Review of Citizen Kane (1941) by Ahmed A — 22 Feb 2013

Finally, I got to watch Citizen Kane, and there is no confusion about why this is commonly considered one of the greatest films of all-time. I watched many movies that have been described as "Revolutionary" and "Game-changing". But besides that Citizen Kane really deserve to be called so more than any movie I've watched in my life, it's could be the oldest movie that is as influential as it is timeless. I felt I was watching a movie the has been released couple years ago, except it's shot in black and white. An ecstasy of light and shadow, of clashing textures and graphic forms. A haunting cinematography that makes Citizen Kane one of the best-looking movies to date. an exuberant use of camera placement and movement and inventive lighting. Yes, it's above all a visual achievement. But all these innovative techniques shouldn't be questioned whether they still hold up or not. Because they don't just hold up to this day, but they are as fresh and contemporary as they were in 1941. But all that is from the technical standpoint, so what about the screenplay, the narrative, the story?

As Orson Welles took many risks directing Citizen Kane he also took risks writing it's Oscar-winning script with Herman J. Mankiewicz. And of course by risks I mean the unprecedented use of flashbacks, and the non-linear storytelling. And While I can't say this way of storytelling paid off perfectly, I have to admit that this structure has changes the game forever in film-making. It took me a while to be engaged with the characters, and the story itself. That's because the pacing was confusingly fast at the beginning, and some important aspects and details in the story needed to be more focused on.

It also dragged, and almost lost me a couple of times. As I mentioned above, the build up for the titular character could've been way better, at least to make me invested in the character from the start.

With that being said, the more the time goes, the more I became engaged with the story, and invested in all the characters, not only Charles Kane. And I couldn't help but hope for some explanation about the fate of Kane.

After some more minutes, I realized that Citizen Kane is a character study, actually, a very complex and compelling one. The story became more poignant and moving. By the way, if you still haven't watched Citizen Kane because you think it's a pretty serious and bleak film, you better watch it ASAP. Because it's actually funny! Yes, sometimes it's funny in a cynical way, but it is always a light-hearted movie, and easy to watch. But that doesn't mean it's a feel-good movie at all. As I mentioned, it the story becomes more touching and emotional as it proceeds, and it's represented in a flashback structure to reveal some mysteries about a publishing tycoon's rise and fall who dies corrupt and alone. So I think you get the point.

All the performances are impeccable, and Orson Welles' performance is as terrific as his direction. Also, Joseph Cotten is great as always.

Also, the dialogue is so clever, and there are a fair share of very subtle lines.

Citizen Kane is far from perfect, IMO. Nevertheless, it somehow lives up to its reputation as a landmark achievement in film. But what's striking now is how utterly modern it is in direction.

(8/10).