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Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2009)

As a man of modest knowledge on film criticism I feel somewhat apprehensive about commenting on a film regarded as the epitome of cinematic masterpiece. However that is my task and moreover that is exactly what Citizen Kane is. So I follow the advice given to so many confused writers: "write what you know". Firstly the credit owed to Orson Welles for this film's greatness can be compared to the credit Michael Jordan would receive for the Chicago Bulls winning championships in the 1990s. Of course there were supporting players in the making of the film, a great script and score, phenomenal set development, and a more than sufficient budget were undenyable factors contributing to the film's greatness. But the memorable aspects of this film arise from it's brilliant screen time structure, excellent camera work, and technological innovation that must have been spellbinding for a 1940's audience to behold. Amidst the logistical greatness, the story itself can almost become forgotten, but there-in lies a classic commentary on life and what moves us. The fact that a man of un-imaginable power such as Kane reverts back to a childhood toy in his dying breath, is a comforting aside that says truly simple things can be the most important.