Citizen Kane (1941): The All-American Film?
Twice revered by the American Film Institute (AFI) as the #1 Greatest Film -- in both 1997 and 2007 -- of all time. Time magazine named Citizen Kane the best film in American cinema history. Even the first words uttered in the film has made it to the #17 spot on AFI’s 100 Greatest Quotes.
Now, does that mean that we should all be saying that Citizen Kane is the greatest thing to ever happen to American cinema? In my honest opinion, no.
Take it from me, it may be an okay film, but it's definitely worth a watch.
To be truthfully honest, I don’t really see the striking features of the film as to why someone would simply fall in love with it, possibly naming it their favorite movie of all time. Sure there are plenty of good things about the film, but to say it’s the greatest, is quite possibly the overstatement of the century.
Now, I’m not saying it’s bad, on the contrary, it’s good. And any film student worth their weight would know that it is mandatory to watch this film, for there are many noteworthy aspects throughout the film that need to be taken in to consideration.
The movie starts off right away with the ambient sounds of composer Bernard Hermann. Eerie is not the best word, but it’s the first to come to mind.
As a director, Orson Welles uses an abundance of original camera techniques, which has definitely helped to pave the way for future directors. Shadows were frequent in the film, concealing faces, the audience unaware of the emotions raging inside any one of the characters hidden.
Welles also uses a simple technique of pointing the camera up at Kane and down on other characters, almost raising Kane's status, putting him on the pedestal above everyone else.
There is a scene in mind, where Kane speaks to a crowd, with a giant poster of his stoic face hanging defiantly behind him. In essence, this man is larger than life.
I was amazed to learn that this was Welles’ first major feature as a director, and how well he fit in to the shoes, albeit being booed for trying.
Welles portrayed Charles Foster Kane extremely well, and at first glance, I couldn’t believe that the 26-year-old Welles was playing the aging newspaper magnate. I had been tricked by Welles into believing that aging Kane was a completely different actor. Welles definitely had talent, and he put everything he had in to this movie. Joseph Cotten did a nice performance as Kane's good friend, Leland. The only character in the movie I felt differently about was Susan Alexander Kane (Dorothy Comingore), her character was quite over-the-top, and really too much to handle.
The story was quite solid, told through flashbacks by the people that knew Kane the best. The movie kept coming in full circles, making laps around Kane, bringing his full life into picture for us. Each time we went back, told by a different person, we began to see the changes in Kane's character, from his humble beginnings to his tragic end. Mankiewicz and Welles truly deserved their Academy Award.
All-in-all, I was actually quite please with the movie, though it did seem to drag on a bit on occasion. That is given since the film is in black and white. And as I finish this review, I've seen to have given myself a reassurance that this film is better than I first thought after finishing it.
The Final Call:
8/10
Now, does that mean that we should all be saying that Citizen Kane is the greatest thing to ever happen to American cinema? In my honest opinion, no.
Take it from me, it may be an okay film, but it's definitely worth a watch.
To be truthfully honest, I don’t really see the striking features of the film as to why someone would simply fall in love with it, possibly naming it their favorite movie of all time. Sure there are plenty of good things about the film, but to say it’s the greatest, is quite possibly the overstatement of the century.
Now, I’m not saying it’s bad, on the contrary, it’s good. And any film student worth their weight would know that it is mandatory to watch this film, for there are many noteworthy aspects throughout the film that need to be taken in to consideration.
The movie starts off right away with the ambient sounds of composer Bernard Hermann. Eerie is not the best word, but it’s the first to come to mind.
As a director, Orson Welles uses an abundance of original camera techniques, which has definitely helped to pave the way for future directors. Shadows were frequent in the film, concealing faces, the audience unaware of the emotions raging inside any one of the characters hidden.
Welles also uses a simple technique of pointing the camera up at Kane and down on other characters, almost raising Kane's status, putting him on the pedestal above everyone else.
There is a scene in mind, where Kane speaks to a crowd, with a giant poster of his stoic face hanging defiantly behind him. In essence, this man is larger than life.
I was amazed to learn that this was Welles’ first major feature as a director, and how well he fit in to the shoes, albeit being booed for trying.
Welles portrayed Charles Foster Kane extremely well, and at first glance, I couldn’t believe that the 26-year-old Welles was playing the aging newspaper magnate. I had been tricked by Welles into believing that aging Kane was a completely different actor. Welles definitely had talent, and he put everything he had in to this movie. Joseph Cotten did a nice performance as Kane's good friend, Leland. The only character in the movie I felt differently about was Susan Alexander Kane (Dorothy Comingore), her character was quite over-the-top, and really too much to handle.
The story was quite solid, told through flashbacks by the people that knew Kane the best. The movie kept coming in full circles, making laps around Kane, bringing his full life into picture for us. Each time we went back, told by a different person, we began to see the changes in Kane's character, from his humble beginnings to his tragic end. Mankiewicz and Welles truly deserved their Academy Award.
All-in-all, I was actually quite please with the movie, though it did seem to drag on a bit on occasion. That is given since the film is in black and white. And as I finish this review, I've seen to have given myself a reassurance that this film is better than I first thought after finishing it.
The Final Call:
8/10
Labels: Citizen Kane, Review
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