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Oct 11, 2020 · We ranked the best Orson Welles movies based on three criteria: acting, story, and direction. Each of the films on this list was directed by Welles — and many star him in the leading role.
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks. 10 titles. Sort by List order. 1. Citizen Kane. 1941 1h 59m PG. 8.3 (468K) Rate. 100 Metascore. Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.' Director Orson Welles Stars Orson Welles Joseph Cotten Dorothy Comingore. 2.
- 8 Mr. Arkadin
- 7 The Lady from Shanghai
- 6 The Trial
- 5 The Magnificent Ambersons
- 4 F For Fake
- 3 Chimes at Midnight
- 2 Touch of Evil
- 1 Citizen Kane
In Mr. Arkadin, Guy Van Stratten, an American smuggler working in Europe, finds Munich resident Jakob Zouk and warns him of a plot against his life. Zouk is terminally ill, so he doesn’t care about the news, but Stratten reveals his past through a series of flashbacks depicting why he wants Zouk to live. Stratten had previously been given a tip abo...
The Lady From Shanghai is a noir film based on the book If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King. In New York City, sailor Michael O’Hara saves Elsa from an attack on the coach she was riding in, escorting her home and discovering that she and her husband Arthur Bannister, a criminal defense attorney, recently arrived from Shanghai and are on their ...
Based on the Franz Kafka book of the same name, The Trialis about Josef K., who finds himself in trouble with the law when he doesn’t remember committing a crime. What’s even worse is that no one will tell him what he’s even been accused of, so he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to stand for himself in trial. It begins when several detectives enter ...
The Magnificent Ambersons is one of many Welles films that was heavily edited by the film studio. Recovered notes show what Welles had intended, but the lost footage remains lost, including the original ending that the studio re-shot. Nonetheless, the picture we have remains a masterpiece beloved by many. The movie chronicles The Ambersons, the wea...
The docudrama F for Fake is a wonderful example of Welles' experimental late career, where he played around with cinematic form and the medium of documentary. The film is about chicanery, fakery, magic, and illusions, something Welles is personally interested in as a filmmaker. Much of the picture follows the life of Elmyr de Hory, a famous art for...
The comedy drama Chimes at Midnight is based on some works of Shakespeare, most explicitly influenced by Henry IV. However, Welles made it to take a closer look at one of Shakespeare’s recurring characters, Sir John Falstaff. In the film, Falstaff has taken on a fatherly role in Prince Hal’s life, the son of King Henry IV. They spend a lot of time ...
The film noir piece Touch of Evil starts with a bomb exploding on the U.S.-Mexico border, destroying a car and killing the two people who were inside, in what remains one of the greatest single-take tracking shotsin movie history. Prosecutor Miguel Vargas (played wonderfully by Charlton Heston), who was on his honeymoon with his wife, takes an inte...
Arguably the best of Welles' films, Citizen Kane happens to be his first. The film has a biographical feel despite the main character, Charles Foster Kane, being entirely fictional. He was based on several people, including media barons like Joseph Pulitzer, Chicago tycoons like Harold McCormic, and parts of the screenwriters’ lives as well. Upon t...
May 31, 2024 · Over 400 filmgoers have voted on the 90+ films on Best Orson Welles Movies. Current Top 3: Touch of Evil, Citizen Kane, The Third Man
- F for Fake (1973) F for Fake is a riveting and masterful work of art from the legendary filmmaker Orson Welles. This documentary-style film explores the concepts of truth, authenticity, and deception through the lives and stories of several fascinating characters, including famous art forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving.
- The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) “The Magnificent Ambersons” is a masterpiece of classic Hollywood filmmaking. Directed by the legendary Orson Welles, this film tells the story of a once-great family’s decline in a rapidly changing world.
- Touch of Evil (1958) Touch of Evil is a classic film noir masterpiece that delivers suspense, intrigue, and a powerful message about corruption and justice.
- Citizen Kane (1941) Citizen Kane is a true masterpiece of American cinema, directed by the legendary Orson Welles. The film tells the story of Charles Foster Kane, a wealthy and powerful newspaper magnate whose life is explored through a series of flashbacks after his death.
#1. Critics Consensus: Orson Welles's epic tale of a publishing tycoon's rise and fall is entertaining, poignant, and inventive in its storytelling, earning its reputation as a landmark...
May 7, 2020 · Here are Orson Welles' 10 best movies, according to IMDb. Othello (1951) - 7.6 Welles directed, adapted, and starred in this Palme d'Or-winning adaptation of Shakespeare 's play.
