A journalist wants to find out who the media mogul C.F. Kane really was.

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2000)

Regarding the content, "Citizen Kane" is quite dull, but the technical and narrative innovations Welles used in it are wonderful. Now, all those techniques are used by every Hollywood director, but in 1941, they were revolutionary. Orson Welles was a genius. He was even too smart for the average filmcrowd of that time. The viewers didn't understand the message Welles wanted to get across with his deep focus and his lightning mix. That's why, commercially speaking, the film wasn't a succes. Critics, however, saw that "Citizen Kane" was to become one of the greatest films ever made and I share their opinion. Orson Welles was a man who knew what influence a medium like cinema -or radio, remember "The War of the Worlds"?- could have on people. Now everybody knows and the issue is clichÃ©, but back then, people didn't have the slightest idea. Except Welles, he knew.
You might say that "Citizen Kane" isn't based on the life of W.R. Hearst -like Welles intended- but is kind of an autobiography.