After making what many people cite as the greatest film ever made, “Citizen Kane” (1941), multi-talented actor, writer, director and producer Orson Welles struggled to live up to the success he achieved when he was just 26 years old. Yet seen today, many of the films he made afterwards have attained a similar acclaim. Let’s take a look back at all 13 of his completed feature films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1915, Welles first came to prominence as a stage director, mounting groundbreaking productions of “Macbeth,” “Dr. Faustus,” and “The Cradle Will Rock” before forming his own repertory company, The Mercury Theater. In addition to Welles, the Mercury Theater Players included Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, Norman Lloyd, Martin Gabel and Paul Stewart, many of whom would go onto appear in the director’s films.
It was the Mercury Theater’s transition into radio that brought them the most acclaim… and notoriety. A 1938 adaptation of H.G. Wells‘s sci-fi classic “War of the Worlds” was made to sound like a news bulletin, and many listeners thought that aliens were actually invading Earth. Once the widespread panic had settled down, Welles’s ticket to Hollywood was printed.
He arrived at RKO Studios with almost unlimited control to make “Citizen Kane” (1941), a loosely autobiographical portrait of a William Randolph Hearst-esque newspaper publisher (played by Welles himself) who rises to great heights before losing his soul. Working with cinematographer Gregg Toland, Welles pushed the envelope visually, setting the camera at odd angles and using deep focus to broaden the frame in ways never seen before. His script, co-written by Herman J. Mankiewicz, utilized a nonlinear, flashback-heavy structure that was equally daring. And he brought along his Mercury Theater performers to chew the scenery with juicy supporting roles.
The film was very nearly lost forever when Hearst tried to bury it, displeased with its unflattering portrait of him. Despite the tycoon’s best efforts, “Kane” did earn nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and bids for Welles in writing, directing and acting, winning for Best Original Screenplay. It didn’t turn much of a profit, however, and the director’s reputation was further hindered when his follow-up feature, “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942), had 40 minutes slashed from its runtime and a happy ending tacked on before failing at the box office. (It did manage to score four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.)
Welles struggled throughout the rest of his career to achieve the same amount of creative control afforded him on his feature debut, and in several instances, his films were slashed almost beyond recognition. He kept himself afloat with acting gigs, most notably as the villainous Harry Lime in Carol Reed‘s “The Third Man” (1949), but spent most of his life in debt. He never stopped mounting ambitious productions, however, and remained active until his death in 1985.
Yet time has rendered a different verdict on Welles’s subsequent films, and many of his later efforts, most notably “Touch of Evil” (1958), have been restored to their original versions. (Unfortunately, the 40 missing minutes from “Ambersons” are thought to be lost forever.) In 2018, his long-incomplete final movie, “The Other Side of the Wind,” was finally finished and released on Netflix.
Appreciation for “Kane” has grown significantly, with the American Film Institute naming it the greatest American film of all time in 1998 and 2007. The revered “Sight and Sound” poll, conducted every 10 years, ranked it #1 on their list of international films from 1962-2012, when it was displaced by Alfred Hitchcock‘s “Vertigo” (1958). (“Kane” placed second.)
Welles earned an Honorary Oscar in 1971, American Film Institute life achievement award and Directors Guild of America life achievement award.
Tour our photo gallery above of Welles’s 13 completed directorial achievements, including the titles listed above, as well as “Othello” (1951), “Chimes at Midnight” (1965), “F for Fake” (1973) and more.
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13. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (2018)
Image Credit: Netflix Directed by Orson Welles. Written by Orson Welles and Oja Kodar. Starring John Huston, Oja Kodar, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg, Norman Foster, Bob Random, Lilli Palmer, Edmond O’Brien, Mercedes McCambridge, Cameron Mitchell, Paul Stewart, Gregory Sierra, Tonio Selwart, Dan Tobin, Joseph McBride, Dennis Hopper.
A film almost 50 years in the making, Welles’s long-unfinished swan song was finally completed and released in 2018, edited from footage shot between 1970-1976. Curiously enough, “The Other Side of the Wind” centers on an aging filmmaker (John Huston) struggling to finish an innovative motion picture, creating an interesting example of art literally imitating life. The film utilizes a mockumentary approach — complete with jagged editing and various film stocks — to document the last day in the director’s life, as friends gather for a screening of his nonlinear, avant-garde work (which features Welles’s girlfriend, Oja Kodar, wandering the desert nearly naked). Legal battles kept the filmmaker from finishing the picture before his death in 1985. His friend and costar, Peter Bogdanovich, spent years trying to restore it, finally striking a deal with Netflix. The final cut fully displays its maker’s artistic daring and innovation, and once again proves he was always ahead of the game stylistically.
