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.

Classic Movies Digest Premiere Post

With the thousands of classic movies to chose from for discussion for this, the debut of Classic Movies Digest, I wanted to shed a little light on one that is lesser known than say Gone with the Wind or any number of Bette Davis' movies. I'm talking about The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941).

Although I had heard of this movie, I had never had the opportunity to see it until recently. From the basic information I had, it sounded like an entertaining way to pass 107 minutes. What I found instead was a solid gem of movie making magic! So many elements were perfectly in sinc to come together as a well oiled machine. Made at RKO, The Devil and Daniel Webster wasn't a blockbuster film with huge superstars or big name value. The principal players and most of the supporting cast were veteran movie actors. Even Anne Shirley, as the young farmers wife, had made her claim to fame as Anne of Green Gables nearly a decade before.

Originally released as All That Money Can Buy, Stephen Vincent Benet's story centers on young New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone, who sells his soul to the Devil, ala Faust, in return for seven years of prosperity. When things take a dark turn, he beseeches the formidable attorney and statesman Daniel Webster to act on his behalf in an effort to reclaim his damned spirit.

From beginning to end the film is sumptuously striking, an enchanted visualization with expert cinematography (Joseph August) special effects (Vernon L. Walker) and lighting. Too many masterful uses of these cinematic tools to list here, but a few that stand out are worthy of note. The silhouetted shadow of the Devil cast eerily behind Daniel Webster as he writes his speech. Mr. Snatch's (the Devil) first appearance to Jabez Stone back lit as he comes forth from a hazy, smoky backdrop. The use of smoke and a firelight background is also used when we first meet seductress Belle (played by French actress Simone Simon) kneeling by the kitchen hearth.

One of the most effective scenes to relay the message of the organized chaos about to befall farmer Stone is at the harvest dance when rapid camera shots pan at lightning speed between Jabez, standing in the center of the crowd of frantic dancers, Belle laughing and dancing around the mesmerized young farmer and the wicked Mr. Snatch, playing his fiddle with reckless abandon. All this devilish intrigue is set to an Oscar winning musical score by Bernard Herrmann, which perfectly accentuates the mood of the film scene for scene.

Not to go unmentioned is the fine performances given by the entire cast. James Craig's Jabez Stone raised him from the ranks of B-movie player and helped garner him a contract with the prestigious MGM. A solid actor during the war years, Craig takes Jabez from down on his luck farmer to wealthy yet corrupt landowner to dark lost soul with all the gusto of a performer ready to break out of his shell. French actress Simone Simon is mysteriously seductive as the agent from Hades sent to tempt a very willing farmer Stone. As Daniel Webster, Edward Arnold makes the role his own (although he replaced an ailing Thomas Mitchell). Finally, Walter Huston is outstanding as the impish Mr. Scratch, the Devil incarnate. Nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, Huston's Scratch is mischievously menacing, amiable and gleeful in his sinister task, as opposed to monstrously evil.

For anyone who has yet to see this superb fantasy, I highly recommend that you take the opportunity. You're in for a real treat.