This is considered one of the best movies ever?

Rating: 6/10 (10 April 2010)

'Citizen Kane' is often regarded as one of the all time greatest films. But is it all that great? Of course, that is very subjective, but for me the answer is no. Considering all the hype around this movie, I expected something far better. That said, the movie isn't bad and it's an important film. Directed by and starring Orson Welles as the title character (a wealthy newspaper publisher whose life is the subject of the motion picture), it is a movie with many innovations.
For example, Orson Welles (who was an unproved director at the time) was given the choice to develop his own story, select his own cast/crew and was given final cut privilege. The screenplay, however, was developed with the help of Herman Mankiewicz.
This film created a new style of film-making by studying various forms of movie making and combining them all into one. The advanced cinematography is notorious in many levels: the extended use of deep focus, the peculiar way how low-angle shots were made, the use of an optical printer whenever a deep focus was not possible, the special effects, the nice scenarios, the in-camera effects and flashbacks, etc. Even the ending is different compared with other films. Ya see, after the words "The End", the following text appears: «Most of the principal actors in "CITIZEN KANE" are new to motion pictures. The Mercury Theatre is proud to introduce them».
The plot is a "roman à clef" that examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane. It starts with this death, which causes great impact around the world. Kane's story is narrated principally through numerous flashbacks, from his childhood in poverty until adulthood (with money and power, as well as all the negative consequences it carries).
The Xanadu estate is fictional, but in real life a city named Xanadu exists. The cast is interesting. Orson Welles is great as Charles Foster Kane, Buddy Swan as Kane when he was 8 years old and Paul Stewart as Raymond. It was nice to see Paul Stewart in this, too bad that only happens in the final part of the movie. Paul Stewart starred some years later in 'The Window' as the character Joe Kellerson.
I think that this movie starts off interesting but then it becomes boring and loses its interest. There were also things I didn't properly understand, such as all the "Rosebud" talking.
To conclude my review, I liked the cinematography but the plot and the movie itself were not quite what I expected.