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12. MACBETH (1948)
Image Credit: Republic/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Starring Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O’Herlihy, Roddy McDowall, Edgar Barrier, Alan Napier, Peggy Webber.
Welles first came to prominence directing an all-black production of “Macbeth” — rebranded as “Voodoo Macbeth” — for the Federal Theatre Project in 1935. His lifelong affinity for Shakespeare lead to him mounting three cinematic adaptations of the Bard’s work, including yet another version of the Scottish play. This time Welles himself plays the Thane of Glamis, who receives a prophecy from three witches that he will one day become the King of Scotland, but not without a little bloodshed. Jeanette Nolan is equally captivating as Lady Macbeth, who encourages her husband to murder the sitting kind and take the throne for himself. Though shot on a shoestring in just 23 days (most of the sets and costumes were leftovers from westerns produced by Republic Pictures), the film is eerily atmospheric and cinematic. Welles, however, felt ashamed of the finished product because of its budget limitations. He would return to the Shakespeare well with “Othello” and “Chimes at Midnight.”
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11. THE STRANGER (1946)
Image Credit: Rko/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Orson Welles. Screenplay by Anthony Veiller, adaptation by Decla Dunning and Victor Trivas, story by Trivas. Starring Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Welles, Philip Merivale, Richard Long, Billy House.
“The Stranger” was Welles’s attempt at mainstream Hollywood filmmaking after the commercial failures of “Citizen Kane” and “The Magnificent Ambersons,” and indeed, this was his only film to turn a profit in its original release. While it may smack of being a director-for-hire gig, it’s just as audacious an artistic outing as anything he ever made. One of the first films to deal with the atrocities of the Holocaust, it casts Edward G. Robinson as an investigator from the War Crimes Commission who’s hunting for a Nazi (Welles) living in Connecticut. He’s skillfully hidden any trace of himself, except for an obsession with clocks. Loretta Young costars as the Nazi’s unsuspecting bride-to-be. Welles infuses the genre material with his usual visual panache, evoking German Expressionism in the black-and-white visuals. Victor Trivas earned an Oscar nomination for his original story.
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10. THE IMMORTAL STORY (1968)
Image Credit: Ortf/Albina/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Orson Welles. Screenplay by Louise de Vilmorin and Orson Welles, based on the short story by Isak Dinesen. Starring Jeanne Moreau, Orson Welles, Roger Coggio, Norman Eshley.
Originally produced for French television and later released in theaters, “The Immortal Story” was Welles’s last completed fictional feature before “The Other Side of the Wind” finally came together in 2018. It was also his first movie in color, a format the director reportedly hated (“It is impossible to name one outstanding performance by an actor in a color film,” he once said). Based on a short story by Isak Dinesen, it centers on Mr. Clay (Welles), a wealthy merchant who becomes obsessed with bringing to life the story of an aging man who pays a sailor to impregnate his wife. He sends his only friend (Roger Coggio) to find two people willing to participate, and he recruits a destitute young man (Norman Eshley) and the daughter (Jeanne Moreau) of Clay’s business partner. At a slim 60 minutes, it was originally intended to be the first half of a two-part anthology film with another Dinesen story, “The Deluge at Norenay.” On it’s own, it’s yet another mesmerizing, evocative drama from a master storyteller.
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9. MR. ARKADIN (1955)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on his original radio scripts. Starring Orson Welles, Robert Arden, Paola Mori, Akim Tamiroff, Michael Redgrave.
Welles once called “Mr. Arkadin” the “biggest disaster” of his life, although you wouldn’t know it to watch it… that is, if you can find the right one. There are at least eight different versions: three radio plays (which featured Welles’s character from “The Third Man,” Harry Lime), a novel, several different cuts, and the European release, which was retitled “Confidential Report.” Criterion released a massive box set compiling many of these incarnations, as well as a definitive edition that closely followed the director’s notes and editorial style, so you can judge for yourself which is the best. It centers on reclusive billionaire Gregory Arkadin (Welles), who hires an American smuggler (Robert Arden) to research his past. Much like the reporter in “Citizen Kane,” Arden travels around Europe speaking to the few remaining people who knew the elusive Arkadin, although in this case, each person ends up dead, causing him to fear for his own life.
