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The Best Orson Welles Movies

Updated September 23, 2019 4.7k votes 419 voters 27.4k views90 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Orson Welles movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Orson Welles's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Orson Welles movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Orson Welles movies will be at the top of the list. Orson Welles has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Orson Welles movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Orson Welles films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Orson Welles role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Orson Welles performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

Examples include Macbeth and The Third Man.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Orson Welles movies?" and "What are the greatest Orson Welles roles of all time?"

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The Magnificent Ambersons
Orson Welles, Anne Baxter
Released: 1942
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Magnificent Ambersons is a 1942 American period drama, the second feature film produced... more
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152
36
The Trial
Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins
Released: 1962
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Trial is a 1962 film directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the screenplay based on the... more
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97
11
Macbeth
Orson Welles, Roddy McDowall
Released: 1948
Directed by: Orson Welles
Macbeth is a 1948 American film adaptation by Orson Welles of William Shakespeare's tragedy... more
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101
14
A Man for All Seasons
John Hurt, Orson Welles
Released: 1966
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 British biographical drama film based on Robert Bolt's play of... more
More A Man for All Seasons
#14 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes#45 of 54 The Best Movies Where the Bad Guy Wins
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85
18
The Long, Hot Summer
Paul Newman, Angela Lansbury
Released: 1958
Directed by: Martin Ritt
The Long, Hot Summer is a 1958 film directed by Martin Ritt. The screenplay was written by... more
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126
50
The Third Man
Orson Welles, Trevor Howard
Released: 1949
Directed by: Carol Reed
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten,... more
More The Third Man
#155 of 230 The Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time#313 of 331 The Top Must-Read Books of All Time
7
140
66
Citizen Kane
Orson Welles, Alan Ladd
Released: 1941
Directed by: Orson Welles
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film produced by, co-written by, directed by and... more
More Citizen Kane
#1038 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#261 of 549 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made
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71
13
Journey into Fear
Orson Welles, Dolores del Río
Released: 1943
Directed by: Orson Welles, Norman Foster
Journey into Fear is a 1943 American spy film based on the Eric Ambler novel of the same name.... more
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68
18
The Stranger
Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson
Released: 1946
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Stranger is a 1946 American film noir starring Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young and Orson... more
10
100
48
Touch of Evil
Charlton Heston, Orson Welles
Released: 1958
Directed by: Orson Welles
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson... more
More Touch of Evil
#1273 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies#37 of 224 The Best Black and White Movies Ever Made
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54
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Chimes at Midnight
Orson Welles, John Gielgud
Released: 1965
Directed by: Orson Welles
Chimes at Midnight, is a 1966 English language Spanish-Swiss co-produced film directed by and... more
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85
39
Moby Dick
Orson Welles, Gregory Peck
Released: 1956
Directed by: John Huston
Moby Dick is a 1956 film adaptation of Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. It was directed by... more
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50
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Othello
Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten
Released: 1952
Directed by: Orson Welles
Othello is a 1952 drama film based on the Shakespearean play, made by Mercury Productions Inc.... more
More Othello
#30 of 37 The Best Shakespeare Film Adaptations#39 of 156 The Best Movies About Tragedies

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Casino Royale
Woody Allen, Ursula Andress
Released: 1967
Directed by: Val Guest, Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish, John Huston, Ken Hughes
Casino Royale is a 1967 spy comedy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an... more
More Casino Royale
#161 of 175 The Best Movies Of The '60s#375 of 450 The Best Movies For Guys
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44
The Lady from Shanghai
Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles
Released: 1947
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Lady from Shanghai is a 1947 film noir directed by Orson Welles and starring Welles, his... more
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40
24
Prince of Foxes
Orson Welles, Tyrone Power
Released: 1949
Directed by: Henry King
Prince of Foxes is a 1949 film adapted from Samuel Shellabarger's novel Prince of Foxes. The... more
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67
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Waterloo
Orson Welles, Christopher Plummer
Released: 1970
Directed by: Sergei Bondarchuk
Waterloo is a 1970 Soviet-Italian film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk and produced by Dino De... more
More Waterloo
#127 of 374 The 50+ Best War Movies Ever Made, Ranked#53 of 198 The Best Historical Drama Movies Of All Time
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34
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The Immortal Story
Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau
Released: 1968
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Immortal Story is a 1968 French film directed by Orson Welles and starring Jeanne Moreau.... more
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47
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Tomorrow Is Forever
Natalie Wood, Orson Welles
Released: 1946
Directed by: Irving Pichel
Tomorrow Is Forever is a 1946 black-and-white romance film distributed by RKO Radio Pictures,... more
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40
27
King Lear
Orson Welles, Beatrice Straight
Released: 1953
Directed by: Andrew McCullough
King Lear is a 1953 live television adaptation of the Shakespeare play staged by Peter Brook... more
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44
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Jane Eyre
Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine
Released: 1944
Directed by: Robert Stevenson
Jane Eyre is an American film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name,... more
More Jane Eyre
#565 of 781 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made#73 of 105 The Best Valentine's Day Movies
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The Transformers: The Movie
Orson Welles, Judd Nelson
Released: 1986
Directed by: Nelson Shin
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated TV series by... more
More The Transformers: The Movie
#214 of 542 The Best Animated Films Ever#53 of 177 The Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
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The V.I.P.s
Elizabeth Taylor, Maggie Smith
Released: 1963
Directed by: Anthony Asquith
The V.I.P.s, also known as Hotel International, is a 1963 British drama film in Metrocolor and... more

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Black Magic
Orson Welles, Raymond Burr
Released: 1949
Directed by: Orson Welles, Gregory Ratoff
Black Magic is a 1949 film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's novel Joseph Balsamo. It was... more
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40
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The Other Side of the Wind
John Huston, Bob Random
Released: 2018
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Other Side of the Wind is a 2018 film directed by Orson Welles, shot between 1970 and... more

King Lear