Cinematic gem - with or without being hailed at as "the greatest movie of all time".

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2020)

Sometimes, anticipation of a film (if praised too highly) can ruin the experience. I am happy I was super long un-aware of the hype and praise this film had been placed on, so I watched it with nearly no knowledge at all about Orson Welles or the film itself. And this is the best thing that can happen!
Well, for me, the fact is simple: if you are hooked from the first second to the last to a cinematic creation, it can't be that bad. If you get new ideas on techniques, stories, characters and atmospheres out of it - even better. If it leaves you with "wow, that was an intense scene for ... reason" several or continuous times throughout the movie, it MUST be well crafted.
Citizen Kane is all that for me. I am for sure not the perfect expert on older films, esp. speaking film noir, but this has been a great start. The film feels incredibly modern (because it was the setting stone for many photography and direction techniques that are still used today). I enjoyed the slower paced scenes and the faster ones - so many elements are used well. How? If a narrative element (character blocking, lighting, camera (tracking) shots, use of depth of field, props, ... the list is endless!) is used in service to tell the story in the most intensive way, that sucks the viewer in... well, then - it is A VERY WELL DONE movie for me. Movies are pieces of art, they are not reality but heightened hyper-reality, compressed into a small frame with images and sound; a piece of art that tells a story we can connect to, in the most possible intense, compressed, concentrated way. For me, nearly every scene is virtuously done. I admire the dynamic use of the camera, the choreography of the actors, the light to create black and white compositions.
Everything is so complex and intense - as a set designer it was a pure delight to watch every scene! Not because the set itself was the most detailed, unique thing I have seen to this date, but it blends in with cinematography so well. Photography becomes part of the set and the other way around - through tracking shots over tables (which are moved and put back invisibly) to great compositions with everything in the very large depth of field being well placed and in focus (deep focus).
Also I was impressed of the many different worlds this film opened. From the hyper-gothic mansion where Kane died, to the news paper factories and bureaus to the various homes Kane lived in with his wives and the great opera house. Splendid, a feast for the eyes.
I will watch all the other Orson Welles films right after to see how his style develops over time!