Mr. Arkadin

Mr. Arkadin
AKA Confidential Report
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOrson Welles
Screenplay byOrson Welles
Based onRadio scripts from The Lives of Harry Lime
by Ernest Bornemann
Orson Welles
Produced byLouis Dolivet
Orson Welles
StarringOrson Welles
Robert Arden
Paola Mori
Michael Redgrave
Patricia Medina
Akim Tamiroff
Mischa Auer
CinematographyJean Bourgoin
Edited byRenzo Lucidi
Music byPaul Misraki
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 27 June 1955 (1955-06-27) (Spain)
  • 2 June 1956 (1956-06-02) (France)
Running time
99 minutes ("Corinth" version)
93 minutes (Spanish version)
95 minutes (US version)
98 minutes (Confidential Report)
106 minutes (Criterion edit)
CountriesFrance
Spain
Switzerland
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Box office517,788 admissions (France)

Mr. Arkadin (also released as Confidential Report) is a 1955 thriller film noir written, produced and directed by Orson Welles. It stars Welles, Robert Arden, Paola Mori, Michael Redgrave, Patricia Medina, Akim Tamiroff, Peter van Eyck, and Katina Paxinou. The film centers on an American smuggler (Arden) who is hired by a wealthy amnesiac, the titular Arkadin (Welles), to investigate his mysterious past.

The screenplay was based on scripts Welles had originally co-authored for his radio drama series The Adventures of Harry Lime. A co-production of France, Spain, and Switzerland, it was shot in several locations throughout Western Europe.

Like many of Welles' films, Mr. Arkadin had a difficult production and was released in several different versions. Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum identified at least seven different versions of the story. The film has been praised by directors like Christopher Nolan and Shinji Aoyama.