Watch It...But...

Rating: Null/10 (12 September 2003)

Citizen Kane:
Long hailed as the best film ever made
Among movie-making professionalism's polling
Certainly fascinating, certainly archaic, certainly anarchistic
Flash-forwards, flash-backwards abound
Certainly by the standards of the day (1941)
But today?
Wellno!
A landmark film?
Yes!
To be watched?
Yes!
To be celebrated?
Yesup to a point
Technical, innovative legerdemain
Black and white contrasts
Cynical, truth-saying dialogue
Drama drive none
Film's back and forth nearly spins out of control
Watch it!
Again
Again
Etc