A reasonable plot presented amazingly well

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2008)

A lot has been said about this film, however the lighting is not praised often enough. This film impresses in many areas, but the lighting is truly extraordinary. I particularly loved the shadows that covered up the reporters in the present - it showed how irrelevant they were to the story of Kane's life and how they were merely their to lead us to the individuals who would speak of Kane. Shadows are used in similar ways throughout the entire film - it was really quite extraordinary in that department.
The story was definitely intriguing and the ending delivers a remarkably successful payoff. Indeed it is a truly intriguing and remarkably truthful (as far as being truthful to human nature goes) character study. At times the story drags a bit and I blame that on the fact that despite the story being presented incredibly well it is not that good a story.
The dialogue is pretty good. Sometimes the humour put a smile on my face which is all it was meant to do - to keep your attention and keep your eyes on the screen.
Citizen Kane is certainly a successful film and I have a huge amount of respect for it (it was hugely influential) but there is something missing. As technically marvellous as it is and as well made as it is the film lacks power and the beauty seen in it is only slight and indeed short lived.