Where Was Citizen Kane Filmed? The Greatest Mystery Drama Film Of All Time!!

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Have you finished watching the iconic black and white film Casablanca? Then we recommend you watch Citizen Kane next! But before tuning in, read this article to find out where was Citizen Kane filmed and other interesting details of this timeless classic.

Citizen Kane is an iconic mystery drama film that was released in 1941. Apart from bagging several prestigious awards, this amazing film also won an Oscar. Orson Welles was at the helm of affairs for this project. While Herman and John Houseman pitched in as the screenplay writers.

The basic premise of Citizen Kane revolves around the character of Charles Foster Kane, a wealthy American businessman in the publishing industry. The plot thickens when leading journalists and reporters worldwide come together after the lead actors’ sudden demise.

Even after 82 years from its inception, audiences are still fascinated by the storyline of Citizen Kane. This American film has definitely set a benchmark for all other mystery drama films.

But before I tell you more about this quasi-biographical film, let us first find out where was Citizen Kane filmed.

Where Was Citizen Kane Filmed? Let’s Know This Mystery Drama Flick Closely!

The story of Citizen Kane is set in California, however, you’d be surprised to know that the shooting of this movie didn’t actually take place in Florida. During the starting stages of the production, the director was immensely helped by a distinguished production advisor.

Miriam Geiger helped Orson Welles not only determine the right kind of filming technique but also assisted him in choosing the perfect filming location for this iconic movie.

So, after Welles’ meeting with Geiger was over, he asked the production members to scout for ideal shooting spots in and around the state of California. After several weeks the filming crew came up with a number of potential filming locations in California and gave the list to the director.

Welles and a few other team members then visited the locations in person and made the final decision. The director decided to shoot the majority of the outdoor scenes around Pasadena, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

However, at the eleventh hour Welles also decided to include New York to the list of filming locations shortly after the shooting began.

The principal photography of Citizen Kane commenced in the last week of June 1940 and continued till the third week of October of the same year. The entire filming process was orchestrated by Gregg Toland.

The shooting schedule remained intact for the most part. Plus, it’s also important to mention that, since the entire movie was shot in black and white, the German lens company Carl Zeiss brought a special kind of lens.

Other sorts of advanced filming lenses, like Hasselblad, were also used in the making of Citizen Kane. Let us now examine where was Citizen Kane filmed in detail.

New York | USA

The shooting of Citizen Kane commenced in the state of New York. The movie’s opening sequence, where we see the lead actor on his deathbed in Xanadu, was captured inside Oheka Castle.

This famous property, which is now a lavish five-star hotel, is located at 135 West Gate Drive, Huntington, Long Island. However, other important scenes depicting the city of Xanadu were filmed at different locations in America.

The production members captured a couple of other outdoor scenes around the city of New York and then moved to the next shooting location.

California | USA

The second stage of shooting commenced in the state of California. Several outdoor scenes were captured around the beautiful cities of Pasadena and San Diego. The sequences depicting Xanadu Grounds in the movie were filmed near Busch Gardens, located at South Grove Avenue, Pasadena.

After these scenes were filmed, the production members moved to Los Angeles. The remaining interior shots of the movie were then filmed inside the RKO Studios, located at 780 North Gower Street Hollywood.

The shooting process of Citizen Kane was completed by the third week of October 1940. But before that, a couple of additional outdoor scenes were also filmed in Malibu.

Let us now take a closer look at the plot of Citizen Kane. In the meantime, you can also read Shutter Island, The Big Short, and Grey Man.

Plot Of Citizen Kane | What’s It About

Where Was Citizen Kane Filmed? The Greatest Mystery Drama Film Of All Time!!

The basic premise of Citizen Kane revolves around the character of Charles Foster Kane, a wealthy American businessman owning a publishing company. At the very beginning of the film, the lead actor appears to be on his deathbed in Florida after suffering a heart attack.

As the story progresses further, Charles Foster Kane eventually dies. This incident stirs up the journalists and forces them to cover the story of Kane’s demise. Upon reaching Xanadu, the reporters find out that Kane did not die under normal circumstances. Plus, the final word, “Rosebud,” uttered by the lead actor, also added to the overall mystery.

Watch Citizen Kane and find out the actual meaning of the lead actors’ final word, “Rosebud.”

Final Words

It’s about time for me to also give the final word (no puns). I’ve listed all the filming locations of Citizen Kane, but if you still have any questions regarding where was Citizen Kane filmed, feel free to drop a comment below.

If you’re interested in reading similar pieces, don’t forget to browse through other entertaining blogs on Viebly.

Who Is The Cinematographer Of The Film Citizen Kane?

Gregg Toland is the cinematographer of the film Citizen Kane.

What Is The Rating Of The Film  Citizen Kane?

The film Citizen Kane has a PG rating.

Who Is The Music Director Of The Film Citizen Kane?

Bernard Hermann is the music director of the film Citizen Kane.

Who Is The Producer Of The Film Citizen Kane?

Orson Welles was the producer of the film Citizen Kane, amongst a few others.

What Is The Runtime Of The Film Citizen Kane?

1h 59m is the runtime of the film Citizen Kane.

Ujwal Mattoo
Ujwal Mattoo
With full journalism and half engineering background, Ujwal has hands in both the tech and creative fields. He is a film enthusiast who loves all kinds of genres. As much as he enjoys watching movies, he is always amused to know more and write about the locations to feed his hunger for traveling. In this world of fictional louds, he voices his opinions softly! He is either busy writing or playing with Milo, his dog!

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