Citizen Kane
Newspaper magnate's biography
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American film directed by and starring Orson Welles, widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.
The film follows a journalist investigating the life of a wealthy newspaper magnate after his death.
Its innovative cinematography and narrative structure influenced generations of filmmakers.
In casual use, calling something the Citizen Kane of its category marks it as the definitive or most acclaimed example: Dark Souls is the Citizen Kane of video games.
- RosebudUnopened flower of a thorny shrub
- XanaduLegendary pleasure palace
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- montageAssembled sequence of images
nonlinear · flashback · mise-en-scène · chiaroscuro · dissolve · long take · narrative structure · expressionism
Unopened flower of a thorny shrub
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- newsreelShort theatrical news film
journalist · investigation · sled · childhood · loss · memory · puzzle · nonlinear
Supreme artistic achievement
- classicOf lasting excellence
- Golden AgeLegendary period of perfection
- HollywoodAmerican film industry center
- 1941Early forties year
AFI · influential · black-and-white · timeless · iconic · landmark · groundbreaking · debut
Dominant industrial leader
- mogulInfluential industry leader
- publisherCompany releasing books
- ambitionDesire for achievement
- hubrisRuinous excessive confidence
loneliness · corruption · rise and fall · ego · isolation · wealth · power · tragedy
Printed periodical of current events
- yellow journalismReporting prioritizing shock value
- publisherCompany releasing books
- HearstAmerican media dynasty
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
editorial · headline · press baron · propaganda · sensationalism · circulation · media empire · newsroom
US ethos of opportunity
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
innocence lost · materialism · identity · legacy · mortality · love · betrayal · disillusionment
Orson Welles
- RosebudUnopened flower of a thorny shrub
- XanaduLegendary pleasure palace
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
montage · nonlinear · flashback · mise-en-scène · chiaroscuro · dissolve · long take · narrative structure · expressionism · innovative
Rosebud
Unopened flower of a thorny shrub
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
newsreel · journalist · investigation · sled · childhood · loss · memory · puzzle · nonlinear · deathbed
masterpiece
Supreme artistic achievement
- classicOf lasting excellence
- Golden AgeLegendary period of perfection
- HollywoodAmerican film industry center
1941 · AFI · influential · black-and-white · timeless · iconic · landmark · groundbreaking · debut · controversial
tycoon
Dominant industrial leader
hubris · loneliness · corruption · rise and fall · ego · isolation · wealth · power · tragedy · narcissism
newspaper
Printed periodical of current events
- yellow journalismReporting prioritizing shock value
- publisherCompany releasing books
- HearstAmerican media dynasty
tabloid · editorial · headline · press baron · propaganda · sensationalism · circulation · media empire · newsroom · muckraking
American Dream
US ethos of opportunity
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
nostalgia · innocence lost · materialism · identity · legacy · mortality · love · betrayal · disillusionment · emptiness
- classicsHomer, Iliad, the Iliad, Odyssey, the Odyssey
- Orson Welles FilmsOthello, Macbeth, The Trial
- cinemafilm, films, film studios, movies, movie
- Classic FilmsCasablanca, Gone with the Wind, Some Like It Hot, Vertigo, Rear Window
- MasterpiecesMona Lisa, Last Supper, Starry Night, The Scream, David
- 1930s filmsGone with the Wind, King Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula, Snow White
Citizen Kanedocumentary
Factual film about reality
newsreel · cinéma vérité · archival footage · reality television · home movies