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May 16, 2008 | By artblog In Artist |

Cezanne (Rizzoli Art) (Rizzoli Art)
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Citizen Kane
Arguably the greatest of American films, Orson Welles’s 1941 masterpiece, made when he was only 26, still unfurls like a dream and carries the viewer along the mysterious currents of time and memory to reach a mature (if ambiguous) conclusion: people are the sum of their contradictions, and can’t be known easily. Welles plays newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. The result is that every well-meaning or tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event. Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz, and photographed by Gregg Toland, the film is the sum of Welles’s awesome ambitions as an artist in Hollywood. He pushes the limits of then-available technology to create a true magic show, a visual and aural feast that almost seems to be rising up from a viewer’s subconsciousness. As Kane, Welles even ushers in the influence of Bertolt Brecht on film acting. This is truly a one-of-a-kind work, and in many ways is still the most modern of modern films from the 20th century. –Tom Keogh
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Customer Review: A cinematic staple; a film that stands the test of time, proving to be one of the greatest…
Oh how the times have changed. A film that was in all actuality a box-office flop; critically panned and literally booed at the 14th annual Oscars; a film that received nine Oscar nominations yet only received one statuette (for screenplay) rises from the ashes of a pummeling demise to become considered the greatest American film of all time. All too often this is the case; a film is either critically lauded or distained only to, with time, change the minds of the American public. `Citizen Kane’ rests comfortable at the top (the number one position) of AFI’s list of the top 100 films ever made, and I don’t see it dropping positions anytime soon (unless `The Godfather’ sneaks in). Personally, I feel that America got this right; the second time. While I personally prefer Coppola’s `gangster’ masterpiece I feel that `Citizen Kane’ is a marvelous example of perfected cinema, an entertaining and enlightening film that stands the test of time and in all actuality gets better as the years roll by. The film opens the fragile whisper of the word “Rosebud” before it explodes with the exclamation of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane’s death. The film revolves around a news reporter trying to uncover the meaning behind Kane’s last word, “Rosebud”. What that reporter finds though is that no man’s life can be summed up with one word. I find that revelation to be supremely important and universally reaching. The whole of `Citizen Kane’ can be summed up in the realization that no man can be fully understood without fully understanding where he came from, what he strived for and ultimately what he became. As this reporter interviews those closest to Kane, those who loved and or hated him, he (as well as we) gets a beautifully well rounded and complete picture of the man that was Charles Foster Kane. We get an inside look at his professional life as well as his personal life; his friends, his wives, his business partners. We get to see how Kane interacted with others, how he dealt with those close to him and even those who peered down at him with evil intent; but as the film draws to its close we realize that the one thing we never got to see is the one missing link to fully grasping `who’ Charles Foster Kane really was. That is his `rosebud’. Sure, `Citizen Kane’, in the process of exposing this man, delves into the politics of corruption and greed, wealth and power, but it’s the underlying message that floats to the surface and becomes the true root of the film. When one walks away from this film he is left with a reflective work of deep meaning and everlasting presence; a universal message that touches the foundations of humanity and dwells eternally in the bowels of those privileged to witness this masterpiece. The first thing I noticed about `Citizen Kane’ was its visual styling. This is a film that feels up-to-date all the way around. I’m fully convinced that this film could be released this year and it would hold up strongly against the world of modern cinema. You know how some films feel dated? `Citizen Kane’ is not that film. Another facet of `Citizen Kane’ that is stellar beyond compare is that of the acting, especially on the part of the films writer, director and star Orson Welles. Welles is charismatic, natural and convincing. He gives a masterfully well rounded and committed performance that stands tall as one of the finest male performances of all time. Seriously, how he lost the acting Oscar is beyond me. How this movie lost any of the Oscars it was snubbed for; Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction and Sound Recording; is beyond me. At least it was honored with the Screenplay Oscar, but still, that’s such a token award for such a marvelous film. `Citizen Kane’ is lauded as one of the greatest, as the greatest even, and I have to jump on that bandwagon and let my voice be heard. This is a revelation, an iconic piece of cinema that is sure to prove supremely entertaining and rewarding to the viewer. The film is paced beautifully, never loses the audience’s attention or appreciation and, as I mentioned, just gets better and better every time you watch it. Orson Welles had a vision, a marvelous vision at that, and while it was not fully understood or appreciated upon its release, he can `rest in peace’ now, fully aware that his vision will never be forgotten.
Customer Review: Great Movie in 1941 and Today.
Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) A Professor and movie buff at my place of work and I got into a conversation about Orson Welles. Asking me if I ever seen the movie Citizen Kane I replied although I knew of the movie I did’nt recall ever seeing it. So I purchased it. Considered by many as the greatest movie ever made it did not disappoint. The acting was terrific. The camera angles and shots were for the time in a league of their own. Making a movie based on the lastword of a dying man (rosebud) and keeping you the movie goer watching until the end just to find out what he meant was also amazing. To bad we do not see Hollywood put more of these types of movies out. To find the best that Hollywood has to offer I believe you must look to it’s past.This movie is an shining example of that. Well worth the purchase price and a fine addition to any movie collection.