Review of Citizen Kane (1941) by Vladthepoker — 12 Jan 2018

My personal favorite movie of all time, Orson Welles's Citizen Kane is a masterpiece of cinema. The most acclaimed element of the film the camera work, which is still to this day impressive. But it isn't just there to be flashy, it helps to tell the story.

The shot of Kane walking through the mirrors might be the most depressing shot in history. The cinematography isn't the only innovative part of this film. The movie opens with the protagonist dying, and then his life is told in flashbacks, a revolutionary idea for 1941.

The narrative structure and the cinematography are usually what is talked about in reviews of Citizen Kane (And they are amazing), but other aspects of the film are just as good. The performances from the mercury actors are all phenomenal, keep in mind they all had to age fifty years for their roles.

The script (the only thing that won an Oscar) is also fantastic, the Bernstein monologue being one of the stand out moments. Bernard Herman's score is also great, I love the music that plays when reading Thacher's account of Kane's childhood and at the end of the film (I won't spoil what it is showing in case you haven't seen it).