A Column

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2018)

Citizen Kane. The name stands like a monolith. And, like a monolith, it isn't very interesting from far away. But once you get up close to it, and see all the cracks and runs and patterns in the rock, then it becomes interesting. Orson Welles used his experience in audio from his radio career to mike up scenes that were never thought possible to mike up. With his film came the idea of a closed-in, lifelike room, rather than the tall, almost infinite ceilings that dominated before.
Kane introduced so many techniques that are still used today, dynamic shots being one of them. It isn't the fastest, the most gripping, the most heart-stopping (except for that one outstandingly sudden parrot), nor is it the most compelling. It's somewhat like a Doric column in this sense. But, when all the other films that get rave reviews have collapsed, this Doric column of film will still be standing strong, and will continue to stand in the centuries to come.
Plus, how many other films can you name where they tell the story after the main character died?