Do we all think it is the greatest motion picture?

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2000)

A brilliant cast, with Joseph Cotten serving brilliantly as the right hand man of Welles. In turn, Orson Welles in his most famous role, or perhaps one of the most famous characters in all of Hollywood's history. Screenplay of Academy Award calibre was penned by the leading man and the director.

RKO studios, although doomed against the fatale of other Hollywood competition, was so confident about the picture that it was released with the promotional tagline "Everyone's talking about it!" And although RKO became defunct, not every studio goes down with nine Astaire-Rogers films, let alone "Citizen Kane".
Indeed people are still talking about the film with good reason. But ask the typical teenager about my age the most famous film ever made and they're more likely to come out with "The Wizard of Oz" or "Gone With the Wind". That is, if they don't come out with "American Beauty" or "The Sixth Sense" first.
In 1941, "Citizen Kane" received its accolades, but Orson Welles was an ignored and underrated Tinseltown figure, which justifies "The Third Man" never being nominated best picture. "How Green Was My Valley" may have been the winner of the coveted Best Picture that year, but it didn't take out the number one spot on the AFI's controversial list, and it wouldn't take the Oscar today if the Awards occurred again.
The underlying problem is that even "Citizen Kane" itself may have been blown too much out of proportion for its own good.
As a fourteen year old, I am more inclined to pick the AFI's number 98th listed film on the Top 100 "Bringing Up Baby" as my favourite film of the 1930s and 1940s.
"Citizen Kane's" theme is certainly a powerful, compelling and thought provoking one. The idea that death comes at a moment of dissatisfaction probably rings true for humans, the idea of never finding what is lost and never understanding fully exactly what was lost is all probably true as well.
And if "Citizen Kane" is that good, why is there such a problem with it being stated as the best film ever made?
The underlying answer is likely to be that mainstream audience, and the fewer who indulge in classic film, cannot take heavy, intense drama as easily screwball comedy. As I would classify myself as one of those people, I would never leave "Citizen Kane" off my personal greatest films list, but I could never speak of it as the best movie of all time.
Film professionals may state "Kane" is without a doubt the best movie ever made, but more people would be able to recognise the tune "Over the Rainbow" than understand the irony if someone dropped dead smashing a crystal ball uttering "Rosebud".
Rating: 8/10