Citizen Kane
d. Orson Welles, 1941
Orson Welles' Citizen Kane has had more written about it than virtually every other film in history, so it's kind of difficult to try to approach it in a new manner. This is my second viewing of the film, as I first came to it more than a year ago, and it was my first Welles movie. I now have to say that I personally prefer his F for Fake (1976) and I am dying to see The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) again. However, Citizen Kane is arguably the most important and accomplished of his films. For someone who discovered it more than 70 years after its original release, the film stands as one of the perfect examples of Hollywood cinema. For the most part, Citizen Kane is flawless filmmaking, both as a technical achievement and a narrative one. Welles - who co-wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this film - paints the story of tycoon Charles Foster Kane in a staggering collection of vivd scenes that have become landmarks of film history. Everything from the opening "News On the March" recounting the life of Mr. Kane to Welles' incredible use of deep focus photography. In the end, Citizen Kane, by forming a life out of a collection of memories told in flashback, becomes a sad tale about the way we all lead our lives. Needless to say, the film should be seen by everyone.
