Friday, September 25, 2009

Citizen Kane (1941): "Rosebud"


Finally. After many years as a self proclaimed classic movie junkie, I finally saw what many consider the finest film ever made, Citizen Kane. When I first admitted I'd never seen the much discussed photoplay, so many who read this blog wanted to know my thoughts once I did see it. So much has been said and volumes written about this classic in the 68 years since its release that anything other than a personal opinion about it would merely be rehash, but for those who may have never seen Citizen Kane, a club of which I was a member until very recently, here goes.

Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) is a man of extreme wealth and heavy influence. Living his latter years secluded in his palatial estate, Xanadu, he shares his mansion with exotic animals of all variety and priceless works of art. As he draws his final breath he utters the single word ROSEBUD. Through flashbacks and vignettes, his life story is revealed, as a reporter on assignment interviews those closest to the larger than life newspaper tycoon. The reporters ultimate task is to discover the identity of Rosebud. Friends, confidants and an ex-wife tell their stories as reflected on Kane. The basic premise sounds simple enough and it is. The same story could have been told in any formula picture at any studio in Hollywood but Citizen Kane was an exercise in technical and artistic expression by masters in their respective fields.


Cinematographer Gregg Toland was an artisan of the movie camera. His work on high quality Sam Goldwyn productions in the 1930's built his reputation and culminated in an Oscar in 1939 for Wuthering Heights. The next year when production on Citizen Kane began, he willingly jumped on board to offer his services. Toland's use of deep focus and unconventional camera angles created striking imagery and was one of the major assets Kane had going for it. Others were the highly literate script co-authored by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz and the debut film score by master conductor Bernard Herrmann. Although Herrmann's Kane score didn't win the music Oscar (although it was nominated), his other 1941 project, The Devil and Daniel Webster did.


Citizen Kane was a film of many debuts. Besides conductor Herrmann, others making their first movie appearances were Ruth Warrick, Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead. Cotten and Moorehead, along with others in the cast had followed Welles to Hollywood as part of his Mercury Players, an acting troupe which had found critical acclaim on both the stage and radio (including the infamous 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds). Both Cotten and Moorehead went on to long and prosperous careers in both Welles related and non-Welles productions. Not to be forgotten is actress Dorothy Comingore as Kane's mistress-cum-second wife. Well suited for her plum role, Comingore's career never took off and ended with the communist Red Scare of the late 40's and early 50's. Yet with all the talent both behind and in front of the camera, Orson Welles is the name synonymous with Citizen Kane and the major creative force who spearheaded the production. Given complete artistic control by RKO Studios, the "genius" who took Hollywood by storm was only 25.

With all the film had going in its favor, it also had very stiff opposition. Publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, on whom the story is partially based, fought the movie's release and forbade it being mentioned in any of his numerous publications. Despite Hurst's protests, Kane was finally released in May 1941 to critical praise but was commercially unsuccessful with mainstream American audiences.

Many film scholars and organizations have claimed that Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made but others have given that distinction to Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind or Casablanca. To thrash about a few cliched but very true phrases, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and one man's trash is another man's treasure. While some see the film as the ultimate masterpiece of cinema, others view it as overrated and overhyped. Personally, I think it is a wonderfully constructed picture, filmed with technical precision and creative flourish. All the pieces fit nicely to make an outstanding final product. Greatest film ever made? I'd have to disagree. Although the elements of the film are exquisite, the story itself is rather hum drum. Never boring, mind you, due to its intricate construction, but imagine if a more unique tale had been told with similar expertise. A fine example is the afore mentioned The Devil and Daniel Webster, where equal or at least comparable craftsmanship is applied to a much more exciting storyline. Overrated or underestimated, either way Citizen Kane is a great movie and shouldn't be missed. Finally, a word on the word. Rosebud. If you've seen the film, wink wink and if you haven't, grab a copy and discover for yourself the secret of one of Hollywood's most famous lines.

17 comments:

  1. Great review, Rupert. I've always thought that the film's admitted greatness can be attributed more to its artistic & technical contributions to the art of film making, than to its very average (to me anyway) story content. In that respect, I think it deserves its #1 ranking. But on my favorites list it places much lower.

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  2. Nicely done. This is a very good movie but I think it's overrated...don't trash me...but there is no greatest and I think because of AFI etc, it sort of trickled down that this is the best movie bar none so people are afraid of even saying they don't like it that much. It's good though. However after he mutilated Macbeth I don't like Orson Welles.

