On October 10, 1985—exactly thirty years ago—one of the most talented legends of cinema passed away: Orson Welles. And since he was born in 1915, this year also marked the centennial of his birth. The occasion was too good to pass up: a spotlight on Mr. Citizen Kane, during your next language study trip to the USA with LEC.
Orson Welles, Wisconsin's child prodigy
Orson Welles was born in the American Midwest, specifically in Wisconsin, a state you may have the pleasure of discovering during your language study trip to the USA. Coming from a family of artists, he was introduced at a very young age to the performing arts andentertainment, so dear to the land of Uncle Sam.
From theater to film, via radio
Having left early for Europe to pursue his passion for Shakespearean theater, he returned to the United States, where he achieved great success on the radio, notably with his—very loose—adaptation of The War of the Worlds, which caused a (brief) panic across the country! But it was in 1939 that he entered the annals of cinema history, never to leave them: with RKO, he filmed Citizen Kane, still considered today one of the greatest feature films ever made.
Which films stand out from Orson Welles’s long career?
The career of this undisputed master of cinema—sometimes an actor, sometimes a director—was marked by ups and downs. A genius whose talent was recognized only late in life, he never had the full resources he needed to fully express his talent. Aside from the timeless *Citizen Kane*, he is best remembered for:
- The Splendor of the Amberson Family
- The Lady from Shanghai
- Othello
- The Thirst for Evil
- The Trial
- Falstaff
These are all films that even the most avid movie buffs among you should watch—in their original language—before heading off on a language study trip to the U.S.…