Citizen Kane, 1941

Have you seen this classic film? Citizen Kane is about a rich man on his death bed, remembering his life.  

While young Charles Foster Kane plays on his sled in the snow, his mother, played by Agnes Moorehead, hands him over to be raised by Mr. Thatcher, a Wall Street financier, who will manage the boy’s newfound wealth. As an adult, Kane, played by Orson Welles, is in charge of his own money, and he decides to run a newspaper, among other things.

Citizen Kane could have been about any millionaire tycoon who runs or ruins the lives of those around him as he sees fit. However, the similarities to William Randolph Hearst created enough tension to build a decades-long feud between Hearst and Welles, which contributed to the movie’s low box office  sales.  

This was Orson Welles’ first film to be seen by the public. He was only 26 years old at the time. Although the film didn’t make any money (because of the feud), it was highly praised. The film had nine Oscar nominations, but the only Academy Award received for this film was for Best Writing Original Screenplay, which went to Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. Welles is quoted as saying, “I started at the top and worked down.”