Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten

Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten | If you like movies with class, buy it. If you don't, then stay away from it (it's that simple).

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Citizen Kane (Two-...

	Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten Turner Home Ent, 2001 average customer review:based on 693 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

4 Stars???

Some reviewers have commented on the "snobbery" of some reviewers when reviewing Citizen Kane. I sympathize. But it seems to me that those who take any knock against this film so personally do so for very valid reasons. I knew plenty of what are considered the "finest" films before I watched Citizen Kane, and even enjoyed some of them. However, I perhaps knew very little of film craft and technique, lighting, composition, etc. before I finally sat down and watched Kane.

Like many have said before me (Ebert and and a whole posse of film critics online, CHUD for instance), it was Citizen Kane that made me a - I cringe while stating this! - "film buff." I assume the feeling is likewise with many of the reviewers here. Quite simply, so many movies by so many directors/cinematographers/actors would have passed by me along with their emotional resonance, if it wasn't for Citizen Kane.

It's true; you can enjoy Citizen Kane without trying to notice the innovations that Welles unleashes. It is a brilliantly entertaining story and still one of the best examples of non-linear storytelling (is that too snobby?). But the beauty here is in the details and the way Welles actually _makes_ that emotional resonance happen.

The reason so many people get so personal about this movie is because Citizen Kane is a cinematic gateway drug of sorts. I watched Citizen Kane, and I got it, and from there on in, I found it increasingly harder to be sated by the severely below-average movies that are being pushed on audiences now. I jumped to the Kubricks, the Bergmans, the Renoirs, the Langs, the Quays(s?), the Fellinis, the Melvilles, the Kurosawas, and blah blah blah. Most importantly, _I got it_, and it's because of Citizen Kane.

I don't think that the average filmgoer has to know the ins and outs of editing and direction and cinematography in order to enjoy some of the movies that are considered the "finest" ever made. But it certainly helps, and it more than pays for the effort. It makes you a much more attentive filmgoer, at the very least. It was when I first watched Kane that I asked myself questions like, "How in the world did the camera move through that table? Has lil' Kane been in the window frame this entire time? Oh my god, has that lit window been in the same place the entire time (even its reflection, no less!)? Where the hell are the boom mics? Why is there a gigantic portrait of Kane in every other conversational scene? Have I ever seen a deep focus shot before?"

There is a reason Kane is still atop the AFI's 100 Best list. It is a 5-star movie, through and through. And if you have any idea about the amount of #*$& that Welles went through in his life just to finish his movies (if he even managed that), you'll know that he deserves that top spot more than anybody else. I think that there are better movies out there at this point, I think that Welles himself even did better movies than Kane, but Kane is still one of the best. It is a marvel that this movie still has the power to turn an inattentive college student into a perfectly attentive filmgoer. And hell, I still like Michael Bay's "The Rock"...

This movie deserves 5 Stars, nothing less.

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If you like movies with class, buy it. If you don't, then stay away from it (it's that simple).

Don't worry. I'm not going to tell you who, where, when, or what Rosebud is. And, actually, you have to watch the entire film to understand why Charles Kane's last word was Rosebud. This film takes a while to get into but by the end you know it was worth watching.

I still struggle with the meaning of the movie. But here's my guess (it could be wrong or maybe there are several answers):

It tells the story of someone who as a child had fortune thrust upon him and as a man tried to use it to do perhaps the one thing it could never do: buy people's love. Initially we think his enormous wealth is a blessing but by the end we know that it is a curse (and he knows it as well). And so who, where, when or what Rosebud turns out to be makes as much sense as anything else in this crazy world. And I thought it was very touching.

But sorry, I lied: I'll save you 20 dollars right now by telling you that Rosebud is..........just buy the movie before someone else spoils it for you.

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The Dangers of Ego & Capitalism

To me Citizen Kane is about the dangers of the self-made man and his ego. America loves the image of this kind of man making his way to the top. This film shows what often can be involved and how good intentions over time often become distorted by issues of power, greed and ego. The Protestant Work Ethic has long been the bane of our exisitence in this country since Colonial times. Combine that with a born again christian outlook and you have all the excess and extreme of the American character.

We claim to have no aristocracy in this nation, but are not all the Kane's, Hearst's, and Rockefeller's our eqivilent! I would argue that the self-made man is more of a danger than any noble. The self-made man has tasted poverty and wants to crawl his way to the top no matter the price. This outlook, born out of the merciless Industrialism of the last Century has ravaged the natural resources of this land.

Citizen Kane shows us what total, uncontrolled Capitalism is, and how autocratic men like this run it, making any modern day King or noble sweet by comparison. Watch this film for its brilliant camera techniques, and for the incredible stage presence of Orson Welles, yes by all means. But also see this film as a perspective on the American character which has given us our very bloody and ruthless 200 + years of history. Can we change our natioanl outlook and save the enviroment? Only time will tell.

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A Biography of a Newspaper Tycoon

The film opens on a silent and dark night. An old man dies peacefully in bed, alone. It shows the vast riches of this extremely wealthy man - his monument. Charles Foster Kane was the greatest newspaper tycoon of his day. His wealth derived from a gold mine in Colorado, obtained almost by chance. His newspapers were loved by many, and hated by many. The news reels give his history. He was on track to be elected governor, but a sex scandal caused a loss. He retired to Xanadu, his lavish estate, then died as all must. The journalists will try to investigate his life to figure out his dying words (as if that could be relevant to anybody). This film continues as a search to uncover a mystery that may be unexplainable.

Charles Foster Kane was taken from his parents at an early age because of a contract his mother signed (her investment advisor). Kane received the best education money can buy, but this is omitted. Kane's pleasure is his newspaper, he is a crusader for the masses against the Robber Barons (to deprive a third party of this cause). But in time he is forced to sell control of his 'Inquirer' to a bank. The scenes show how editorial policy is remade. [Note the gas lights, an open flame.] Kane hires away the newspaper men from a competitor to create the greatest circulation in New York, the financial capital. Kane marries the niece of a President (money talks?). Jed Leland tells his memories of Kane. The scenes show Charles' changes in his marriage (he is more arrogant and powerful). Kane runs for governor, a liberal who is the friend of the working man and decent people. [But will the ruling class support this upstart?]

Poor Charlie doesn't realize that private investigators were shadowing him, and his private life ends his hope for a public life. [Most big city politicians were taking payoffs to support the local corporations.] Nothing is more scandalous than a reformer with hidden faults; a politician who is known to love drink and women won't be defeated for this. Susan's singing career soon ends. Perhaps they aimed too high, musical comedies rather than grand opera? Some very dramatic scenes follow and reveal more of the personalities of Charles and Susan. Poor Susan can't stand the strain and pressure. Can a publisher really create a star? Can a millionaire provide a starring role for his girlfriend today? Does great wealth and power lead to corruption and insanity? Was Kane's search for love the result of an unhappy childhood? Charlie's vandalism of his wife's bedroom suggests a sick mind. There is an inventory of Kane's property. What is it worth? Kane saved everything (like many of his generation). At the end we see a child's sled and its name.

This film may have been novel in its day, but now seems dated. It seems like it came from a radio play. It is not really historical or satirical. There were plenty of other targets available, but this film barely recognizes the events that existed during Kane's lifetime (post Civil War to World War II). A fictionalized account closer to reality might have been better.

Since he died alone, how did anyone learn his last word?

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