1941 Directed by Orson Welles
Newspaper magnate, Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
Orson Welles Joseph Cotten Dorothy Comingore Ray Collins George Coulouris Agnes Moorehead Paul Stewart Ruth Warrick Erskine Sanford William Alland Everett Sloane Fortunio Bonanova Gus Schilling Philip Van Zandt Georgia Backus Harry Shannon Sonny Bupp Buddy Swan Gregg Toland Don Ackerman Nat 'King' Cole Gino Corrado Maurice Costello Demetrius Alexis Gene Coogan Art Dupuis Rudy Germane Mike Lally Walter Lawrence Show All…
[Redundant praise]
[Joke about sleds]
[Regurgitated and bastardized interpretations of technical feats of skill on display]
[Insincere complaint about waiting so long to watch]
[Unnecessary recommendation for anyone who hasn't seen it to finally do so]
My 1,000th film marked on this site ever since I joined, now over a year ago. I knew for such an occasion it had to be something special. Something important. Something, epic.
Then I thought of one film, THE film, I still have yet to see. What have many described as the greatest film ever made. The one that changed the landmark of cinema. The one that still influences film making to this very day. Orson Welles', "Citizen Kane".
A film that has been talked about for decades now. Highly regarded as the true peak of its medium. Something that most filmmakers have seen, studied, and deconstructed for years on end, now being viewed by a teenager in Long Island.…
I’m not naïve enough to think that I have anything new to offer in my entirely unnecessary ode to Citizen Kane, but I'll continue writing this anyway because I like writing about films, and Citizen Kane is a film, all right, and a Towering Masterpiece of Cinema at that. I’d have to be exceedingly smart or exceedingly stupid to dispute that, and I reckon I fall somewhere in between.
Pulling apart Citizen Kane shot by shot is more than enough to learn how to make a film, but pulling apart the film's circular structure is also a brilliant way to learn how to tell a story. Since I attempt to write, it's the narrative structure of Citizen Kane that interests…
have you guys ever heard of this movie? citizen kane? directed by orson welles? ever heard of it? citizen kane? probably not, it's pretty indie
So, I’ve finally seen this hugely influential and essential classic. What can I possibly say? It’s Citizen Kane! But oh yes, it's terrific. It's quite an intimidating fact that Welles starred in, wrote, produced and directed probably the most influential film of all time at an age of 25. Well, I still have a few years to accomplish something like that.
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MESSAGE/INFORMATION:
Tomorrow I’m leaving for 2 months as I’m travelling to Southeast Asia with a buddy. So no movies and (probably) no activity for a good amount of time. I’ll be home mid-april. Farewell Letterboxd and all you nice people! hope you exist and is just as awesome when I'm back haha
watching an almost universally loved work of art and not connecting with it in any way whatsoever has got to be one of my least favorite film-related experiences
Mixes so many styles. I feel Orson Welles liked Disney movies. He would be a year older than Kirk Douglas today.
Sempre que vejo um filme clássico eu tenho o costume de pensar que “ok é um filme incrível, mas não vi nada demais”. Só que em seguida eu lembro do contexto histórico, no caso desse 1941, de quanto de inovação é referência vieram após ele e por causa dele. Cidadão Kane é incrível e merece tudo o que conquistou.
I consider this film to be one of few that’s fame persists for how far it pushes the auteur theory and how much freedom it gave the camera. Truly a technical masterpiece. Also, a fascinatingly veiled history lesson makes the plot move forward and linger.
A masterpiece of cinema and a demonstration of technological advancements, this film almost is underwhelming on first viewing because you expect a wholly unique film that changed narrative storytelling forever, but Citizen Kane is just a film that is revolutionary because of its technological demonstrations. It is without a doubt mind-blowing to watch today because it feels as if it were made today. I don't know why everyone says The Sixth Sense did great endings first, because Rosebud and what it is is profound.
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