The Mona Lisa of film...

Rating: 4/10 (12 February 2002)

Apparently (since I have not read any..) texts on film universally proclaim this as a masterpiece of technique, an exceptionally daring indictment of Hearst whose suppression of the film has undoubtedly added to its strange mystique. However, what was innovative quickly becomes routine and dated. What was once (overly) clever caricature eventually becomes as unintelligible and irrelevant as Shakespeare's puns. The glaring weakness in Citizen Kane that sets it apart from the handful of films that claim to be great is that it lacks a strong timeless theme. People can still relate to the eternal triangle in Casablanca, or the dutiful nobility of the seven samurai or even the pluckiness of Scarlett O'Hara. In contrast, Kane is neither a great nor likable character. His problems are too distant and portrayed too distantly, to be of much care to the common man. Hence, now that the gaudy trappings have faded, there is no heart and soul to resonate with modern audiences.
To me the film is like the Mona Lisa. Crowds throng around it and gaze admiringly, listening to the commentary on their porta-guides which explain the wondrous techniques employed. Not that it isn't good, but I somehow think that those crowds wouldn't be there, were it not for its reputation and if they were to answer honestly, most would admit that they couldn't see what all the fuss was about...