If you are a fan of films then you no doubt know the story behind Citizen Kane. After wowing the radio and theatre worlds. First time director Orson Welles is handed the keys to the castle so to speak. He co-writes, directs and stars in this film that is not only based on the career of media mogul William Randolph Hearst but also on Welles’s own sense of lost youth. First time viewers should go into Citizen Kane with an open mind. Not having already decided to love or hate it based on reputation alone.
The thing that makes this movie amazing is the way it is filmed and set out. The cinematography was way ahead of its time (including many new techniques) in fact it still looks modern when viewed today. The story of Charles Foster Kane is pieced together via a serious of flashbacks from his friends and former employees. Thanks to Quentin Tarantino (among others) non linear story telling is not to uncommon now, in 1946 it was groundbreaking. You can see the influence of Orson Welles and Citizen Kane all over modern movies.
Snubbed at the Oscars for political reasons. Also don’t believe the myth, while this may have been the best film he made Orson Welles didn’t just fade away after this, nor did he release a string of bad films. He went on to make a number of classics – The Magnificent Amberson’s, Touch of Evil, The Lady from Shanghai, The Trial and The Stranger among them.
The documentary that comes with the movie is riveting viewing itself. As are the audio commentaries (I particularly enjoyed Peter Bogdanovich’s contribution, as he is not only an excellent critic but a personal friends of Welles)