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Insomnia Cinema: Citizen Kane (1941) - Uncut Version (Patreon)

Published:
2026-07-18 18:49:21
Imported:
2026-08

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  • 701096344.mp4

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Content

Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ruth Warrick, George Coulouris

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Comments

Clare Manion

Kevin! I’m so happy you’re watching this! Can’t wait to hear what you think :)

Sammy Fan

I broke down and watched this again last week because I never thought you'd get to this. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Erin Mileur

Thank you for this surprise gift I love this movie and am so happy to hear your thoughts.

Jonathan

There is a 1999 movie about the making of this film RKO 281 with an all star cast featuring the war between Hearst and Orson Wells over this movie.

Ashley Thomas

nice choice. i watched this whole movie in my photography class in high school (back when they had b&w film photography and darkrooms in schools) and we studied the camera angles and lighting and stuff.

David Adler

You should check out MANK on Netflix. From a few years ago, about the co-writer of Kane. Flawed but extremely entertaining. I went to Hearst Castle once as a kid in 1975, with my father and first stepmother, who would be 100 and 113 years old now. That WAS the Xanadu in this film. It was, and still is, an insane monument to empty wealth. ☮️💟👊

Chris Warner

The sign pulls apart as the camera passes through it.

Jeff

There has been so much written and discussed about this film, so it's impossible to address all of your thoughts and questions at one time. So here are a few thoughts of my own: Orson Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland used "deep focus" for many of those impressive shots. I don't know enough about the technology of film to explain it, but they popularized the technique here. Susan Alexander was based on actress and comedienne Marion Davies. While Hearst did help her to get more roles in movies, unlike her fictional counterpart, she was extremely talented and popular. Welles later regretted that the movie portrayal negatively affected how the public viewed Davies. Hearst Castle at San Simeon is open to the public, but none of the movie was filmed there. Some of the exterior shots of Xanadu were filmed at Balboa Park in San Diego. Orson Welles was only 26 when he made this film. Most of his experience had been in the theater, so the fact that he could create such a masterpiece of film is a testament to his genius. Here's a clip from "The Dick Cavett Show" in which Welles discusses the making of "Citizen Kane": youtube.com/watch?v=kLf0qFckh7o&list=WL&index=14

David Adler

When Trump was asked during his first run what he thought of Citizen Kane, he replied Kane's problem was that he didn't marry the right wife. That's the entirety of what he took from it. Not surprising. Hell, you could find a smart middle school kid with a more intelligent response. Literally.

David Adler

And a little more than slightly ahead of its time. Astonishingly so.

Pam Nail

Most of the exteriors of Xanadu were filmed in Balboa Park in San Diego.

Clare Manion

Isn’t this spectacular? Every part of it - writing, acting, makeup, cinematography, editing - it’s all above and beyond. And to think Welles made this when he was 25. Absolutely insane. Also, I think you nailed it - this is indeed *the* blueprint for the modern billionaire sociopath, trying to fill an emotional hole with stuff and superficial admiration…. it reminds me of those memes I’ve seen floating around saying something to the effect of “some men will do literally anything other than go to therapy.” And I know it wasn’t as much of thing then. But it is now, and yet… here we are.

Erin Mileur

The reporter interviewing Kane during the newsreel is the films cinematographer Gregg Toland.

David Adler

And Kane's mother who sells him off is played by Agnes Moorehead. If you're a cat my age you knew her as Endora, the mother of Samantha on the sitcom "Bewitched."

Ashley Thomas

woah i never caught that! i loved bewitched as a kid.

Youtalkingtome

I I just looked at a bunch of photos pf it. What an obscene display of wealth. Just soulless.

Youtalkingtome

What a fascinating assignment! It's a perfect film photographically.

Youtalkingtome

Thanks for sharing that! He seems like a really warm, jovial man from that interview. I was absolutely blown away by some of those deep shots that were somehow completely in focus throughout.

Youtalkingtome

The cinematography and photography were breathtaking for the time.

Youtalkingtome

I just looked at a series of photos of the park. That is such a clever location to use to fill in shots of Kane's palace. Just a genius film all the way around.

Youtalkingtome

I love how, for nearly a century, in film and literature we see these disgustingly wealthy American oligarchs, miserably hoarding wealth and power. All of them completely miserable, but all of them are portrayed as monomaniacal geniuses. And yet the most malignant of them all, whom we live with everyday, is actually an utter buffoon. It's the one detail the artists got wrong.

Youtalkingtome

I just watched a clip of Welles talking about working with Toland. So cool.

Youtalkingtome

It is magnificent! It instantly shot high on my list of favorite films. I feel silly, though. I was so mesmerized by the story and film-making genius, I completely forgot to talk about how wonderful Welles' performance was. What an incredible feat this was from him.

