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DeadCanadian [ 9.0 ]
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"Citizen Kane" is widely considered the best film of all time, and while I don't agree with that opinion, I can see why those people think it is: "Citizen Kane" is certainly one of the most influential films ever. This film pioneered the use of camera angles and spacing as story telling devices. It was also the first movie to start at the end. The movie itself is also very good. The characters are believable, the acting is good, the plot is well constructed. Orson Welles certainly deserved more Oscars for this.
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KIL [ 4.0 ]
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Hmmm. A.F.L. rates this #1 movie of all-time. I think the A.F.L. has been smoking banana peels. The story: little Kane grows up in wealth, putzes around in some premier colleges until age 23, when he receives a boat-load of family cash. He gets into the newspaper business bigtime, and 'always has an opinion'; often supports political candidates, then later burns them down. The first 5 minutes were the best part. www.outcrybookreview.com/meat.htm
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chapter11 [ 8.0 ]
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It is, by all accounts, a relatively unexciting motion picture, but Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane," from a strictly technical standpoint, is a landmark film, marked by its epic structure and its groundbreaking cinematography. Is this biography of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), a fictional newspaper magnate, as the American Film Institute would have you believe, the greatest American film ever made? Certainly not. It's not even Welles' greatest film-- that honor goes to "Touch of Evil," which, in the eyes of this reviewer, comes close to actually being the greatest American film ever made. But never mind that-- though "Citizen Kane" isn't exactly a Saturday night laid-back pizza-and-popcorn flick, it IS a cinematic landmark, and those truly interested in film should at least try giving it a try once. (Of course, if you don't get the "Rosebud" symbolism by now... I'm afraid the whole thing's lost on you.)
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gamer27 [ 10.0 ]
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This is simply the best film ever made! Orson Welles brilliently tell tells a story based on Hearst. (Spoilers!) The rosebud on the sled was very touching. The sled symbolizes child innocence and hope of a child and it was all taken from him. Everything in this film is brillient from the acting to directing to every last detail.
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ksteel [ 10.0 ]
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If someone asked if you were interested in watching a 58 year old black and white film that chronicled the life of a stubborn rich man would you be interested? I wouldn't be either, but in this case it makes for one hell of a movie. What separates this movie from all other like it, in my opinion, is the ingenious ways in which the story unfolds. In other words, all sorts of methods are used to convey the information we need to know to understand the title character.
Some examples: We learn to understand his childhood through the reading of his long-deceased guardian's diaries. Another example, we observe the gradual deterioration of his marriage through a very powerful scene chronicling the changes in husband and wife's demeanor at the breakfast table. Sure, a big shouting match or teardrop festival will tell you that the marriage is on the rocks, but this scene shows you the subtle changes that led to the end result. And, it accomplishes all this in less than five minutes; that's less time than a Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan spat. The dialogues and monologues are both fantastic as well.
Another aspect of this film that I love is the scene transitions. If there's a movie with smoother transitions I haven't seen it. I especially love the way they move from newspaper pictures to live characters and vice versa. (ie the newspaper staff, Kane leaving the apartment, etc). In a lot of ways, this is yet another tribute to the brilliance and efficiency of this movie in the sense that they convey a lot of information by showing the movement from still picture to real life. This is leads to the next point, the technological breakthroughs of this movie.
By now, a lot of what we see has become either commonplace or cliched but at the time it was revolutionary. For example, I think this was the first movie to tell a story out of chronological order. Additionally, I'm pretty sure it was the first film to really experiment with camera angles. For example, if you watch this movie notice how Kane often looks larger than life in every scene yet his mistress always looks petite and kind of helpless. The reason for this is that when Orson Welles wanted to make someone look strong he would often lower the camera to floor level (or in some cases, below the floor as they ripped out some floor boards on certain scenes). . .. . Anyway, this movie really pioneered the art of making a film. I don't know what that's worth today, but I figured I'd give them a little credit for it.
Finally, I know this movie is based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, but I think it goes beyond that. In a lot of ways, this movie reflects the short-comings of the American Dream. A man obtains a great amount of wealth, marries the woman he thinks he loves, builds a museum of a home, surrounds himself with all sorts of lavish artwork and obscene luxuries, and in the end fails to achieve the only thing he ever really desired. . .. if you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about it. Anyway, if they made a sequel in 50 years, I'd have to think that Bill Gates would be the Charles Foster Kane of our generation.
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apson [ 9.5 ]
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Worth the rental (Unless you're lucky enough to see it on the big screen). Set aside time in your day to watch it twice. Not only is this a fascinating look into the life of William Hearst (you know - the castle?), it's the paradigm of a perfect movie. Any film student or professional will probably tell you this...chances are, you're reading this review because you're interested in the art of film yourself.
I would not recommend anyone going through life without seeing Citizen Kane at least once.
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jeff_v [ 10.0 ]
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This movie contains multitudes. It was so far ahead of its time that it still plays fresh today. While I don't consider it the greatest movie ever, I do think it's one of the top twenty or so.
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Love_Spoon [ 8.5 ]
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I'm sorry, but I have to say it, just like everyone else. I can't honestly disagree with those that feel that Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made. I don't hold it head and shoulders above every other film, and I'm not completely sure it's the best, or that you can even determine a best, but it is the American film. On his deathbed, rich Citizen Kane is heard to utter the mysterious word "Rosebud." What could it possibly mean? The whole film is essentially a flashback, with Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) amassing a fortune in the publishing business, but never really finding happiness. An obvious parallel to the life of William Randolph Hearst, Hearst actually tried to suppress advertising for the film in his magazines. I cannot say enough about the rich cinematography, acting, or history of the film. Do yourself a favor if you haven't already and see Citizen Kane.
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Edwards [ 6.5 ]
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Film making innovations don't exactly spare us from a plain story of corruption and buried innocence. We may all admire it for the many techniques it introduced to future filmdom, and I admit, Orson Welles makes himself convincing at all the stages of Kane's life, but I would hardly call this an entertaining movie, besides which, the real-life politics and parallels to William Randolph Hearst get on my nerves. At its core, "Citizen Kane" is basically just Orson Welles' and the studio's giant fuck you to the newspaper magnate, a fact that really trivializes the importance everyone attaches to the movie
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.8 |
| No. Ratings | : 173 | |
| No. Reviews | : 15 | |
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