accompanied with a fully illustrated booklet carrying essays on all titles.
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