Style without the substance

Rating: 4/10 (18 October 2004)

There's no doubting the technical brilliance of Citizen Kane. The set-design, cinematography and special effects hold up to this day. But it is, much like CF Kane, vacuous.
I remember seeing Citizen Kane for the first-time several years ago. At this point my love of movies was nurturing and had heard about the superlatives pointing in Citizen Kane's direction. I saw about 1 hour and turned it off.
Last year, I became inquisitive again about Citizen Kane and resolutely watched it all the way through. I just about managed it.
Movies are about entertainment. No amount of technical ingenuity can gloss over a weak script, dull supporting characters and, most of all, a lead character so bereft of appeal. Read positive reviews about Citizen Kane and you'll probably see whole paragraphs taken up with how technically superior it is.
But this isn't what movies are about is it? Should non-critics really appreciate the techniques employed in this film and casually ignore what lack of entertainment they have witnessed?
Citizen Kane is to film-makers what a video of a Batista operation is for heart surgeons - very informative, but are really not easy viewing for those outside the profession.