A Cinema classic, from a modern perspective

Rating: 8/10 (29 June 2014)

Citizen Kane is a classic movie that many consider to be one of the if not the best film of all time, but I can't help but disagree. Now I will say this is very good and the film is firmly that as well, it doesn't have the same effect I think it had back then that it does now and has been eclipsed by more modern dramas. Here below I will review the film and tell you why I did though think it was very good.
The story is an epic tale of intertwined periods of Charles Foster Kane's life that do go together so well and done so well that even if you get slightly confused, the story telling takes you away from that. It has it's slower moments but most of them lead up to big dramatic scenes with powerful exchanges between characters and parts where you can't help feel for the character, whether it is good, or even at times bad.
Orson Welles is brilliant at acting in this movie, he by far is the best actor used here and that old thing of people saying the supporting actor is the star of the show is cast away with his superb leading performance. Joseph Cotton does well too here and really when the mood is more anger or even sadness, he manages to be the one seeming most depressed and down on his luck. Dorothy Comingore I felt although very loud and screechy, does a good performance and adds to the wealth of great actors performing in this picture.
Welles Directs and writes this as if it was easy, simple little scenes with very little going on get wrapped in the key dialogue and great choices of wording to make it actually entertaining. With it also being in black an white you may think the brightness never really shows but the script really makes up for any mistakes the film may have as it is so delicately done that you feel Welles may just be one of the best writers of all time.
My review seems very positive yes but the film is not all sublime as It looks, I disliked the middle of the end shall we say with it's confusing back and forth story line and in a sense predictable ending. I wanted more on the rosebud theories, I wanted to delve even more into his life but we only see him at his highest success and lowest endeavours so it would have been nice to have seen more of his life.
Who to recommend this too?, well the critics love it and so should anyone who REALLY get's into classic cinema and enjoys it picking away at it's subtle story lines. I can't say some modern audiences would enjoy(and not just because of the black and white used) ,it is just very slow and a long movie to say it is all talking pretty much, great drama yes but to some, it could just be a bore-fest.
Overall it is Firmly a Very Good movie and quite possibly moving near to being Great. With this you have to not watch it as if you have heard the critics applaud it to it's highest level, but watching it not knowing a thing will actually do better, you might not enjoy it as much as people say but I still think it is an important step in the history of cinema and for that very reason alone, It is essential viewing for any budding critic or cinema lover out there.