Toc

WOW! When I suggested Citizen Kane for an Insomnia Cinema pick the other day, never did I think you were going to post it two days later!!!! Don't know if this is coincidence or if my big mouth had something to do with it.........all I know is i'm dropping EVERYTHING to watch this right now!!!! What a channel!!!!

vala p

I took a class once where we watched this movie and one insufferable dink kept complaining that everything was a cliche and nothing was original and it took a bit of time to explain to him that the reason all of these types shots look familiar is because people have been copying and emulating this movie for years and this was the original.

vala p

So, I am a weirdo and have been for years. I used to listen to radio productions at swim meets. My favorite were Mercury Theater shows. Orson Welles was a master story teller in all kinds of media. If anyone is curious I recommend seeking them out. Most people have heard of War of the Worlds but there are many more. And a lot of the Mercury Players are in this movie.

Ashley Thomas

yeah its really impressively done. welles said he didnt know any better sionce it was his first film so he asked the camera man to do things that no one was doing and the guy was so good he did them. it was nice watching it as a class because the teacher really went into detail about the shots and talked us through things. not sure i would have finished the movie as a 16 year old if i had been on my own. i understood it and thought it was good but i didnt have the cultural context or full appreciation i had looking at it as an adult.

vala p

I can't imagine making the greatest movie of all time at the age of 25, where do you go from there? No wonder Orson Welles had such a hard life he was competing with himself forever. Well that and he was a bit of an egotistical jerk.

Sarah Fox

Loved your reaction but I’m a bit disappointed you cut off the end cast credits with the introduction of the Mercury Players. All were great actors you’ll see pop up in many movies in the upcoming decades.

Youtalkingtome

I had been meaning to watch for a while, and when I saw your note, I thought "yeah, it's really past time I watched it." So, thank you!

Actuarial Lurker

Technically brilliant- always considered the story a bit puffed-up.... The cinematography, sound work of cold lifeless foot steps on the tiles of the over-sized rooms of an empty "castle" which really is a spiritual tomb, 100 foot long shadows and other lighting breakthroughs make the geek in me happy.... Never liked the pacing...and the shallow, dated 1930s style "over-acting".... I disagree with people who say "its the best film ever made" but DO agree with those who say it may be the "best made film, ever..." I think our generation is jaded: we already know that "populism" is shallow....in 1941 they were starting to with the cult of personality around FDR, Hitler, Stalin. With our post-WW2 experience of living through politicians like Reagan, Clinton, Obama and Trump who were ALL all empty vessels and sound bites the movie is preaching to the converted....

acidnova

Great reaction! This is now my second time watching since I hadn't watched it since I was in my 20s. I enjoyed it then but I enjoyed it much more now. People have already commented about how ahead of its time it was, I'd like to mention the ceilings. This isn't the first movie to show ceilings in a shot but prior to this, showing a ceiling in film was rare since most of the time movies were shot on soundstages. Location shooting was not common. But as you can see, there are quite a LOT of ceiling shots in this film (like when they're in the newpaper office) so it's well worth noting that the extensive use of on-location shooting was also a really big deal for the time.

Actuarial Lurker

That's quite diagnostic....in his mind, everyone should be there to further the lead's ambitions....

Actuarial Lurker

The Panama Canal, Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines and Cuba were the "spoils" of the Spanish American War....

Toban Allison

A couple notes on the filmmaking: - The shot in which the camera appears to pass through the nightclub sign was achieved using a concealed hinged section that opened as the camera approached, allowing it to pass through before transitioning into the interior shot. - One reason the film still feels visually modern in its shot composition and cinematography is that the filmmakers moved away from the Hollywood convention of building sets without ceilings. Many of the film’s ceilings were made from fabric so that microphones could remain hidden while making dramatic low-angle shots possible. - The editor of the film is Robert Wise, who directed West Side Story and Sound of Music, as well as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which I'd love to see you guys react to). The trailers and commercials for that film were voiced by *drumroll*... Orson Welles.

Mariska Costeris

That was great, very much enjoyed this. I’d seen it before but it was a long time ago and I really didn’t remember it being so resonant with our times. People have not changed I guess.

David Adler

It's worth a visit if you're ever in San Simeon. I remember it overwhelming me, the indoor pool, so elaborate and tiled and mirrored, scared the hell out of me for some reason. Then you keep heading north for Big Sur, the most beautiful stretch of driveable coast in America, IMHO.

ScarlettMi

I think the thing that resonated about Susan/Marion was that Kane/Hearst pushed them away from the kind of performances that they were most drawn to and towards something they thought was more prestigious. Susan’s mother wanted her to sing opera, but she said that wasn’t her style of singing. Marion was an enormously talented comedic actress, but Hearst pushed her into historical dramas instead.

Erin Mileur

It actually cost less than what you might think a lot was accomplished using Matt paintings, miniatures, and various other camera tricks.

Toban Allison

Neglected to mention in my previous comment that re: your note about Raiders--the imagery at the end isn't the only link between the two films. The original Rosebud prop is currently owned by Steven Spielberg.

Erin Mileur

Keeping in everything in focus was accomplished by the cinematographer Gregg Toland doing was is called Deep Focus photography where things in the foreground and background are all in focus. Gregg Toland was a master of that technique.

kosmickrab

I appreciate the Newsradio shout out, Kevin. Underappreciated show.

Guy Francisco Polin

So, it's bugging me. How come you and Joe don't do a joint watch of this? Is it because Joe has already seen it?