Sad Tale of a Narcissist

Rating: 8/10 (16 November 2019)

I'm watching this as a modern movie and TV watcher. There's a whole history about the making of this movie, whose life it was based on, and the place & importance it fits in, in American cinema. That in itself could be a movie. You can read about all of that online. My perspective is just for the movie itself and what takes place in it. In other words, was the story good and compelling and richly told? Was the acting and directing good?
The movie is told through flashbacks. A reporter is trying to figure out what the last words of a tycoon, Charles Foster Kane, means. Right before he dies, he utters "rosebud." The reporter goes on to have conversations with many people that knew Charles throughout his life.
I figured out what "rosebud" was right from the beginning. I'm guessing most viewers will too. Charles is a bigger than life world-famous newspaperman that engages in yellow journalism. Throughout the movie, you see that Charles wants to be loved and praised, and has many if not all the qualities of a narcissist, hence my title.
It's in black and white and there are many shots that are shot overhead for scenes. Orson Welles starred in the movie but also directed. The cinematography is different and refreshing, at least for me, a modern movie watcher. There are some jokes, for example in speeches given by Kane, which may not seem very funny to today's viewers but gets big roaring laughs in the movie. Remember the times are different, so keep that in mind when watching.
As the tale is told you see some great acting and interesting characters. You see how Charles, a charismatic young man, rises to fame and eventually falls. A lot of people around him get hurt. Everything about the man goes back to an incident that took place when he was younger.
I found the movie particularly relevant because there are some world leaders today, that are narcissists. People that love to be loved, praised, and love to be popular, and the people around them end up being destroyed. Since they are world leaders, the citizens also suffer.
I recommend the movie for people interested in the subject of narcissism, like biographies, love the use of flashbacks to flesh out a story. I gave the movie a 8/10.