Citizen Kane

Is this the greatest film of all time? Well, it's not my personal favorite, but it is a damn fine film. That's as close as I'll get to labeling any such motion picture "the greatest film of all time." There is no denying, however, that Citizen Kane is one of the most beautifully shot films, and an epic in its own right. The film is larger than life, much like Charles Foster Kane himself, and is effective in telling the story mostly through the lens of the camera. Gregg Toland, the cinematographer of Citizen Kane, does his job better than just about anyone.

But what about what we see and hear? The script, by writer/director/actor Orson Welles, is wonderful. Kane's life is explored after his death by a journalist hot for scoop on the mogul giants final word: Rosebud. Through accounts by the people that loved (and hated) Kane, we are treated to the spectacle that Kane himself was. Coupled with Toland, and Welles directing, Citizen Kane has become a film that will live forever into the future of film. Like all films, there are flaws, but they are minuscule, mostly due, in this humble reviewers opinion, to the limitations of filming technique of the 40s. But again, they are minuscule and few and far between.

Genre - Drama (3.75)

Screenplay (4)
Acting (3)
Production (4)
Directing (4)