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  3. The first time I watched this movie I was looking for the best movie of all time and I was vastly disappointed and I didn't really enjoy it at all. However I decided to revisit the film (since it praised by so many) and the second time just looked for a great film. I ended up enjoying the film much more when I wasn't expecting the best film ever made.

    It's definitely not my favorite film and I am still not sure I would say it is the best film ever made (but then again I don't think any one film should have that honor) but I do admire what Orson Welles did. I think the fact that he put so much artistry into a simple tale of one man's life might be what makes the film so special.

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  4. I'm so glad you got to see this film and that you enjoyed it. One of my many personal favourite films.

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  5. Yay! You watched it!

    This was a great review...and very interesting.

    I really love Citizen Kane. But, I think that sometimes it's reputation of "greatness" can disappoints first-time viewers. Thankfully, when I first saw it, I was ten or eleven...and was just fascinated with it AND did not know that it was considered the greatest movie ever made!

    Anyway, great review!

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  6. I read that Hearst offered RKO more than twice the budget of "Kane" to block its release. It was tempting for the ever-bankrupt studio, but they wisely refused, recognizing it as a significant piece of art.

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  7. I too was very lucky to see this as a young man before the "best movie of all time" talk. I personally like the story very much and find the script and its structure are very memorable. The score, the cinematography, the acting---it all came together for me. I loved it viscerally and only when I read the critical essays did I understand why. All classic films deserve to be seen on the big screen to fully appreciate their quality but until you see Citizen Kane in a theater you really haven't seen it the way it was meant to be seen. Loved your analysis Rupert. I have a feeling that since you wathed it you've been thinking about this film & its effects on other films that came after.

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  8. Hey Rupert!Nice Review!I am glad you enjoyed it,as for-mentioned by so many others,I too agree,it does not deserve best film of all time.As for me, I love this film from a technical standpoint. dont get me wrong, the screenplay,and performances are first-rate. but I watch it admire the individual elements,technical study points,and character performances.

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  9. Excellent analysis!!
    Glad you saw it!!

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  10. Any film that gets called the greatest ever is asking to be knocked down, but it's important to remember that Welles never claimed any such thing himself! I think it stands up to such an impossible weight of expectation better than most films could... but The Magnificent Ambersons is still my favourite. I admire Kane but don't enjoy it all that much.
    Have you seen Ambersons? A fascinating change of pace for a follow-on project, and a remarkable piece of work, even in the mutilated form in which it now exists.

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  11. Great review Rupert. Pretty much on the same viewpoint as me. Really liked the film but not anywhere near the best movie ever made. I myself liked The magnificent Ambersons more of Welles, I agree with one of the other posters. I also wonder if you have seen that movie.

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  12. I finally saw this film this past year as well. The acting and cinematography are extremely complimentary. This is one of those films that I actually enjoy seeing more than once.

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  13. Great post. The technical innovations are what gets the movie talked about, but it is a profound work of story-telling. Can anyone ever be known or understood? KANE hits so many universal truths, it's staggering.

    I also have a post on KANE at my blog, THE LAST REVEAL, a blog on screenwriting. Check it out!

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  14. I am really glad that you finally watched it. I saw this for the first time when I was in a film class in college. I love this movie and learning that before making this movie, Orson Welles had no experience whatsoever in film making, he had to learn everything from people at the studio. Having learned this, I think that the movie is so beautifully filmed and the filmmaking and editing does a great job of telling the story. Orson Welles was truly the genius that RKO had banked on him to be. If it wasnt for the bad press that Hearst had given it, it probably would have done better right away. The different points of view that were presented through camera angles and editing was so amazing!

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  15. classicmoviesdigest.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.

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  16. Very well-written review. I think Orson Welles is a fantastic filmmaker... But I still don't get this one. If anyone does, please explain it to me.

    I may be putting myself in the middle of a battlefield, but, in my humble opinion, Gone With the Wind is an all-around better film than Citizen Kane AND Casablanca. *shrug*

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  17. Great review! I've always been indifferent to the characters; all rather coldly drawn except for Comingore's. Cotten was wonderful, but there was only a few minutes of Moorehead. Magnificent script and cinematography.

    Won't ever forget my first viewing, in a college auditorium. Some lunkhead behind me kept yelling: (SPOILER ALERT) It''s da sled! It's da f***ing sled."

    Of the three "best" mentioned, my vote goes to "Wind" too, with all its own flaws, or "Casablanca" for all the dumb luck of its casting and making.

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