CITIZEN KANE (1941) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Writer/Director: Orson Welles Starring: Orson Welles, Dorothy Comingore, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins
"Citizen Kane" is always being referred to as the greatest film of all time, or at least in the top five. Every critic loves it (it's Roger Ebert's favorite film of all time), and we constantly hear how perfect it is. I'm not going to deny any of this. I mean, if you've seen it, you know how awesome it is. It's 1997, yet I was still blown away by a film that was called "innovative" back in 1941. I've always said that the greatness of a film is truly measured over time, and this is one of the few films that is truly amazing to watch, and actually lives up to all that damn hype.
So what's the big deal with "Citizen Kane?" Well, for starters, it's technically innovative, much in the way "Star Wars" was (I'm not saying Kane like blows up a death star or something like that). Orson Welles, who made this when he was 26 (!!!), used all kinds of new techniques for his film, including depth of field, wide angle lenses, etc, etc, etc. There are cool-ass shots all over the place, including some great swooping shots, wonderful shadows on the perfect things, and even a brilliant shot of a nurse walking into a room shot through a broken piece of reflecting glass. Even in these digital 90s, that looks cool.
But "Kane" isn't just innovative technical-wise; it's innovative story-telling-wise, becoming the pre-cursor for non-linear narratives like that of "Pulp Fiction," "The Usual Suspects," etc. In pieceing together the story of the mysterious protagonist, we see flashbacks told in whatever order, making it fun to piece together. Sure, there's an on-going narrative - the search for who was Charles Foster Kane - but we get to see parts of his life told by people who knew him, which was revolutionary back then, since most people went to the movies for straight-foward narratives, like "King Kong." No wonder this movie bombed financially back then.
So what's the story of this flick? It deals with, well, as I said, the search for who was Charles Foster Kane (Orson himself). Kane actually dies in the beginning of the film, but before he does, he utters the famous last word, "Rosebud." We then cut to a newsreel documentary on him being viewed by some newsmen. In it, we get the rough outline of the film, telling us he had inherited a huge fortune at a young age, and became a big-time newsman. He was also hated and loved at the same time, and even ran for governor. But of course, this is an empty experience, since no one can really explain why he was, and the makers of the film think that it's "Rosebud." But what is "Rosebud?"
The film takes us through flashbacks, as they interview all sorts of people who were big parts of his life. We see almost his whole life, presented in these flashbacks, and in montages. Kane was a very lonesome man who, as people say, wanted to be loved, but had problems with other people. He has two unsucessful marriages during his life, suffers some scandals, and dies alone and miserable in his giant palace he built to himself, Xanadu (no relation to the early 80s Olivia Newton John film of the same name).
The ending is ironic and totally brilliant, and brings the film to a beautiful poetic ending. But this film is not just a good ending; the entire film is amazing to watch. Orson Welles expertly breaks the protagonist down through the flashbacks told from other people's perspectives, showing that no one truly understands anyone else. Of course, we get an omnipotent view of the man, and learn what made him tick in the final frame.
The acting is excellent from everyone (although Dorothy Comingore as his second wife is kind of annoying, but that kind of helps her performance a bit), but, obviously, the best part of this film is Orson. His direction is damn-near flawless, his writing is awesome and not corny for a sec, and his acting is superb. Not even half the size he would be by the time he was in "The Muppet Movie," Welles is still a striking presence in the film, perfectly embodying his subject. He has a kind of coldness which distances himself from everyone, but somehow embraces the viewer to caring about him, even when he's being a total ass to people. And his make-up for when he's older is flawless; he fools everyone, and doesn't nearly resemble his 26 year old self.
Oh, and special mention should be made to the composer of the musical score - Bernard Herrman. He creates a beautifully haunting score which is nothing short of brilliant. Of course, it's penned by Herrman, so what do you expect?
Contrary to ignorant opinion, "Citizen Kane" is neither pretentious nor boring. It moves at a wonderful pace, with things always occuring in the story. And the symbolism is simple yet sweet, and is never overdone in any way. If there is a film that is pretty close to being brilliant, it would be "Citizen Kane," and I'm not just saying that so I won't be scrutinized by other film geeks. It's an awesome film which hasn't dated a bit, and a film which embodies a perfect combination of technical artistry, as well as narrative brilliance.
MY RATING (out of 4): ****
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