alright movie

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 2003)

Citizen Kane is considered by most to be the best motion picture ever made, for those who see it, it still inspires awe. If the people who believe this are talking about the spectacular views and innovative camera angles, then yes, I agree, but otherwise, I could have done without seeing this movie.
The simple plot line consists of a man on his deathbed, his final word, Rosebud. This man, Charles Foster Kane was a huge newspaper tycoon, who everyone either loved or hated. As a memorial to him, a mini-motion picture is made depicting his life, but it is missing something. The creators decide to throw in his final word, telling the audience what it meant. Only problem is, as they talk to everyone who was ever close to Kane, his manager, Mr. Bernstien (Everett Sloane), his friend Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and his second wife Susan Alexander Kane (Dorothy Comingore), no one can help, no one knows what or who Rosebud is. Eventually the audience finds out, but the characters in the movie never do.
Like I said, this is an excellent movie if you are talking about how Orson Welles filmed it. He used new ways of getting a shot, like in the beginning of the movie where the audience sees the nurse come in to Kane's bedroom threw the shards of broken glass on the floor. Or when light in Kane's bedroom is on, and then when he dies it fades out. A really good technique Welles uses while filming was zooming in and out. A great example of this is at the beginning of the movie when the camera is on the NO TRESPASSING sign on the front gate of Xanadu, after you see that shot, Orson zooms into everything on the grounds, then finally up to Kane's bedroom.
Kudos to Orson Welles. Not only did he star in `Citizen Kane,' but he also produced, directed, and helped write the screenplay. Unfortunately, that's where all the compliments stop and the criticism begins. Like the acting, everyone, for the most part, played his or her roles very casually. It didn't seem like there was too much emotion going on in any one role. When emotion did surface, it felt overdone and over exaggerated, like when Mrs. Susan Alexander Kane is yelling at her husband, her voice is too shrill for my ears and made me want to stop listening.
If you were looking for a movie that has a lot of emotional value, `Citizen Kane,' would not be it. However, if you were looking for a movie that is ahead of its time visually, you would be pleased as to what you would find in `Citizen Kane.' All in all I would give this movie 6 out of 10 stars based only on Orson Welles excellent camera techniques.