Citizen Kane Film Review

1941 Poster Art.

My Rating: 10/10


Directed & Written by: Orson Welles

What can I say about this Film? Many things can be said about this film, which makes it so brilliant. Citizen Kane is dramatic, inventive and full of mystery and character. It is easy to see why Orson Welles is a renowned director as this is certainly a production of excellence and perfection. Orson Welles is clearly today, an inspiration to most film makers, and this is his first film! Now that’s what I call impressive!

I have only recently got into Orson Welles work and I’m very impressed. It’s clear to see how many people in the film industry today are influenced by him. He was a great writer, actor and Director. This film certainly shows all of that with the great cinematography. Like the poster says, "It's Terrific!".

Story: 
The story follows a man by the name of Charles Foster Kane. At first viewing this film the story for me was way too confusing so I did not appreciate it as much. My second viewing (which is why I am writing this review) I understood the story, and boy was it great. The film opens with a 4 minute film showing Kane’s life as we hear his final words before he dies ‘Rosebud’. We then discover that it’s a group of reporters watching the film and pretty soon there on a journey to find out the meaning of Rosebud.

Deep Focus Shot. This is an example of Welles' great cinematography.

So the film follows the reporters going to people who knew Kane and there are several flashbacks. That is where it got confusing. Now more about who Kane is. He is one of the most known people in America. At an early age, Kane is taken away from his parents and at the age of 25 he begins a newspaper business because he thought it would be ‘fun’. The story is hugely complex and a lot to say about it. So let’s just say it’s a journey of how Kane is a scoundrel, a lover and one hell of an American!

Kane's second wife 'Susan Alexander' being interviewed by a reporter.

Characters:

Charles Foster Kane: As I said, he is an American, a lover, a scoundrel and he is a business tycoon. In his later years he builds the island of Xanadu, which is an unreal sized private island that Kane builds with his vast amount of money. Kane is a character that you can say “what a guy”, but later you will feel sorry and angry for the character, as we see how he develops throughout the film.

Emily Norton: Kane’s first wife (and the president’s niece), who later leaves him after finding out he had an affair with Susan Alexander.

Susan Alexander: Susan, the second wife of Kane. This is the character that makes the story revolve, along with Kane. You can also feel pity and sympathy for her as we see how Kane treats her. We see how she is dominated and abandoned in Xanadu, and it it greats great drama.

Jedediah Leland: Kane's best friend and the first reporter on Kane's paper. Through the film we have a flashback, as a reporter asks him more on Kane.

There are several other characters in this film, but these are most of the main ones.

Kane making a speech in the middle of his life.

The Meaning Of Rosebud:

Kane's Sleigh as a child.

Now I’m not sure if this is the true meaning, because it isn’t really been said by Welles himself, but this is what I think it must be. In the final 5-10 minutes of the film it hit me. There really is no clarified definition to this in the story. A reporter sys “Maybe rosebud is just something he didn’t have in his life, a missing piece from the jigsaw”.  Later we see some of his stuff being thrown into a furnace and we see his sled, which we see in a flashback of his childhood. Maybe this means that the thing he did not have was his childhood. After all, he was taken away from his parents.

The Response and controversy:

At the time the film was actually not as big a success as it is seen now. It lost $150, 000 on its original run. The reviews for the film were overwhelmingly positive, although some reviewers were challenged by Welles' break with Hollywood traditions. The film was depicted on parts of the life of William Randolph Hearst, the head of Metro Golden Mayer at the time. At the time hearing about the film enraged Hearst so much that he banned any advertising, reviewing or mentioning of it in his papers, and had his journalists libel Welles. Following lobbying from Hearst, the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Louis B Mayer, acting on behalf of the whole film industry, made an offer to RKO Pictures of $805,000 to destroy all prints of the film and burn the negative. The reviews for the film were overwhelmingly positive, although some reviewers were challenged by Welles' break with Hollywood traditions. Kate Cameron, in her review for the New York Daily-News, said that Kane was "one of the most interesting and technically superior films that has ever come out of a Hollywood studio".

Kane's Death.

Legacy:

It’s clear that the film has left a mark on Hollywood for filmmakers and film critics alike. It is one of the most controversial films (especially around it’s theatrical release) and has influenced several film makers. The documentary ‘The Battle Over Citizen Kane’ points out the great irony that Welles's own life story resembled that of Kane far more than Hearst's: an overreaching wunderkind who ended up mournful and lonely in his old age. I think all the battle over the film is why it is seen as such a highlight today. Despite William Hearst’s attempts in ensuring the film was not a success, the film has now gone on to being the 1# in several top 100 films lists. Hearst succeeded in keeping the film unpopular, and if he didn’t the film probably would have grossed more than ’The Wizard of Oz’ or ‘Gone with The Wind’. I think this film has great importance, because of the cinematography and can be very educational for film schools to study. A lot can be said about Citizen Kane, good or bad.

Another great shot of Kane walking, broken hearted.

Overview:

The film was excellently executed by Orson Welles and is easy to see how his clever storyline, dramatic and eccentric acting and technological techniques have brought inspiration for years to come. What I really liked was how the characters where portrayed and how cleverly done the film was. Orson Welles is truly an inspiration to filmmakers, and has certainly influenced me. His clever use of camera angles, story and character depth has made this one of the finest productions I’ve laid eyes on. The cinematography really pieced this one together, making it very powerful and important.

However, as great as this film is I don’t think younger audiences of this generation will really appreciate the greatness of this piece of work. It has a masterful story, outstanding cast, but won’t live up to the young audiences because of the concentration level. I don’t mean that in an offensive way, but I’ll be honest, it took me two viewings to fully understand this film. Overall I highly recommend this film to everyone and especially you young film makers! Thanks for reading my review.

Ratings

Story: 9.6/10 -Highly Original, complex and entertaining.

Characters: 9.4/10

Emotion: 9.4/10

Visuals & Editing: 9.6/10
Direction & Cinematography: 9.6/10

Music: 9.1/10

Overall: 9.5/10