There is a reason this is a MUST SEE for all Cinephiles

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2005)

Orson Welles effectively employed writing, cinematography, mis en scene, directing, sound, editing, acting, and even ideology to bring us his masterpiece Citizen Kane.
This script was written to provide an immediate "button" by which we're engaged to continue watching. The button is an old man dying, dropping a glass ball, and uttering the word "Rosebud". This soon becomes, what Hitchcock called, "The Mcguffin", an object, in this case 'information', that is pursued throughout the picture. The audience, like the reporter on the screen, becomes curious to find out who or what "rosebud" is. Another element of writing that was used effectively was the exposition of the newspaper tycoon's back story via a newsreel and at other times the newspaper headline. A great use of subtext was displayed in the wife's constant building of jigsaw puzzles. It was a metaphor for the life of Kane and the jigsaw builder was the reporter.
Cinematography and mis en scene worked together to give the picture a timeless quality that allows for a film student to be taken back to the early 20th century and experience Kane's life in the first person. The smoke-filled rooms and silhouettes of the news guys make us feel like they are in the theater with us while conferring and asking their questions. Close ups and soft lighting allow us to feel comfortable with Kane as he falls in love with the "singer". The mis en scene of the Kane mansion was excellent (for that time). I had difficulty determining if the establishing shot of the large mansion was an actual house or just a painted set. The dramatic point of the movie when Kane was tearing apart Susan's (Dorothy Comingmore) bedroom was perfectly dressed and perfectly destroyed before our eyes. Other moments of mis en scene: Kane as a boy in the setting of pure white snow bespeaks his innocence. The crowded room of statues at the end had me looking closely to determine if any of the statues were genuine! Another noteworthy mention is Orson Welles makeup, however much he wore, was so realistic it was frightening. He looked as he did at his ACTUAL late age prior to his passing.
Sound and editing worked well together to bolster the drama of many scenes in this film. From the scary, sad music establishing the Kane mansion and Kane's death to the screech of a cockatiel marking his wife's departure, sound was a consistent element of dramatic support. The continual audio overlaps like Kane's clapping for Susan's private performance to the public applause of his nomination, laughter that steals in as Susan attempts to perform her operetta, a scream from a party outside the room as Kane slaps her, and the shrill shriek of the cockatiel as she leaves Kane, all made for great exposition. Also, the deep resonating echoes in the Kane mansion tell us how open, cold, and lonely the house must have been.
Editing was smart and, as the great editing genius Dmytrk taught, invisible. Economic use of quick cuts and swish pans during the Dinner table scene between Kane and Mary, transitions from Kane and Susan in her room, to Kane and his political friends at his nomination, and from this to his grand public acceptance speech allowed for much information and the passing of time to be delivered effectively and quietly.
William Randolph Hearst, the famous newspaper tycoon, whom this film is purported to portray, was so insulted by its similarities to his life, he banned its mention in any of his many newspapers (sounds like something Kane would do). According to Dr. Jack K. Ringler, historian and professor of history at CCSN, Mr. Hearst was widely known to use his newspapers to stir up agitation from the American public towards the Spanish government just prior to the Spanish-American war. This, Hearst believed, made for good stories and GREAT circulation. The fact that Kane is found to harp on his editors and writers declaring, "We will go to war against Spain" clearly demonstrates Welles' ideology through his character Kane, whose life, at the very least, parallels Mr. Hearst's. The ideology of twisted news reporting that is bent to flow the way of the personal views of the media 'owners' (i.e. Ted Turner) clearly comes across throughout the movie. Kane's declaration, "I determine what the people need to hear" exemplifies the media's ability (and sometimes willingness) to editorialize instead of report fact.
The directing of Citizen Kane was so tight that it is difficult to believe that it was accomplished by a 1st-time director, and by a director that acted the lead role at the same time! His choice to make an unorthodox choice of staging, acting, editing, and framing the dinner table scenes with his wife Mary (Agnes Moorhead), his movement and blocking of actors in the opera performance scenes, and his presentation of the Hearst/Kane dwelling were brave for 1941! His vision of the finished piece is the only explanation for the successful integration of so many film elements.