Review of Citizen Kane (1941) by Bryce I — 14 Dec 2012

There is no way to determine the greatest movie of all time. There is no 'one' movie that everyone on Earth will enjoy critically, commercially, or even mentally. There are always flaws in movies. Whether it be it's pacing, continuity, or even bad use of lighting. Just because you watch a film with such high expectations does not mean you have to agree on it's status. I personally believe that Citizen Kane is the greatest movie of all time. And I have good reason to. But it will never match anyone's expectations thanks to it's status. But with some good reasoning, people could understand why it's such a great film. And less people would continue to jump on/off the bandwagon.

Having seen as many films as I have in my lifetime, there is no film that I am aware of, that has been done as well as Citizen Kane. Every single shot knows what it wants to be. There is an idea behind every little shot that the camera picks up. What Orson Welles can achieve in two minutes, takes even the most skilled directors years to match. You could watch this film 1000 times and still notice something different each time. Whether it's part of the story, a little man in the background, or a prop hidden in plain sight. The attention to detail is exquiste. Most people tend to know the film for it's infamous creation of Deep Focus cinematography and pioneered lens angles and what not. And yet, it is very easy for people to take it for granted. Seeing how every film nowadays copies it in almost every way. But try to understand that this was the first time any of it had been used. A simple technique, though it took a lot of effort, went a long way.

Several parts of the movie are taken for granted. Less and less people notice Orson Welles' performance. He plays a difficult character. With the character development, I could have sworn that he played around 10 different roles. And he's believe in each phase. It is one of the best performances ever captured on film, and most people forget about that. It's screenplay was not forgotten/overlooked. It gained it only Oscar, and several shouts of hatred from the audience. It's amazing what controversy the film aroused. I personally believe that it had nothing to do with William Randolph Hearst, but what do I know. He almost stopped the movie from ever being released. Can you imagine that? The greatest film of all time... not being allowed to be released? It's incredible. But Orson Welles was a true genius. And because of this one film, Hollywood would never accept him. But this proves what he could do. This was his high point, only because he was allowed to do... whatever he wanted. There were no limits. The studios hated it, but they knew what he was capable of. It's unfortunate how life works.

I cannot say that you'll agree with what I'm saying, and I don't expect everyone to. But no matter how you look at it, you will never find a film as well made as this one. It is a promise that you will find several that are more entertaining. Though it was made for entertainment, it did fail at providing it. Unless you can truly appreciate cinema, you will not enjoy this film. If you see it as a bleak drama, with a slow pacing, and a dumb mystery... then that's alright. It's not a movie for you. Nobody can agree on everything. But no-one's expectations will ever be met when a film is given such high praise. It's fact versus fiction.