Review of Citizen Kane (1941) by Zachs M — 16 Jul 2012

This film from the first shot to the last is an exquisite work of art. The cinematography, editing, and sound are unrelenting. Orson Welles is not just telling a story, he's pitching a modern myth at you like a professional baseball player trying to strike you out.

it's riveting, innovative, and has a dark almost depraved sense of humor that is presented with a professional sensibility like a man in a tuxedo gossiping about that guy over there just barely in earshot.

Welles makes being ahead of his time look so easy. The way he conveys the wayward ups and downs of a complicated marriage in the course of a few minutes is both mesmerizing and bewildering, yet you feel you know exactly what he meant when it was over.

I could offer similar sentiments for every single scene and shot in this masterpiece. How and when he chooses to shoot up from the floor or down from the ceiling instead of straight on is in itself a powerful testament to his directing chops.

So much of what he did we take so for granted now. Welles set a standard for what audiences would come to expect from Hollywood. What's even more amazing is how so many of the camera tricks were done inside the camera in ways that modern film makers would shudder and cringe at the thought of trying to duplicate today w/o CGI or more expensive special effects work.

Some films feel dated and a chore to watch today cuz they're in black and white and we've grown so accustomed to color, but the fact this film is told with such stark contrasts of light and shadow only reinforces the themes and symbolism.

The world of Kane is newsprint, and his morality was shades of grey, so I can't imagine ever watching a colorized version of this movie. It would be a blasphemy, but then in a way, the tale of Kane IS arguably the greatest achievement of blasphemy one man has ever committed upon another.

Sheer brilliance in its audacity.