Mystery · Thriller
French
1955 · Directed by Orson Welles · 107 min
A small-time American smuggler stumbles on a name and is soon courted by Gregory Arkadin, reputedly the richest man in Europe. Arkadin says he cannot remember his own past and hires the newcomer to reconstruct it. What follows is a restless, baroque chase across the continent, told in Orson Welles's most flamboyant visual style.
Why it matters in cinema history
A key film of Welles's European exile and a central case in discussions of the director's lost or altered work. It carries film noir into the international, art-house register of the 1950s.
Watch with intention
Treat the film as a journey through a gallery of eccentric witnesses, where how each scene looks matters as much as what is said.
Save this film, rate it and keep your notes.
Free, no ads. Your journal, your lists, a Cine Guide that remembers you.
Create your free space
