This is one of the best movies ever made.

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2001)

Listed as one of the best movies ever made and #1 on the American Film Institute's list of greatest movies, this is a remarkable movie for a number of reasons. Wells made this movie when he was only in his mid twenties! RKO studio's gave him full run of the studio's facilities, yet he'd never made a movie in his life. Most of the cast were friends of his from his radio days in New York. The obvious real-life Kane, William Randolph Hearst, did everything in his (considerable) power to stop the movie. He nearly succeeded. Refusing to show the movie at any of his theaters, it was could only be seen at a few RKO movie houses. Had the movie played on more screens at its release, it would have been much more successful. Wells won an Oscar for the screenplay (his only one) but credit must be shared with Herman Mankiewicz.