Citizen Kane wasn't bad for a 20something year old. That's worth 5 stars alone.

At his best, one of the greatest directors who ever lived. At his very worst, he still wasn't bad. The prime of his work (Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, MacBeth, Lady From Shanghai, the Magnificent Ambersons) stands as one of the great achievements in film-making. From the size of him it looks like he was a pretty good man at the craft-services table too.

I have seen Orson Wells' Macbeth, Othello and Citizen Kane and I liked what I saw.

1 and a half great movies does not a great director make.

I wouldn't call Orson Welles a wasted talent, but he certainly could've been more. He did make quite possibly the greatest movie ever in Citizen Kane, but he was far from prolific, however, despite being one of the most influential filmakers of all-time. His use of spacing (notice how Kane and Sara grow farther apart at the table as time goes on) and angles can be found in every worthwhile movie today. Due to gutless studio owners and asinine industry people, however, his claim to greatest director ever isn't as strong as it could've been.

What Orson Welles did for film is amazing. Words almost can't describe it. He was most definitely a genius and way ahead of his time. He knew how to use the camera, how to use lighting, how to use the right actors, how to use the right script and how to blend that into some excellent films. Citizen Kane is still considered by many critics as the best picture ever made. Touch of Evil is considered the best B movie ever on film,B movie or not) it's just a great film, by a director who knew the art of moviemaking.

As many critics have said and some comments have noted, Orson Welles was a story of early blazing achievement yet long-term missed opportunities and "what ifs." Welles' greatest artistic achievement as a film director was the universally critically acclaimed "Citizen Kane" (1941). The movie evidenced Welles' imagination and avant-garde philosophy (eg his use of deep focus and a non-linear format for the story). Notwithstanding his ultimately failed potential, Welles' work is still studied in film schools across the globe, and his films were and remain influential on movie directors of all subsequent time periods and in all genres (eg film noir).

Just think how much more he could have accomplished if only the movie studio bosses had kept their noses out of his business

Made two great films ("Citizen Kane" and "Touch of Evil"), a very good one ("The Magnificent Ambersons"), a few OK entries and some crap. Peaked out on his second film at the age of 27 and would only come up to that level one more time 16 years later. The rest of his career was totally undistinguished, which makes my four-star rating more charitable than it should be.

A true master.

One of the few who could get enough control over his projects to allow his vision to come through on screen, and deserving of that power.

Don't forget "The Trial." It's a stunner.

Overrated as an actor too.

Absolutely the most innovative and creative force in American cinema. After Kane, his Journey Into Fear, Lady From Shanghai, and Touch of Evil are nearly as good and some of the most satisfying thrillers ever made (can't wait to see his versions, and not just the studios)

A genius with only one major success in hollywood. Because most people misunderstood this man we never got to see the many possible successess Orson Welles was capable of producing.

Orson Welles had good ideas, but frankly he sucked at directing. If Welles submitted his ideas to Spielberg a real movie could have been made. Welles lacked directing ability, but not writing. Spielberg has both qualities perfected.

Put aside the wine commercials and the caricature that he became later in his life, this man was brilliant in front of and behind a camera. He made (arguably) the greatest motion picture ever made, Citizen Kane. It was a movie that fought tooth and nail to maintain his artistic vision. In that respect, it is one of film-makings most focused projects, as Welles poured everything he had into it. For this alone, the man is a five star director.

The larger-than-life maverick genius whose originality and independent spirit were too much for Hollywood to contain.Even before his monumental debut film(aged 25),he'd already made a name for himself in the theatre,and with his legendary War of the Worlds radio broadcast which caused widespread panic and had them fleeing for the hills!With Citizen Kane,of course,he started at the summit;widely considered the world's greatest film,the A.F.I.#1,and routinely top of international polls.Its lighting,script,acting,camerawork,deep focus photography,compositions,overlapping dialogue,editing and structure are ALL exceptional.If it now seems inevitable he could only head downwards,the decline has been grossly exaggerated.The more intimate and lyrical Magnificent Ambersons would be every bit Kane's equal but for its horrible studio butchering.Touch of Evil is a great "film noir".The Lady from Shanghai a brilliant enigmatic thriller,Chimes at Midnight and Othello highly imaginative low-budget reworkings of Shakespeare- the former a Spanish-Swiss co-production,the latter filmed in Morocco.If i am generally more an admirer than adoring fan,there's no denying his giant stature.We won't see his like again.

Even with my limited knowledge of film history, I recognize the genius of Orson Welles. If, before watching "Citizen Kane," you watch a cross-section of movies made earlier, it becomes very clear that Welles introduced some remarkable cinematic innovations - different lighting techniques, ground-breaking editing, new types of shots. Welles may have been a stubborn, egotistical blowhard, but he had vision, and he wasn't going to let anyone mess it up.

This multi-talented man was so far ahead of his time very few people understood him even in his heyday. Welles, the son of an inventor and concert pianist, was a child prodigy who was gifted in several of the arts – most notably as musician, painter and magician. Not surprisingly, he possessed a wild, free thinking nature and turned down college to travel and pursue the arts. In the late 1930’s he formed the Mercury Theatre on the Air - the most notable radio production of which was the famous (or infamous) “War of the Worlds”. He went on to become involved in film production on all levels and, in the process, become a genuine Renaissance man. Throughout his lifetime - in a career that would span over 50 years - he would become a successful actor, narrator, writer, editor, cinematographer, art director, producer, as well as a groundbreaking film director with a sensitive eye and extraordinary ability to find something fascinating in the mundane. Though his most well known directorial and acting effort no doubt was the thinly disguised biopic based on the life of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst “Citizen Kane” (1941), he also gave us many other very engaging and unusual films. Among these lesser known – but still excellent - films is my personal favorite “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942). Based on a book by Booth Tarkington, this engaging film features talented Mercury Theatre players Joseph Cotton and Agnes Moorehead. “The Magnificent Ambersons” is a non-typical portrayal of turn of the century America and how one family in particular is affected as the gilded age crashes headlong into the industrial age. Overall, his directorial efforts – like nearly everything else he put his hand to – resulted in some outstanding and remarkable gifts to posterity. The subject matter he chose to depict and the very expert way he pulled it off certainly stood well apart from almost everything else being done at the time. This man had talent, vision and did more with it in one lifetime than most of us could do in ten. He was definitely one of the great geniuses of the 20th century.

Yes we know that Citizan Kane was an excellent movie, but you haven't not a damn single other thing in your life! Yes, you narrated History Of The World Part 1, but that was it!