Welle's pushed every button

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2006)

Many say this is the greatest film of all time. I don't know. It's such a personal comment that I don't believe even a modest consensus can be reached. That said, there is no disputing that this is one of the most influential projects ever done. Having read some books about Orson Welles, I still don't understand, other than having as strong a personality as is possible, how he had the film knowledge and vision that went into this masterpiece, on his first try. There are hundreds of stunning shots. The camera and what it does is enough to carry the film. The editing take us from place to place in a heartbeat. the characters are pithy and interesting, especially Kane. Then there's the William Randolph Hearst thing that is going on in the background. We see power; we see power corrupting. We see love of self contrasted with love of others. We see the oppressive cloud of loneliness descend upon the powerful. Wealth versus happiness. Which is, of course, the overriding theme. If anyone doubts the effectiveness of black and white cinematography, just watch five minutes of this film. More can be done with a few shadows than a full palette of colors.
I first saw this film in college. We had a new student union which had a nice little theater in it. I had heard of the film, but this was pre-rental, pre VCR, so if one were to see such a film, you had to simply wait. Even television tended to avoid this as too artsy. I sat at the screening. There were a couple of football players in the audience (I could tell by their jackets). I remember being mystified and confused and wanting to see the film again. It took about five years until it showed up on television and, even though there were about 60 commercials, I still enjoyed it. When I got my first VCR, it was the first movie I rented. What a trip. Anyway, as we left the theater, one of the football players said to the other, "Well that was the biggest pile of crap I've ever seen." This just reaffirmed that it was a great film.
I'm sure that most average film-goers are not willing to put in the effort to get the most out of this film. That's their prerogative. I've often hated pretentious films that others have clucked their tongues about. If you look at my reviews of movies like "Attack of the Crab Monsters" you will see I am not a film snob, but this is one great movie and I hope everyone gets to see it before they go down that last hill in that little red sled.