CITIZEN KANE

No movie in history highlights the collaborative nature of this artform more, as both cast and crew show boundless ambition … and pull it off.

Often cited as the best movie ever made Citizen Kane has an immense reputation to live up to. But watching it again, on the eve of its 80th birthday, I can only say that all the superlatives usually bestowed on the film are completely merited.

This is a perfect storm of a supremely talented bunch of people delivering their best work under the guidance of a ferociously ambitious newcomer to the movies.

Herman Mankiewicz's ingenious story structure, Gregg Toland's masterful deep-focus cinematography, the eclectic Mercury Theatre cast, the grand production design, Bernard Herrmann's memorable music and the finely timed touch of editor Robert Wise, are all working perfectly in sync to serve the narrative.

So even if many people relate Citizen Kane's greatness directly to Orson Welles, I would say the opposite. No movie in history highlights the collaborative nature of this artform more. In that sense, Citizen Kane really is the greatest picture ever made.

release: 1941

director: Orson Welles

starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane