10 Movies Every Film Buff Should Have Seen Already

2. Citizen Kane (1941)

D. W. Griffith's controversial film The Birth of a Nation may have been responsible for first introducing a number of technical breakthroughs to cinema in 1915, but no one brought each of these key components together quite like Orson Welles did in the American masterpiece Citizen Kane. Welles had already become a famous figure in both radio and theatre prior to the release of Citizen Kane, but the critical success of his first film cemented his place forever in history. Surprisingly, success eluded Citizen Kane at first, as the film failed to recoup its costs at the box office and eventually faded from view until French critics such as Andre Bazin heralded Welles's debut as a masterpiece over ten years later after its initial release. Citizen Kane may not have pioneered the majority of technical and narrative techniques that the film has since become famous for, but the way in which Welles assembled these components into one phenomenal movie is the reason why so many critics consider his magnum opus as one of the greatest films ever made. Deep focus photography, flashbacks, overlapping dialogue... all of this had been seen before the release of Citizen Kane, but few have matched its seamless assemblage since. If you haven't seen Citizen Kane yet, watch the Simpsons episode Rosebud first and then watch it again after. It's hilarious. Further Recommendations: Birth of a Nation (1915), Casablanca (1942), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942),