Orson Welles may no longer be around, but his impact on the entertainment industry will never be forgotten. Not only was he a famous director, but he was also a producer, screenwriter, and actor, often starring in his own films. He is remembered for his fresh, innovative work across radio, theater, and film.

Despite his popularity, Welles struggled for creative control on his projects throughout his life, whether it be from the major film studios or independent financiers. Some of his films were edited far beyond what he wanted to appease them, and others still went unreleased. Touch of Evil was re-edited in the late 90s according to his recovered notes, for instance, and his final film, The Other Side of the Wind, wasn’t released until 2018 after Neftlix had picked it up and finished it. Take a look at some of his best films for yourself to find out why he was such an influential filmmaker.

8 Mr. Arkadin

Orson Welles in Mr. Arkadin
Warner Bros.
 

In Mr. Arkadin, Guy Van Stratten, an American smuggler working in Europe, finds Munich resident Jakob Zouk and warns him of a plot against his life. Zouk is terminally ill, so he doesn’t care about the news, but Stratten reveals his past through a series of flashbacks depicting why he wants Zouk to live. Stratten had previously been given a tip about Gregory Arkadin, a famous oligarch who is said to possess some dark secrets. The infamously convoluted plot is both a result of Welles' constant re-writing and the fact the multiple different versions of the film exist (three of which are presented in the important Criterion Collection version). While it's a bit messy, Mr. Arkadin is a paranoid masterpiece of film noir and expressionistic suspense.

7 The Lady From Shanghai

A man holding a woman close, with several mirrors around them reflecting them
Columbia Pictures
 

The Lady From Shanghai is a noir film based on the book If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King. In New York City, sailor Michael O’Hara saves Elsa from an attack on the coach she was riding in, escorting her home and discovering that she and her husband Arthur Bannister, a criminal defense attorney, recently arrived from Shanghai and are on their way to San Francisco through the Panama Canal.

He finds himself attracted to her and agrees to sign on as a seaman on Bannister’s yacht. When Bannister’s partner George Grisby meets Michael, he proposes a deal to help Grisby fake his own death.

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Another notoriously convoluted noir masterpiece from Welles, The Lady From Shanghai features Welles' influential use of overlapping dialogue, extreme chiaroscuro, and iconic ending sequence in a hall of mirrors. Welles is excellent in the film, as is the immortal Rita Hayworth; the two has been married four years before the movie, but filmed it while they were estranged and separated, which possibly contributed to some of the dark tension in the picture.

6 The Trial

Orson Welles in The Trial
Astor Pictures Corporation
 

Based on the Franz Kafka book of the same name, The Trial is about Josef K., who finds himself in trouble with the law when he doesn’t remember committing a crime. What’s even worse is that no one will tell him what he’s even been accused of, so he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to stand for himself in trial. It begins when several detectives enter his apartment and tell him he is under open arrest, finding three of his co-workers have provided evidence regarding the unknown crime he committed.

Featuring arguably the most intensely Expressionistic cinematography and set design in any film after the 1930s, The Trial continues Welles' obsession with fakery, paranoia, and suspicion. The film is a brilliant dissection of film noir and a dark political masterpiece.

5 The Magnificent Ambersons

A couple sits at a table with plates set before every seat
RKO Radio Pictures
 

The Magnificent Ambersons is one of many Welles films that was heavily edited by the film studio. Recovered notes show what Welles had intended, but the lost footage remains lost, including the original ending that the studio re-shot. Nonetheless, the picture we have remains a masterpiece beloved by many. The movie chronicles The Ambersons, the wealthiest family in their Midwestern city, and their downfall over the course of a generation. The film was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and some actually believe it to be a greater film than Welles' most famous movie, Citizen Kane.

4 F For Fake

Orson Welles in F for Fake
Planfilm
 

The docudrama F for Fake is a wonderful example of Welles' experimental late career, where he played around with cinematic form and the medium of documentary. The film is about chicanery, fakery, magic, and illusions, something Welles is personally interested in as a filmmaker. Much of the picture follows the life of Elmyr de Hory, a famous art forger whose copies were so uncanny that he was able to trick professionals into believing it was the real thing, selling these fakes to reputable galleries and museums all over the world. His forgeries had even attracted enough attention that Clifford Irving, a real author, wrote a book about them, entitled Fake.

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Welles stars in this film as himself, becoming the narrator as de Hory recounts his career and some scenes are acted out. Of course, not all is as it seems, as Welles uses the story to showcase how easy it is to fool someone depending on how you present 'the facts.' Welles' film is a playful, intellectual look at whether authenticity really matters, or could ever be considered true.

3 Chimes at Midnight

A black and white picture of an army in chimes at midnight
Peppercorn-Wormser Film Enterprises

The comedy drama Chimes at Midnight is based on some works of Shakespeare, most explicitly influenced by Henry IV. However, Welles made it to take a closer look at one of Shakespeare’s recurring characters, Sir John Falstaff. In the film, Falstaff has taken on a fatherly role in Prince Hal’s life, the son of King Henry IV. They spend a lot of time together in the tavern, and are essentially close friends who even plan a few crimes together. When things begin to grow serious, as people who seek to usurp the throne from King Henry IV approach with armies, Hal soon has to choose between his real father and his long developed relationship with Falstaff. The film is a delightful, rambling, wholly unique and modernist Shakespeare adaptation.

2 Touch of Evil

A couple in a car in Touch of Evil
Universal-International
 

The film noir piece Touch of Evil starts with a bomb exploding on the U.S.-Mexico border, destroying a car and killing the two people who were inside, in what remains one of the greatest single-take tracking shots in movie history. Prosecutor Miguel Vargas (played wonderfully by Charlton Heston), who was on his honeymoon with his wife, takes an interest in the investigation and joins the local authorities that arrive on the scene, led by police captain Hank Quinlan and his assistant Pete Menzies.

Welles is absolutely incredible as Quinlan, in what might be his greatest performance. He is a bloated, violent, scheming man, drunk on his own power but haunted by his own failures.

1 Citizen Kane

Orson Welles as Kane in Citizen Kane
RKO Radio Pictures
 

Arguably the best of Welles' films, Citizen Kane happens to be his first. The film has a biographical feel despite the main character, Charles Foster Kane, being entirely fictional. He was based on several people, including media barons like Joseph Pulitzer, Chicago tycoons like Harold McCormic, and parts of the screenwriters’ lives as well. Upon the death of an elderly Kane, a newsreel obituary is released detailing his life story, and it becomes sensational news. The producer then tells reporter Jerry Thompson to try and search for why his last word was rosebud. As Thompson tries to figure this out, he meets all kinds of people that knew Kane in his life, slowly piecing together Kane’s life story for the audience to view. Citizen Kane was nominated for many Oscars, and won one for Best Original Screenplay. For many people throughout the years, it is considered the best film of all time.