Director: Orson Welles
Year: 1941
Country: U.S
Language: English
I have seen this masterpiece over a dozen times and I know I will see this dozens more. Every view I learn more about the art of film. Every view I come closer to weeping about the tragedy of a man ripped from his childhood. Citizen Kane, the legends surrounding this glorious film are almost too strange to be true, yet they are. A film so big that it nearly destroyed the life of its creator and its subject. Orson Welles, a messiah of the Cinema, took on a challenge that seemed like an incredible risk. Though it was once hated, it is now universally acclaimed as one of, if not the, greatest film of all time.
The director of this brilliant film is none other than Orson Welles. I doubt anybody reading this doesn't know about Orson Welles. Even if you haven't seen his films, you must have heard about the infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast that brought the nation to a panic. This newfound American attention brought him to RKO Studios. The current king of the stage was given total freedom to make any picture he wished. This is the first and only time he was given complete control from a Studio for a picture. He chose to collaborate with legendary screenwriter Herman Makiewics and chose the subject for his film: William Randolph Hearst. This man built an empire out of newspapers, radio stations and magazines. The richest man in the world at the time, he pretty much controlled the media. It was the perfect storm.
Citizen Kane opens with a dying man, seemingly alone with his many possessions in the dreary palace known as Xanadu. "Rosebud" he whispers as he slips into a sleep he will never wake up from. We cut to a newsreel, a nod to the "News on the March" newsreels being made at that time by media genius Henry Luce. It describes the life and death of our character, the great and powerful Charles Foster Kane. The editor of the newsreel demands a front page story, he hears rum ours of the billionaire's last word and wants to find out exactly what "Rosebud" is. A reporter known as Thompson is sent to find the scoop and through the many people he talks to we are sent on a journey through time.
"Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost," says Thompson as he ponders the mystery of the Tycoon's last words. Indeed it is revealed that rosebud was his sled, that he lost as a child. Is this a spoiler? No. Orson Welles' creative genius wouldn't let Citizen Kane be a simple film about a man who lost his sled. Kane's want for "Rosebud" is incredibly symbolic and adds great depth to his character. It shows him not as a powerful man, but a frail man who lost his innocent. Even if you hate this character for the wrongs he does throughout the film, you can't help but feel sympathetic. "Rosebud" and the deep meaning behind it makes the man human and incredibly beautiful. Everytime I see this film, I learn more about what "Rosebud" truely means, and I gain more empathy for now only Charles Foster Kane but for mankind in general. It also inspired me to become a better person, to not stray to far from my own "Rosebud"
In reality, Orson Welles insinuation that William Randolph Hearst was not as powerful as he appeared and he had lost his innocent upset the old man. Including "Rosebud", the alleged name Heart gave his mistress' vagina, in this film also made things much worse. Hearst did everything he could to stop people from seeing Citizen Kane. In his newspapers he called Welles a communist who hated American ideals. Welles once recieved an anonymous tip that Hearst hired a prostitute to fling herself at the directed once he opened the door of his hotel room, the implication being that Hearst also hired his own reporters to take pictures of Welles while this happened thus trying to force him into a scandal that he would never recover from. Needless to say Welles did not go to his hotel room that night. While the studios were eager to get rid of this film, not because it was "bad", but because Hearst had the power to end careers, Welles was confident that the film needed to be shown and he was incredibly correct.
Citizen Kane is a marvel, not only for its incredible plot or the story behind the making of the film but also because of the innovative camera techniques Welles used that still amaze people to this day. Cameras that swoops through a skylight towards a nightclub. A young Kane playing in the snow as his parents are making a fateful decisions. Kane's many reflections through mirrors and an iconic snowglobe shot, I'm still not sure how it was made, are one of the many ingenious movements of camera in this film.
In conclusion, it's no wonder Citizen Kane is often regarded as the best film of all time. Orson Welles is a master with his camera, he truly is a God of the cinema. His film is entertaining, insightful and a great study of how to make a film. If you have not seen this film, you NEED to. If you do not like this film, what is wrong with you? I'm glad that even though there are bad films out there, great films are still admired and respected. I look forward to seeing Welles' masterpiece many more times in the future and I hope that if I ever make a feature length film, it could come somewhat close to this. Praise it! 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment