A great achievement in filmmaking, but ya gotta have heart

Rating: 8/10 (11 May 2011)

The first time I watched Orson Welles' Citizen Kane(1941) I had some trouble with following the film because of the unusual story telling structure. Upon watching it for a second time I was able to follow the story and the character development and it certainly improved my enjoyment of the film. I can certainly understand why so many rank it as the greatest film ever made, the groundbreakingly inventive visual style of the film is incredibly impressive and with the knowledge that this was Welles' first film it was an amazing achievement. But for my own personal enjoyment of a work of fiction I need to feel a personal connection to the characters. Charles Foster Kane is necessarily a character that the audience cannot connect with as his enigmatic and distant nature is the whole point of the film but I found it difficult to connect to any of the characters on any level, they all left me feeling cold. I think that perhaps with more repeat viewings I'll be able to penetrate the extreme density of the film further and may in time come to truly appreciate it but for the moment I'll have to remain incredibly impressed but not quite entertained.