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Review: Citizen Kane - 1941


INTRODUCTION
Yes. This is where I'm starting, right at the top. It's been lauded, analyzed, and lauded even more after further analysis. Critics raved, it's own posters proclaimed "It's Terrific," it has been called the best movie ever made. But here, I'm not going to discuss the meaning of Rosebud or sit Mr. Kane down on Freud's couch. I'm going to tell you, it's a spectacular film that I think the modern public will sleep through. 

 THE REVIEW
It features all the marks of a fantastic film. The tale being told is that of the rise and fall of newspaper tycoon, Charles Foster Kane, and the mystery of his last word, "Rosebud." Orson Welles is a superb director, he is able to pull the best performances out of his cast, the crowning jewel being his own. He is his character, he is Kane. That I feel was the gift of Orson Welles, he could become the character he played. The script he and Herman J. Mankiewicz co-wrote deserved the Oscar they received in 1942. It boasts thoughtful statements, fluent character development, and a unique flashback narrative structure. Gregg Toland's cinematography is gorgeous. The expressionistic use of lighting, the deep focus that allowed for visual clarity of everything in the shot. It is art, hands down. Composer Bernard Herrmann makes his debut to film scoring with everything I know and admire about him, his effectiveness via novel orchestration and his style of composition. It is eerie, beautiful, and rambunctious, it is a brilliant film score.

OPINION PIECE
Now, with all the perfection Citizen Kane boasts, why do I believe that if I showed this to a bunch of average moviegoers, I wouldn't have the same reaction as a bunch critics, or cinephiles like myself? The answer is: because of the film's own reputation. This is the greatest movie of all time on a technical level, hands down. Everything you see in theaters today can't touch this film, even if they tried. But ponder this; aren't statements like those just a little bit daunting? Wouldn't you be hyped to the Moon if you're told statements like those? So with a reputation like that, modern moviegoers are given expectations that aren't achievable. The films that receive accolades today are either giant CG spectacles or socially relevant films, both of which fall into certain formulas. Citizen Kane practically invented its own narrative structure, has little social relevance (beyond discussions of media manipulation), and is a spectacle of complexity, not scale.

 FINAL VERDICT
On the whole however, Citizen Kane is a brilliant film. It was a revolutionary motion picture that changed many areas of film-making, from writing to scoring. The only obstacle for many is the film's image. With all the praise this film receives, that image can be daunting. But for me, it earns that praise. I highly recommend this terrific film.
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