Citizen Kane

A couple of years ago I was watching the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Movies" special on TV. I (obviously) love movies, so I wanted to see which movie they would choose as the greatest movie of the 20th century. The big winner was Citizen Kane, an Orson Welles film that was hailed as the greatest work in the history of film. I was intrigued. I just had to watch the #1 movie of the 20th century!

I finally did, and while it was a great movie, I don't necessarily think it was the greatest movie EVER. So sue me.

The movie opens with an eerie "No Trespassing" sign, and the camera takes you on a tour of a massive mansion that seems to be abandoned. An old man, Charles Foster Kane, grabs a snow globe, and utters, "Rosebud". Then he suddenly drops it on the floor, dead. The movie centers around a reporter who is trying to find the meaning of his odd last words.

As far as movie-making goes, Citizen Kane is innovative given the period in which it was made. The movie is told mostly in flashbacks, and the cinematography is great-- the use of shadows and camera angles really elaborates on the characters and their feelings. I had to remind myself that this movie was made in 1941.
Most movies I've seen from this time period are very traditional in the sense that they don't really use shadows to their storymaking advantage, and Welles did this remarkably well with Kane.

Screenwriting was definitely an area that this film excelled in as well. The script was fast-paced and witty, and portrayed the transformation of the young, idealistic Charles Kane to the angry, lonely, power-hungry shell of a man he becomes just beautifully. Herman Mankiewicz did a spectacular job of bringing the audience back and forth through flashbacks--remember, in these days, flashbacks were not commonly used in feature films. More beautifully, though, is how Kane's need for love resonates throughout the movie. He is very flawed, angry, and loses many friends on his quest for power and money, and yet you feel bad for the guy when all is said and done. Beautifully written and beautifully executed by Welles.

Much is to be said about Orson Welle's performance as Charles Kane in this film. He ages over a lifespan in this movie, and he gives a knockout performance scene after scene. He is cocky, lonely, angry, greedy, powerful and miserable. And he is brilliant in this role.

Overall, the movie itself is really an innovative and creative type of filmmaking that I think is still very rare, even in these days of technology.

Milestone in film? Definitely. But best movie ever?? Not quite.

AFI's "100 years...100 Movies"- Citizen Kane