This film may have once been regarded the finest motion picture of all time but 72 years later, its still regarded as a great movie

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2012)

I've been told that Citizen Kane has been regarded as the greatest black and white film and ALSO the greatest motion picture of all time, that is until 'Vertigo' surpassed it. My initial reaction to this statement was REALLY!?!
Don't get me wrong; I have loved some black and white films most notably one of my favorite films of all time, '12 Angry Men' and also Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' Checking the perfect Rotten Tomato rating convinced me to watch this film although there were mixed "Top Reviews" on IMDb.
I enjoyed the start and found it extremely unique as it started with the death of Charles Foster Kane uttering his last word 'Rosebud'. I thought that was a great way to start and the mystery behind why he said it was definitely mysteriously and got me interested in the story, much like '12 Angry Men' did. However, to me, this film heavily suffers from poor pacing. At sometimes, the film seems to be speeding along brilliantly, with the plot and characters flowing through perfectly. At other times, the pacing is completely off and the film seems a bit of a torture to watch. I NEVER expected or wanted any action of any sort for this type of film as '12 Angry Men' did not and that was a spectacular masterpiece. However, the tone of the film just put me off as some flashback sequences dragged on a bit too long.
What I can't understand about this film is how it STILL is regarded the "Second" greatest motion picture. I mean, back then, it would've been a revolutionary film with all the special editing and the camera work and the great acting but now??? I mean, to be honest, there are plenty of FAR SUPERIOR black and white pictures such as 'Cascablanca', '12 Angry Men', 'Psycho', 'Schindler's List' and so on. These films I listed keep you emotionally connected to the story more (or at least it did for me) and have far better characters and a plot.
This isn't to say that I hated the film or found it extremely boring. Not quite true. I enjoyed the film as a whole but there are certain elements lacking from the film. One is, after a while the mystery behind the film starts to get away from people as the film at times goes onto focus on stuff that end up not really relating to Kane's last word. It also became extremely difficult to connect with 'Singer' aka Susan. I found her character, ENTIRELY annoying as she turned out to be one of the main parts to Kane's life.
One thing I definitely loved about the film however, was that it perfectly illustrates how Charles' life completely changes when he falls for fame and power. The scene where he starts off in love with Emily and slowly shows shots and shots of his feelings toward her changing was superbly done. Overall, the film brilliantly illustrates how Kane's happy life changes when he falls for fame and power.
*******MAIN SPOILER***********************
I enjoyed at the end how 'Rosebud' to Charles meant that he could've the last of his years happily. That was a clever twist right there and I enjoyed that.
Overall, I feel that this is NOT a must see film and those who absolutely love classic old films should see this and decide for yourself.