Review of Citizen Kane (1941) by William W — 11 Apr 2016

I fondly recollect, growing up in Canada in the 70's and 80's, my mom taking my older sister and I to the cinema (my dad was more interested in watching bowling, hockey, or either crime shows, British sitcoms or hockey on TV). Despite all of his TV appearances over the years, and films he acted in to fund his own productions, the first time I was aware of Orson Welles was one of those startling and bizarrely professional yet unmistakably charismatic 'Paul Masson' wine commercials that they tend to make fun of on The Simpsons in these decades gone by. My first thought was 'that voice is amazing', then 'he looks like he'd be a fine grandfather or Santa Claus', and I instantly wanted to know who he was: Just the way he carried himself, I knew he must be both brilliant and someone who was really important.

As you can tell, I'm not going to unnecessarily repeat all the endless accolades this film has gotten over the years. If you're any type of film lover, you have either seen this or will eventually--unless you're hit by a bus tomorrow (Heaven forbid) or something else drastic. It's a hallmark of what is possible in cinema. I waited until I was 46 to see this, because of its stellar reputation. It's not my favourite Welles--either acting or directing, and not by a long shot in either regard--but I'm very glad that I finally saw it, and I'll probably revisit it every couple of years for the rest of my life. There's just something really special about it that's hardly ever seen any more--and I think of that just as wistfully as Charles Foster Kane did about his beloved 'Rosebud'. That a 25-year-old could be so gleefully and breathtakingly experimental and innovative, yet still endlessly entertain, is nothing short of miraculous.