Times have changed...

Rating: Null/10 (20 April 2003)

...but Citizen Kane remains one of the great cinematic achievements of all time. The greatest? Who's to say? There are many criteria upon which to base one's opinions of films, so I think it's impossible to say that ANY film is, in its totality, the greatest film ever made. What this film IS, however, is a tremendous achievement and a cinematic landmark...as well as an incredible chapter in Hollywood history.
A boy genius comes to Hollywood and writes his own bill...he can write, direct, and star in his own full-length motion picture. Initially working around the idea of a film adaptation of Conrad's Heart of Darkness (a feat which would not be accomplished until Coppola's Apocalypse Now). The end result, however, may very well have been THE most controversial film in the history of cinema. Natural Born Killers has NOTHING on Citizen Kane, in terms of controversy. But beyond all the controversy, fascinating as it is, Orson Welles's achievement here is astonishing. Even if Citizen Kane isn't the greatest film of all time, it is certainly the most auspicious and brilliant debut that a 25 year old filmmaker has ever made...in Hollywood, or anywhere else.
I'll spare you my admiration of Welles's direction, Tolland's cinematography, the make-up, the lead performances, and the writing. I'm sure you can find that in countless reviews for this film.

What I wish to express is the reason that some people cannot see the brilliance of this film for what it truly is. Citizen Kane was made in a different era...a time when films didn't have to move at fever pitch in order to keep a viewer's attention. It was an age before MTV, an age before the attention span of the average audience went to hell. Films moved more slowly and gracefully in the '40s. But when audiences who were raised on glitzy, rapid-fire edited, car chase-laden action movies go back and attempt to watch true classics like Citizen Kane or Anatomy of a Murder, they find those monumental films to be "slow"...or "talky"...or even "boring." It's unfortunate...but it's true. Ever shortening attention spans have rendered many great films unwatchable by millions of viewers.
All I can say is that Orson Welles achieved magic and true brilliance with this film...and that its impact on the world of cinema will never be duplicated. Perhaps that's what it means to be "the greatest."