Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane (1941)

Runtime: 119 minutes

Directed by: Orson Welles

Starring: Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins

From: RKO

Yeah, it's been too long since I've watched the film in order for it to be reviewed online:

There's no need to get out the pitchforks and torches—I have watched this motion picture before. Although, it can be a source of contention that it was just this past late afternoon I decided to see this for the first time since I've been on Letterboxd, and I've been here for over 5 years now. Factoring into me giving this the highest possible rating is all the cinematic techniques it either debuted in cinema or popularized; there are plenty of sites which explain those techniques in detail... the lighting, non-linear storytelling, overlapping dialogue, low-angled shots, camera movements, dissolves, etc. so I won't dwell on that here.

But aside from all that, it is a greatly compelling story about the enigmatic figure Charles Foster Kane who ends up being sent to live away from his poor family so he could live with ultra-rich banker Thatcher because a gold mine was discovered on their property. While he became a newspaper magnate (definitely based on William Randolph Hearst, which caused a lot of problems for the film even before it was released) who was filthy rich, thought of himself “a man of the people” and was able to get into politics, he was not a happy person and admitted to others he was not always a great human being. The sudden change in childhood was obviously a factor on him, but Kane was a complex 3 dimensional character, which made him fascinating.

Plus, reporter Jerry Thompson investigating the meaning of Kane's last word of “Rosebud” allows the viewer to see his life in flashbacks and there's the whole “unreliable narrator” thing as at least one person giving their thoughts is offering contradictory information. That helps make this so easy to watch multiple times... along with admiring how superbly the movie was together, all the gorgeous cinematography or the quality acting throughout; ten actors that worked with Welles on stage made their debuts here and some (like Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead) would prove to have long, storied careers.

I shouldn't presume that every film fan has seen this, that every film fan thinks it's a masterpiece, or that it should be seen as one of the greatest of all time. I won't begrudge those who are not in love with the movie or found it to be underwhelming. Personally, I do think it deserves the highest of ratings for the reasons I listed above. I don't have a “best movie of all time” category and I don't think it'd be in there anyhow... but no matter what this should be seen, even if it's a cliché by now that the movie is a must-see. And Welles did all this as a 25 year old first time director! That makes me feel like a real schlub in comparison as I did nothing of note at that age.