March 17, 2025

Contact Jill Miller at 608-796-3615 or jmmiller@viterbo.edu

CIVICS AND CINEMA PROGRAM TO FEATURE CITIZEN KANE AT THE RIVOLI MARCH 25

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Citizen Kane, widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, will be the subject of the next Civics and Cinema program at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 at the Rivoli Theatre and Pizzeria in downtown La Crosse. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: “Rosebud.” Produced by, starring, and co-written by Orson Welles (with Herman Mankiewicz), the 1941 film explores the life and legacy of Kane, a composite character based on media barons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, tycoons Samuel Insull and Harold McCormick, and the screenwriters’ own lives.

Wrote famed film critic Roger Ebert of Citizen Kane: “Its surface is as much fun as any movie ever made. Its depths surpass understanding. I have analyzed it a shot at a time with more than 30 groups, and together we have seen, I believe, pretty much everything that is there on the screen. The more clearly I can see its physical manifestation, the more I am stirred by its mystery.”

Civics and Cinema is devoted to sharing classic movies, bringing the community together, and fostering civic conversations. Sam Scinta of Rebuilding American Civics and Rick Kyte of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University will give a brief introduction to the film and will lead a conversation following the screening.

Civics and Cinema is sponsored by the Rivioli Theater and Pizzeria, Rebuilding American Civics, and the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University.

Advance tickets are required and can be purchased at https://www.rivoli.net. The cost is $5, with all proceeds donated to the La Crosse Community Foundation.

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