Citizen Kane

[ColouredPurple]

The other day I watched Citizen Kane for the first time.

To say that expectations were high is an understatement. Ever since I was a teenager getting into movies, I have seen Citizen Kane topping numerous lists of 'Best Movies of All Time'.

I didn't necessarily expect to have the same opinion after watching it but I did at least expect to be blown away.

It is indeed a very good film but I didn't understand why it gets such high praise. I didn't get the sense of grandeur one gets when watching other films which usually top these kind of lists like The Godfather, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Reservoir Dogs or even lesser known films which should be praised more like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

In fact, if it was released today, I doubt there would be much hoo-ha about it.

So can anyone explain to me what makes it SO special?

Is it historical context and technical prowess? What am I missing?

Or maybe the Oscars weren't so crazy when they didn't give it best movie of the year?

[Jonesy]

Whilst Welles didn't invent the techniques he used, he put them together in such a way that created an incredible work of art. Whether it's seeing the Nurse walking through the door relected in the shattered snow globe, or the dancing girls reflected in the window whilst Welles and Cotton chat around the table, or the use of the massive fireplace in the Kane mansion, or the use of the ceilings throughout, or Kane standing in front of his huge poster while he speaks from the lectern...wherever you pause this film, each frame is beautifully and perfectly conceived. You could write an entire thesis on one mise-en-scene from Citizen Kane; there are very few films about which you could say the same.

[ValisBatman]

No, you're right, it is quite boring. Yes, technically, Welles knew what he was doing and that was obvious from the get-go. But forming a narrative and characters that I give a damn about? No. Just stick on The Third Man or Touch of Evil instead

[Jonesy]

A film doesn't have to have an exciting narrative to make it interesting. The composition of each frame is enough to draw you into Kane's world. It's like thumbing through a book of beautiful art work.

[Siegfried]

My problem with Citizen Kane is that it's cold. I've watched it several times, and while there are technically many things to admire about it - the structure, the ravishing deep focus photography - it never really stirs me or moves me in the way that so many so-called 'lesser' films do. I never feel any empathy with the characters.
It always comes across to me as a show off piece - an exercise in technical brilliance by a somewhat arrogant young man saying "Look at me. See how clever I am."
And while undoubtedly he was, he had not by that stage mastered the art of involving his audience, and actually making them care deeply about what was happening to his characters.
For me, his masterpiece was Touch Of Evil. As the great Pauline Kael wrote, "He turned a piece of pulp fiction into great art." Even The Lady From Shanghai, while not a great film by any means, is a helluva lot more enjoyable watch than Kane.

[Jonesy]

But do you need to feel empathy with the characters? Kane is there to be despised. If we feel anything remotely positive towards him, it's pity. I disagree with it being a cold film. It's a masterclass of characterisation.