Citizen Kane (1941)

 A cinematic staple; a film that stands the test of time, proving to be one of the greatest...
Oh how the times have changed.

A film that was in all actuality a box-office flop; critically panned and literally booed at the 14th annual Oscars; a film that received nine Oscar nominations yet only received one statuette (for screenplay) rises from the ashes of a pummeling demise to become considered the greatest American film of all time. All too often this is the case; a film is either critically lauded or distained only to, with time, change the minds of the American public. `Citizen Kane' rests comfortable at the top (the number one position) of AFI's list of the top 100 films ever made, and I don't see it dropping positions anytime soon (unless `The Godfather' sneaks in). Personally, I feel that America got this right; the second time.

While I personally prefer Coppola's `gangster' masterpiece I feel that `Citizen Kane' is a marvelous example of perfected cinema, an entertaining and enlightening film that stands the test of time and in all actuality gets better as the years roll by.

The film opens the fragile whisper of the word "Rosebud" before it explodes with the exclamation of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane's death. The film revolves around a news reporter trying to uncover the meaning behind Kane's last word, "Rosebud". What that reporter finds though is that no man's life can be summed up with one word.

I find that revelation to be supremely important and universally reaching. The whole of `Citizen Kane' can be summed up in the realization that no man can be fully understood without fully understanding where he came from, what he strived for and ultimately what he became. As this reporter interviews those closest to Kane, those who loved and or hated him, he (as well as we) gets a beautifully well rounded and complete picture of the man that was Charles Foster Kane. We get an inside look at his professional life as well as his personal life; his friends, his wives, his business partners. We get to see how Kane interacted with others, how he dealt with those close to him and even those who peered down at him with evil intent; but as the film draws to its close we realize that the one thing we never got to see is the one missing link to fully grasping `who' Charles Foster Kane really was.

That is his `rosebud'.

Sure, `Citizen Kane', in the process of exposing this man, delves into the politics of corruption and greed, wealth and power, but it's the underlying message that floats to the surface and becomes the true root of the film. When one walks away from this film he is left with a reflective work of deep meaning and everlasting presence; a universal message that touches the foundations of humanity and dwells eternally in the bowels of those privileged to witness this masterpiece.

The first thing I noticed about `Citizen Kane' was its visual styling. This is a film that feels up-to-date all the way around. I'm fully convinced that this film could be released this year and it would hold up strongly against the world of modern cinema. You know how some films feel dated? `Citizen Kane' is not that film.

Another facet of `Citizen Kane' that is stellar beyond compare is that of the acting, especially on the part of the films writer, director and star Orson Welles. Welles is charismatic, natural and convincing. He gives a masterfully well rounded and committed performance that stands tall as one of the finest male performances of all time. Seriously, how he lost the acting Oscar is beyond me. How this movie lost any of the Oscars it was snubbed for; Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction and Sound Recording; is beyond me. At least it was honored with the Screenplay Oscar, but still, that's such a token award for such a marvelous film.

`Citizen Kane' is lauded as one of the greatest, as the greatest even, and I have to jump on that bandwagon and let my voice be heard. This is a revelation, an iconic piece of cinema that is sure to prove supremely entertaining and rewarding to the viewer. The film is paced beautifully, never loses the audience's attention or appreciation and, as I mentioned, just gets better and better every time you watch it. Orson Welles had a vision, a marvelous vision at that, and while it was not fully understood or appreciated upon its release, he can `rest in peace' now, fully aware that his vision will never be forgotten. April 25, 2008

 Great Movie in 1941 and Today.
Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition)

A Professor and movie buff at my place of work and I got into a conversation about Orson Welles. Asking me if I ever seen the movie Citizen Kane I replied although I knew of the movie I did'nt recall ever seeing it. So I purchased it. Considered by many as the greatest movie ever made it did not disappoint. The acting was terrific. The camera angles and shots were for the time in a league of their own. Making a movie based on the lastword of a dying man (rosebud) and keeping you the movie goer watching until the end just to find out what he meant was also amazing.
To bad we do not see Hollywood put more of these types of movies out.
To find the best that Hollywood has to offer I believe you must look to it's past.This movie is an shining example of that.
Well worth the purchase price and a fine addition to any movie collection. March 29, 2008

 The Best Movie I've Ever Seen Has Just Gotten Better!
Lots of people would use lots of different criteria for themselves in deciding what makes a movie great; I know people who dismiss any movie that's in black and white for instance. Others need non-stop action with fancy special effects and crystal clear colour enhanced with CGI if necessary before they would even consider the content as a candidate for greatness. For me, a movie has to have substance and it has to move me with an abiding message that never gets old even with repeated viewing.

