An overrated, average product of a mediocre director

Rating: 6/10 (15 May 2009)

This movie shares, with Casablanca and The Third Man, the dubious distinction of being one of the most overrated in the history of cinema. It is also not entirely clear why the Orson Welles myth should persist until today. Kane's existential progress is presented superficially, without a coherent framework. His achievements and failures are portrayed choppily, more in the form of sound bites than analytically. Technically, the movie seems rather amateurish: Welles hectors rather than explains; the diction and delivery of most characters sounds stilted and unnatural; it is often difficult to find out who is talking, as most of the male voices sound the same and the characters turn their backs to the audience, and/or hide under wide-brimmed hats. One could go on. The fortuitous discovery of a goldmine on the property of a lower middle class housewife stretches credibility. Trying to discover the meaning of one word (the film's rather trivial leitmotiv) seems hardly worth the time and effort involved. An altogether forgettable experience.