One of the greatest films ever

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2017)

As this classic film opens Charles Foster Kane lies dying in Xanadu, his palatial home in Florida. The last word he speaks is 'Rosebud'. A newsreel film about his life in which we learn how he acquired a failing New York newspaper, rose to prominence, stood for the governorship, married and divorced (twice) before retreating to Xanadu and becoming a recluse. After this reporter Jerry Thompson is told to find a different angle to the story; in particular the meaning of 'rosebud'. Over the course of his investigation he talks to Kane's second wife; reads through the archives of Walter Thatcher, the man who raised young Kane; he also talks to his business manager, Mr. Bernstein and former closest friend Jedediah Leland.
As Thompson sees each of them we see snippets of Kane's life how he was effectively sold as a child when gold was found on his mother's land; his idealist sentiments when he took over the newspaper; how he later manipulates public opinion; stands up to a corrupt governor only to be brought down by a scandal that ends his first marriage; a second marriage where he is determined to put his new wife, a singer, on the stage even if she knows she isn't good enough and ultimately how after others can't stand his controlling ways he dies in his private palace.
This film is rightly considered one of the greatest films ever made; this isn't just because it contains a fine story that is told in an interesting way but because of how innovative it was at the time it was made. This alone makes it a must see for fans of cinema. Orson Welles dominates the film; playing Kane through a variety of ages as well as writing, directing and producing the films. Even so he isn't carrying the film alone; all of the main cast are very impressive. The mystery behind 'rosebud' is intriguing but ultimately proves to be a McGuffin used to get Thompson to look more deeply into Kane's life and it is this life that drives the story. The way the story is told via a series of flashbacks works well as each person Thomson talks to reveals another aspect of Kane's life. Overall I'd say that this is a great film and certainly an important one; I don't know if it is the greatest but it is certainly in the running for that title.