Like another reviewer, I agree that what makes this movie for me other than the innovative manner of telling a story using flashbacks and excellent acting and directing is the message that the movie is trying to put across and "Citizen Kane" does this extremely well indeed. For me this movie proves that our actions and what we eventually become are inextricably linked to how we treat one another and how we in turn are treated. We see young Kane as a relatively well-balanced kid who is suddenly traumatised with a shocking dislocation from his familiar and loving family background to embark upon a life not of his own choosing. Charles Foster Kane becomes what he becomes as a consequence of this probably feeling that a lack of parental love and a lack of control over his life is what led to his involuntary departure from his "Eden" subsequently over compensates and results in his self-destructive and generally despised future behaviour. I found myself greatly sympathising with Welles' character and it helped me understand my own life too. This movie touched me deeply and the great acting, directing etc was a nice plus too.

This 2-disc version is a real treat for fans as well as the picture quality is brilliantly restored; the only thing I would have liked to have is an option for Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 or DTS with THX quality sound. They were able to do it with "Gone With the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz" etc and so they really should be able to go all out for this of all films. The documentary "The Battle for Citizen Kane" is also very good and is a big plus for the overall package.

Overall, this comes highly recommended although I hope they would improve the sound quality options should a Blu-Ray version be in the works. March 15, 2008

 ABIDE BY YOUR RULES, AMAZON
This film and " Casablanca" are my two favorite films of all time.In a way, Charles Foster Kane is much like Amazon. com,, writing up a "declaration of principles," then not carrying them out as time goes by. Reviewers have been asked to limit their comments to 75-300 words. Why not enforce it, lest Joseph Cotten types start ripping up checks and going elsewhere? February 25, 2008

 KANE is great...but Thompson is a moron!!!
Yes, great film...perhaps the greatest for myriad reasons many of us know and those who do not should excitedly discover on their own. But has anyone ever commented until now that in addition to being an examination of the title character, CITIZEN KANE contains a devastating, damning commentary on the basic idiocy of most "investigative" reporters - in this case the "truth"-seeking Thompson. But was it intentional - or a script oversight - that when Raymond the Butler is giving his two cents worth (in his case actually a thousand bucks worth!) to the meaning of Rosebud.....Thompson - a basic idiot-in-the-shadows (is this then why he is always in shadows? To show he is the man-in-the-dark...the man who cannot see what is before him? Who can't even do his job well!) - when Thompson is told by Raymond that Kane utters the word "Rosebud" both when Susan left him and he pocketed "something" and "that other time" when he dropped the glass ball - yet Thompson does NOT even ask what the hell the glass ball was! If he had known it was of a snow scene he might have had the wits to trace it back to young Kane's winter of discontent when the bank seized hold of him and stole him from his beloved sleigh. How dumb could one get? (Perhaps as dumb as many investigative reporters are who fail to deliver the goods or come up with erroneous nonsense that they pass off as truth - or WMDs?) Anyway - I will forever wonder if Thompson's not picking up the "ball"(in this case albeit a glass, smashed one) was intentional by the makers of KANE or was Thompson just tired at the end of the day or was this a script glitch? Also not mentioned - to my knowledge - is the preponderance of fireplaces in the film...leading up to the end one which consumes the secret for all time. (Notice the fireplace directly behind the young Kane when he is given a new sleigh by Thatcher - portent of things to come.) One other thing that I have never seen mentioned in commentaries of the film is this: the great Kane-as-a-boy snow scene....the snowman....it is a forecast of the endless statues that the elder Kane will collect; plus...it somewhat looks like the bald-domed, fatter Kane when we last see him: in the Colorado scene we thereby have child and future man, together. The fact that a snowman is frozen- as Kane is emotionally frozen (especially at the end of the film after Susan leaves) is another point to be considered. So when we first see the dying Kane he God-like holds his past world in his hand, yet being a limited human being afterall (despite Kane's seeming unlimitness of power and money, etc) he cannot enter the scene in the ball...just like he cannot return to that moment in Time. Conversely, when we first see Kane as a boy, he is in the world of the glass ball - but that world is also about to be shattered by the adults who plot his future within the confines of the warm boarding house. It is then - from this interior - that we see child Kane framed...as he is also about to be "framed" for a crime he did not commit and sentenced to a life of wealth and riches he never asked for - or may have ever even wanted. In both cases, however, the dying Kane at the film's opening and the first time we see K as a child - in both instances, he is....alone. Existentially alone in a frozen world that only the human heart and hearthside can warm. One last thing to anyone familiar with the music of Rachmaninoff: listen to his magnificent tone poem "Isle of the Dead" and you will hear what is essentially the Kane motif throughout it. I absolutely love the music of Bernard Herrmann but cannot help thinking he was influenced - however subconsciously - by Rachmaninoff's piece. Even the painting that Rachmaninoff based his tone poem on is reminiscent of Xanadu, somewhat. Anyway - CITIZEN KANE is the ultimate film about ALL of us....not just powerful, multimillionaire publishers....but ALL of us...because we ALL have a "Rosebud" in our souls and minds that will be on our lips when the curtain closes. "Rosebud" is, in its most basic form, the desire we all share to....start again, conquer Time, turn back the clock and NOT have die and end our dreams or our bodies. This is what ultimately makes KANE....a CITIZEN. February 11, 2008

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