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8. THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947)
Image Credit: Frank Cronenweth/Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the novel ‘If I Die Before I Wake’ by Raymond Sherwood King. Starring Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane, Glenn Anders, Ted de Corsia, narrated by Welles.
Welles agreed to direct “The Lady from Shanghai” in exchange for Columbia Studios chief Harry Cohn’s help financing his lavish stage production of “Around the World in 80 Days,” and while it was dismissed in its time, its stature has grown with time. Originally intended as a modest film noir quickie, the budget skyrocketed when Cohn demanded reshoots after being displeased with Welles’s expressionistic, abstract style. Yet its those flourishes that make the film so watchable today, particularly the ending shootout in a hall of mirrors. The director casts himself as an Irish sailor who becomes entranced with a beautiful woman (Welles’s then-wife Rita Hayworth, who chopped off her signature red hair and died it blonde, further infuriating the studio). He boards the yacht owned by her wheelchair-bound husband (Everett Sloan) in an attempt to spend more time with her, only to become entangled in a complex murder plot. It might not make much sense, but it’s a dazzle to look at.
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7. THE TRIAL (1962)
Image Credit: Paris Europa/Ficit/Hisa/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the novel by Franz Kafka. Starring Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Akim Tamiroff, Elsa Martinelli.
Welles proclaimed this Franz Kafka adaptation to be the greatest movie he’d ever made, which is strong praise from the man who directed “Citizen Kane.” And indeed, the reputation for “The Trial,” which polarized critics and audiences upon its release, has only grown in the years since. Anthony Perkins stars as Joseph K., a bureaucrat who’s arrested for a crime but is never told exactly what he did. The more he tries to find out what he’s accused of, the deeper in trouble he gets. The film is nightmarish in its vision, filled with expressionistic art direction, canted camera angles and haunting lighting. Jean Mandaroux’s sets are particularly striking, including Joseph K.’s office, with its endless rows of typists and desks. Welles appears as The Advocate, a rotund hedonist who wields his power from bed while being tended to by his mistress (Romy Schneider). One can only guess how closely this character resembled the actor.
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6. OTHELLO (1951)
Image Credit: Films Marceau/Mercury Prods/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Starring Orson Welles, Micheal MacLiammoir, Suzanne Cloutier, Robert Coote.
Welles spent three years bringing this moody, atmospheric adaptation of “Othello” to the screen, shooting in bits and pieces in Europe whenever he had the money and with borrowed costumes from “The Black Rose” (1950), which he was acting in at the same time. The results speak for themselves. Though it’s rather jarring to see Welles donning dark makeup to play the tortured Moor of Venice at the center of Shakespeare’s famous play, he nevertheless gives a mesmerizing performance that avoids the ham-handed racism of other interpretations. Michael MacLiammoir and Suzanne Cloutier are equally impressive as Othello’s scheming friend, Iago, and his wife, Desdemona, respectively. The director brings his trademark visual flair to this oft-told story of jealousy and deception, filling the screen with haunting, operatic images. Despite winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the film remained largely unseen for decades, but is now available on bluray thanks to Criterion.
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5. F FOR FAKE (1973)
Image Credit: Films De L'Astrophore/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Orson Welles. Written by Orson Welles and Oja Kodar. Starring Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Elmyr de Hory, Clifford Irving, Edith Irving, Francois Reichenbach.
Welles was a lifelong magician, and his affinity for trickery and illusions often found its way into his filmmaking. It’s on full display in “F for Fake,” a pseudo-documentary in which the director himself explores forgery and fraud. The film starts as a portrait of Elmyr de Hory, an art forger who sold his work to several unsuspecting collectors, and of de Hory’s biographer, Clifford Irving, who forged a diary attributed to eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Welles then recounts his own history of fakery, including his infamous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast, which made listeners believe aliens were actually invading Earth. It all ends with one last flight of fancy involving Welles’s girlfriend, Oja Kodar, and famed painter Pablo Picasso, who may or may not have painted 22 portraits of her. Endlessly intriguing and delightful, “F for Fake” plays like a dissection of the nature of art itself, with Welles as our winking guide.
