Cast and Crew:   Joseph Cotton, Agnes  Moorehead, Everett Sloane

What It’s About: When newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies, his last words are “Rosebud”.  A newsreel reporter (William Alland) talks to the people who knew Kane to see if he can find out what it means.

Why Watch it Today?: William Randolph Hearst was born today in 1863.  Writer, director and star Welles and his co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz famously based Charles Foster Kane’s life on elements from Hearst’s, and Hearst ensured that the film received only a brief release.  Citizen Kane was enormously influential and innovative, and is still one of the best, if not the best, rise-and-fall films, with an amazing cast from the Mercury Theater, soundtrack by Bernard Hermann, cinematography by Gregg Toland, editing by Robert Wise, all newcomers or near-newcomers to film, making their achievement all the more amazing.

Where to Get It:  Your local library, iTunes, Netflix or Amazon