Flashbacks

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2002)

A splendidly acted if at times difficult to follow movie, told mostly in flashbacks, about the rise of a newspaper tycoon who made life awfully difficult for his friends and subordinates. Gregg Toland's photography and Bernard Herrmann's music helps move things along at a brisk pace. Director Orson Welles, who also co-authored the script with veteran screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, works wonders with the material. A bumptious, elliptical film, this one may not appeal to all viewers. It requires patience, and a feel for the past, especially early twentieth century America, which it is in many respects a meditation on.