A Real Story

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2016)

Orson Welles ,although most famous for directing, writing, and acting, never had full control over a movie after the release of his 1941 film "Citizen Kane". The movie at first was heavily criticized due to the meaning behind the film. The film was made in the french style of "Film Noir". Although colored movies had been around for a little bit of time, Welles decided to film the whole movie in black and white in order to use the colors to show good and evil. "Citizen Kane" is known as one of the most influential films in history and is worth the watch.
The plot of the film centers around the character Charles Foster Kane, who is Welles's version of William Randolph Hearst ,one of the most wealthy men in the world at the time. Kane at a young age gets "sold" by his mother ,in order to get him away from his father, to a very wealthy man who represents a bank. Kane at the age of 21 gets total control over the money he was "bought" for. With the money Kane is given he buys a newspaper company "The New York Chronicle", at the age of 25. This is made to represent Hearst's newspaper "The New York Journal". The power Kane is given after buying this newspaper is being able to decide what the American public reads and believes. He uses this power to be the main reason for the start of the Spanish American War. In the same way Hearst was responsible for the start of the Spanish American in the real world. Jedidiah Leland plays Joseph Cotten in the film who is Kane's best friend who loses trust in him and no longer wants to work for Kane. He is made to represent that Kane does not have the ability to hold a friendship after he has acquired power and wealth. The film tells the story of Hearst's struggles with relationships, finances, and yearn for power.
Welles's film is one of the most industry changing films of all time. It showed insight into the world of corrupt businesses and wealthy scandals. It changed peoples views and how they saw those who controlled the world they lived in. It was not a popular movie at the time and the studio separated themselves from Welles. This film is worth watching because of how it has influenced the world today. It is a slow moving film at times but has a phenomenal meaning behind it.