Groundbreaking

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2007)

Charles Foster Kane (Welles), newspaper giant and billionaire, dies alone in his huge domain Xanadu. His last word, "Rosebud", sends news reporters and investigators on a hunt to uncover his complex past and unravel the dying legend's words.
"Citizen Kane", by then first-time film director Orson Welles (then in his twenties with acclaimed radio and theater work under his belt), is still stunning and fresh today, despite containing many elements of film which we today take for granted, but were unheard of at the time. In 1941, the multiple flash-back structure, complex visual vocabulary - including angles that are still less than orthodox - and scope were truly revolutionary. What remains is an almost exhaustive film class in one movie.
Orson Welles imbues the grand-standing and often vulgar Kane with undeniable charisma. His presence in his own films would soon prove to be one of their most enduring strengths: think of his jovial Falstaff in Chimes at Midnight, his repulsive Quinlan in Touch of Evil and his simmering Othello in his adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Welles's would be a career of superb roles and cameo, and Kane is no exception. As his wounded best friend, Joseph Cotten holds his own with panache and emotion, and all the supporting turns are fine, amplified by the then novel overlapping naturalistic dialogue to make this one of the most alive films of all time.
Citizen Kane also marked a turning point in talkies, where they ceased to be neatly illustrated plays or books and became something else: something that is meant to work primarily on a screen. Whereas classics of the silent and later were defined by frames (like a painting) or dialogue (like a novel or play), Citizen Kane is defined by movement and editing, juxtapositions of moments and images, duration of frames and nature of cuts. It was the first film, and to this day one of the very few films to fully make use of the complete film-making arsenal. that it is endlessly entertaining as a story (kudos to screenwriter Mankiewitz) is the icing on an extremely alluring cake.
"Citizen Kane" often grabs the number 1 spot in critic polls, and for all its technical and artistic excellence, its entertaining nature makes it easy to appreciate throughout the ages, something a Kubrick or a Tarkovskyhave never achieved despite their brilliance.
hands down one of the best films of all time!