Citizen Kane

[Captain Craig]

Grade: B-

 

Maybe I should re-watch it before grading it but it's been a decade since I've see it as part of History in Cinema class in College and I found it to be passable. It has some gripping moments but plays out rather dry for most of the time. The ending is poetic and simple yet conveys innocence and truth which are things we all miss and want back. 

 

I think the film is overly viewed through Rose Colored Glasses by the industry due to it's star more than anything else. 

[DAR]

You mean Rosebud colored glasses

[yads]

A

 

I re-watched this the other night with the Roger Ebert commentary. It's one of the most informed, interesting commentaries I've ever heard. It makes you appreciate the film even more, and also appreciate Ebert more (if that's even possible).

[vc2002]

No, because it sucks.  

 

I personally can't get into this film, but I'm just saying that it got the quality to be a very geekish film, and geekish films got high ratings.

[Captain Craig]

You mean Rosebud colored glasses

HaHa, wish I'd had my witty cap on to type that at the time. 

 

Missed opportunity. 

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

This is a movie that makes me wish we didn't have "Best Of" lists. I think its status as the Greatest Film of All-Time takes people by surprise. When you hear that statement, you expect Citizen Kane's magic to be apparent the minute it begins. But the film is much more subtle than that. It literally takes till the last shot to understand the storyline fully. And even after you understand the storyline, it might take multiple viewings to truly appreciate the film.With all that being said, I do think it lives up to the hype. It's an emotionally engaging film. I found Kane's character to be surprisingly moving. I could empathize/sympathize with his desire to redeem lost innocence (rosebud) and how that explained so many of his actions. I also loved the film's narrative techniques. The fact that the storyline is pieced together from different people's memories of Kane adds mystery and complexity to his character. The fact is that people can never come to unanimous decision on a single person's life. Some will see tragedy in a person, others will see success, others will see only failure, others will see all of those things, etc. And all of the different people see different thinks in Kane, which helps complicate his character greatly. Ultimately, it's a masterpiece for these reasons (and others). It's in my Top 10 Favorite Movies Ever and if I had to make a "Best Films Ever" list, this could very well be at the top.4/4Oh, one more thing: Baumer, sue me. 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Love this film.

[Joel M]

Citizen Kane has pulled the wool over everyone's eyes for six decades!!! Critics, well I can understand them liking this piece of garbage, they have to or they look like they are incompetent fools. That is their job. But the general public? Are you people on a really bad acid trip? I welcome any emails that would please try to explain to me the greatness in this film. Please, contact me. I really am dying to know. Why is this a tragic film? Why is this an American masterpiece? I am begging for some insight, because I haven't heard anything or read anything that says how great it is. All I have read is a bunch of people conforming to popular opinion that this is THE MOVIE to see.

 

I don't think that's anything wrong in hating an uber-classic, I myself don't like a bunch of cinema's most acclaimed classics. But I also don't think we should call a movie like this "piece of crap". I mean Citizen Kane wasn't even that well liked back in 1941. It had a ton of bad press because the most powerful newspaper mogul of that era had declared a war on the movie, it was even booed at the oscars. And i think Citizen Kane's mythical status has a lot more to do with the influence it had on filmmakers than the critics opinion. The movie is hailed as the "best movie of all time" mostly because everyone from Kubrick and Kurosawa to Scorsese, Spielberg and Coppola, to today's Fincher and Nolan (and pretty much 90% of directors in the last 50-60 years)have been hugely influenced and inspired by Welles and especially by Citizen Kane. I also don't like the movie very much. I have watched mostly as film history lesson and didn't care for it. 

 

What i'm trying to say is that no-one should "have" to love or even like Citizen Kane but everyone should respect it a little bit,

[baumer]

No respect here.  It's an awful film with awful acting and terrible directing.  It invented the wipe.....big deal.  

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

No respect here.  It's an awful film with awful acting and terrible directing.  It invented the wipe.....big deal.  

I know it's an informal website and we don't need to engage in academic debate, but I do think we should go deeper than saying "awful" repeatedly. How about what I said about the film above? What do you think about the emotion and complexity I found? Do you think it's valid? If not, why not? What film techniques were misused that bored you?

[baumer]

No, I don't.  And I don't need to say anymore than I have in the past.  The film, imo, has no complexity, no emotion, nothing.  Rosebud is a joke but pseudo intellectuals want to make it out to be something that it's not.  

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

Rosebud, as a symbol, is not that complex. But it's used in a beautiful way. In many ways, the symbol does explain all we need to know about Charles Foster Kane. And in many ways, it doesn't. It still doesn't explain every single one of his actions that baffled his companions. Why did he finish writing that bad review of his wife? Why did he choose to let the other political candidate run a false attack on him? These moments cannot be explained by Rosebud. And yet, Rosebud can explain some of Kane's suffering: his lack of growing up the way other children do and his disdain at being forced into his riches at too early of an age. Perhaps we can extrapolate from this suffering and link it to all of his actions, but it still wouldn't explain every single one of his actions. There's that line near the end of the film:“I don’t think any word can explain a man’s life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a piece in a jigsaw puzzle—a missing piece.”Rosebud is only a piece, but it's the biggest piece by far. And that's what makes the idea/concept/symbol so beautiful, imo. It's also that characterization that makes it so good. 

[baumer]

There's no amount of analysis that will make me see it for anything more than I do.  I have seen it four times, just to see if my perspective changed over the years. Saw it at 17, 22, 30 and then a few years ago.  It didn't get any better.

[DAR]

I always said Citizen Kane should be respected for the techniques it brought to film, but the story tends to leave me cold.

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

^I can respect that opinion. I can also respect B's opinion. However, for me the story is moving for the reasons stated above.Btw, Baumer, I'm not really trying to convince you of my opinion if you think so. I'm just expressing how I really feel. I see so much brilliance and depth in this. 

[DAR]

See I can connect more with the story in Casablanca than Kane

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

I've watched Casablance once, and didn't find it that appealing. But I was much younger than I am now, and probably should rewatch it. To me though, that shouldn't disqualify Kane from being considered an emotional or great movie (IDK if this is what you're suggesting).

[DAR]

Not at all

[Ezen Baklattan]

I must be one of the few people who didn't think it was that boring at all.

[bartonfink]

I must be one of the few people who didn't think it was that boring at all.

 

I think it wasn't boring too. Actually it was very interesting and captivating. I don't understand the hate.