Its poster tells us "Everybody's talking about it!" You know what? Everybody still is.

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2009)

Nothing that I, or anyone else, will ever say either here or anywhere else will ever change the immense aura Citizen Kane carries with it. Here is a film that has been voted number one of all time by the American Film Institute twice over a span of eleven years and has garnered copious amounts of praise from Sight and Sound's own decade-spaced lists. The sum of it all is; yes, the film is fascinating just as it is thoroughly engaging and brilliantly made. It's not because of the credentials that I give it a maximum rating, nor is it because it would be the 'easy' thing to do, it's purely because the film is genuinely one of my favourites on film making and historical grounds.
Orson Welles knows what he's doing here, he's delivering a tale revolving around the image of one man from many others' perspectives. These people include his former second in command, his employees and at some points, one of his wives. But the brilliance is that Welles allows the audience to have the final say in what they think of this character, this character that Welles has quite deliberately cast as himself, with the most wonderful of twists at the very end rounding off the piece. Do we forgive him for what he was through no fault of his own when he was whisked away as a child? The ending doesn't exist as a cop-out to excuse his ruthless behaviour but only adds to the layers of study established beforehand.
Citizen Kane is genuinely enthralling, a film that doesn't chart the rise and fall of a character but rather kills them off in the very first scene before allowing a central character, who's a reporter, to try and deconstruct the myth of such a wealthy and successful individual. 'Getting there' seems to come across as Citizen Kane's focus, but the burning question isn't how he made it, rather what he meant when he uttered the word 'Rosebud' on his death bed before smashing a snow globe, something that within that tiny dome lies the clue as to what he meant; but won't become immediately obvious until we have had Kane's childhood locales and surroundings established. As he gazed down at the small, snowy surroundings in the dome; it is a recollection of sorts of days and innocence gone by, something he was removed from rather than naturally moved away from.
The film follows, in non-linear format as it shoots into the past at different spots in Kane's life, said reporter named Jerry Thompson (Alland) as he attempts to answer the question posed to him by other journalists following a newsreel presentation. Just what did he mean by his last word? Arguably, the most famous one worded quote in cinema's history. The introduction of Charles Kane himself is disorientating and fits unevenly with the rest of the film; a proud and booming newsreel detailing Kane's life in the media and politics before advancement into some sort of mental illness akin to hording. The question follows the footage and it is proposed that the myth surrounding Kane is deconstructed, immediately establishing the idea of how one person can come across as one thing through either the media or word of mouth whereas getting down to brass tacks with them opens up all sorts of alternatives.
The first time we see Kane in 'real time' and indeed hear him speak, he cracks a joke and generally seems to have the audience on his side. This immediately goes against the prior opinion that he was a 'bad' man or a communist or a struggling individual. Kane seems charming, funny; even quite nice and from the newsreel to the real image Welles has firmly established it's about finding out the facts of the situation rather than settling with the fiction.
Initially, the film centres on Kane's becoming of a newspaper mogul as he, Mr. Bernstein (Sloane) and Jedediah Leland (Cotten) look to buy out an existing paper firm in New York. They do so, and the expulsion of the 'old' as poor Mr. Carter is relieved of his duty and the introduction of the 'new' (complete with the 'best of' from rival newspapers) sees Welles establish his character as one who is going to take the reins and just plough on ahead as this new force to be reckoned with. With this, his ideas of 24/7 news and 'all of the news all of the time', reverberate with us due to the technological climate we live in now whereas in the film, others can only dismiss it as impossible. So while outlandish at the time, and we recognise that, we get a feel for what Kane's envisaging in that one exchange.
As the film progresses, we observe Kane's subsequent divulge into politics and two failed marriages and the film takes a breather for Mr. Thompson, alá the audience, in the present time to ask further questions and really try to get under the skin of the situation. One of the film's more harrowing shots is Kane's reaction when an associate reads out the review his wife got at the previous night's opera as written by an employee. It's a progression of anger and confusion mixed with doubt as he wonders if it is jealousy, poor journalism or just the straight damn truth. Later, his wife will finish another performance and Kane attempts to cue a standing ovation, but he's lost his grip on the world and those around him – he no longer carries the influence he once had and consequently, every one remains silent. But it's really all just scratching the surface and the brilliance of the film cannot really be summed up here; just know that while easy to dislike through its reputation, is difficult to deny its intrigue once viewed.