"Rosebud" leaves its indelible traces

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2012)

When RKO Radio Pictures gave young radio celebrity Orson Welles the opportunity to work on two pictures of his own little did they know that these two projects nearly would cause the company to go bankrupt. "Citizen Kane" was one of those films where the then 25 year old director and star Orson Welles pulled every possible trick from the books to make an impression, yet - while immediately critically acclaimed - nobody wanted to see the result. By now however the movie's profound influence in American film making is undisputed. And there's a lot one should know about it.
For one as far as the technical side is concerned: Welles shot in deep focus (front and back are both in focus at the same time), used subtle optical illusions, framed his scenes brilliantly, pioneered with invisible wipes, worked with models combined with sets and matte drawings, cleverly placed cameras to force strange angles, even moved furniture there and back again while in a scene, played with mirrors, shots that emphasized size and grandeur or dwarfed a person - the list goes on and on. "Citizen Kane" however is also all about acting, as there's no moment when the viewer doesn't buy Kane's age whenever he is seen - be it in is early twenties or on his deathbed decades later. The character's body language and mannerisms are believable throughout, and when we get to the final reel and finally learn the secret we feel that we really have the key to understand that person. Ah yes, speaking about "rosebud"... That's the third point that needs mentioning: The depth of the story. It's core was inspired by tycoon Randolph Hearst, whose media outlets promptly boycotted the film in reaction, Hearst even wanted to buy the film in order to destroy it... Ah, Welles apparently was on to something! But there's of course a lot of fiction as well in "Citizen Kane" thanks to screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, and so "rosebud" leaves its indelible traces in everyone who ever tried to get to the bottom of the mystery.