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4. CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1965)
Image Credit: International Espanola/Alpine Prods/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the character Falstaff created by William Shakespeare. Starring Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud, Jeanne Moreau, Norman Rodway, Marina Vlady, Fernando Rey, narrated by Ralph Richardson.
Tied up in legal troubles for decades, “Chimes at Midnights” remained largely unavailable on home video until 2016, when Janus Films released a restored version followed by a luminous Criterion bluray. We should be thankful, because this is a glorious film that ranks with Welles’s very best. It’s also the pinnacle of his Shakespeare films, telling the story of the drunken rapscallion Falstaff (Welles), from his appearances in the two parts of “Henry IV” to his offscreen death in “Henry V.” Welles chews the scenery as the bombastic, lumbering drinking companion to Prince Hal (Keith Baxter), who’s far braver than his friend. Though the comedic relief is front and center, there’s still plenty of juicy supporting roles for more dramatic performers, including John Gielgud as Henry IV, Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly, Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet, and Fernando Rey as the Earl of Worcester. The gritty Battle of Shrewsbury remains impressive, especially considering the film’s tiny budget.
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3. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942)
Image Credit: Rko/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the novel by Booth Tarkington. Starring Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Richard Bennett, narrated by Orson Welles.
Welles’s followup to “Citizen Kane” will forever remain one of the great “what if” movies. RKO took the film away from the director, slashing over 40 minutes out of its 135 minute runtime and tacking on an upbeat ending. The excised footage was later destroyed to free up vault space, and the original rough cut is believed to be forever lost. Yet when looking at the finished product, it’s important to appreciate what’s there rather than yearn for what could’ve been. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Booth Tarkington, “The Magnificent Ambersons” tracks the decline of a prominent family in turn-of-the-century Indianapolis. Tim Holt stars as the spoiled George Amberson Minafer, who conspires to keep his mother (Dolores Costello) from finding happiness with an automobile manufacturer (Joseph Cotten), despite falling in love with the man’s daughter (Anne Baxter). Welles frames their fall with the rise of industrialism, which destroys the natural world. The film earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Agnes Moorehead as George’s frail aunt.
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2. TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written for the screen and directed by Orson Welles, based on the novel ‘Badge of Evil’ by Whit Masterson. Starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Marlene Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor.
“Touch of Evil” is a film noir masterpiece filled with striking visuals and bravura performances. To describe the labyrinthine plot would prove an exercise in futility. Let’s just sum it up by saying Charlton Heston — donned in dark makeup to play a Mexican-born police detective — goes toe-to-toe with a dishonest cop (Welles) in a sleazy border town while investigating a tangled web of kidnapping, murder and corruption. Meanwhile, his wife (Janet Leigh) is entrapped by a perverted biker gang while in an isolated motel. Welles gives one of his best performances as Quinlan, a drunken, bigoted cop who’ll stop at nothing to cover up his crimes. The film’s opening tracking shot — which follows a bomb from the hands of a criminal through the streets of Mexico in an unsuspecting couple’s vehicle — is justifiably famous, but there are other virtuoso unbroken shots as well courtesy of cinematographer Russell Metty. Butchered by the studio when it was first released, the director’s preferred cut was finally restored in 1998.
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1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
Image Credit: Rko/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Orson Welles. Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. Starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Domingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, George Coulouris, Agnes Moorehead, Paul Stewart, Ruth Warrick, Erskine Sanford, William Alland.
What more can you say about “Citizen Kane” that hasn’t already been said? Already a famous radio star, Welles was just 25-years-old when he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this penetrative drama about the rise and fall of a prominent newspaper publisher. With his feature debut, Welles tore up the playbook and rearranged it, from the circular, flashback-laden narrative to the deep focus, canted-angled cinematography (courtesy of Gregg Toland), to the juicy, scenery-chewing performances by the director’s Mercury Theater Company (including Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, and Everett Sloan, among many others). The film was very nearly lost forever when publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst — on whom the story was loosely based — tried to bury it. Despite 9 Oscar nominations and a win for Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz’s screenplay, it faded into obscurity before being re-evaluated by critics, with the revered “Sight and Sound” poll (which takes place every 10 years) ranking it as the #1 film of all time from 1962-2012, when it was displaced by “Vertigo.” (“Kane” was still #2.) The American Film Institute twice ranked it as the greatest American film ever made, once in 1998, again in 2007. So to put it bluntly, “Kane” is indeed a “rosebud.”
