Review of Citizen Kane (1941) by Maineutral R — 07 Jul 2014

It seems hard to call this movie in any other way than "the greatest film ever made". Well, it certainly changed the media forever with its cinematography and form of storytelling, along with its 100% fitting music, it's character analysis (something new back then; we can say this movie started the wide character development that movies require since) and its still impressive focus on each shot that delivers a clear view of each plain. It is a great movie, but personally, I don't think it's the best of the best. It is inventive and great, awesome, but if I didn't felt it was the best I've seen, I can't call the movie in such way. Still, based on my experience, it is one of the greatest.

As I said, it's like if I don't call this the best movie ever, then everybody would call me a tasteless bastard that knows nothing about movies. But the term "best movie of all time" is debatable. Many also call The Godfather the greatest movie, also The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, etc. But Kane seems to be the most constant on the best lists as No.1; including it on a personal Top 10 list itself is kinda clichéd nowadays. Nevertheless, while not the best movie ever made, it is one of the hardest films to hate, it's almost impossible. Sure, if you're between 8-17 years old, you won't get this film at all and hate it, or at least that's what you think. When you are more into characters than entertainment, Citizen Kane grabs you from the beginning, as you also want to know what "Rosebud" means.

Now, let's get to the movie itself: The way the story is told, the way it was shot, the way ot was acted, the way it was presented; all of that was new back then and changed everything for movies. From that moment on, this became the prime example of how to make a movie. Each shot of the movie is so clear and has such an atmosphere...that delivers such a viewing experience unlike any other. How it uses many plains to show you all with the same clarity and focus was the perfect visual for movies since. The character analysis itself was new for that time, but even here is executed in a unique way. Each is a bit of story from the Kane character's life as told by people that knew him, that shared with him, that loved him, that hated him, thus actually sharing a true analysis by these people. Hell, probably the Kane we saw in the film was not entirely the real one, as it could be an interpretation of the person talking about him! It's too much deep for a 1941 movie, but that's the magnificence of the movie: it delivers everything and then some. Only masterpieces can do that: grow a profound analysis after the very first view of only its best details. Because when you think about it, ¿How did anyone know that Kane's last word was Rosebud when nobody was with him when he died? Even Orson Welles was like "Do never talk about that" when his friends in production talk him to it.

Don't think the analysis is that great? It is, even for today's standards: We see his rise, fall, and many other aspects of his life, and we do get emotional connections, thus feeling what Kane feels and that way, we live with him. Seeing him happy makes you happy because you understand why, and the same goes for every emotion he delivers, all with the superb acting of Orson Welles. With that reviewed, now to other details. The little details make a movie loveable, and how would a film like Citizen Kane not have these?

We have details such as the shadows, the fact that you never see the reporter's face, the way there's always someone in the forthground, in the middle ground and in the backgroung, the way it transcends from one shot to another during the flashbacks, etc. All these are highly noticeable and gives the movie, like any other movie, its own charm. A supreme film by any means, Citizen Kane, while not the best film ever, IS the best example of filmmaking, as it does everything right in all its elements: the writing, the acting, the cinematography, the music, everything. So good, so great, it still holds up today, and will hold up as long as the eternity is...eternal.