This movie bridged the era of silent films and radio into our modern age of movies. It took special effects (yes there are actually tons of them), lighting, camera angle, sound, visual story telling and matured those arts to such a degree that it has shaped the movie industry to this day!
It pioneered rather a lot of the modern techniques and conventions of films today. From incredibly small and simple things like low down cameras also showing ceilings, use of sound amongst many, many others.
In a little under 2 hours, I got to know one man better and learn more from his experiences, his ambitions, and his shortcomings than I have in A. another film and B. anyone I know. This is a genuine milestone in cinema. This is a great motion picture.
I knew a lot of people would say that Citizen Kane is boring or overrated. You really have to consider when it was made and the level of influence it has had on cinema. If you understand that then you understand that Citizen Kane had a significant impact on every other film after it.
nastyasav, your comparison is well-taken in the sense that you've rightly identified to two American film makers who really deserve the title "artist," Kubrick and Welles. The intellectual, cinematic and creative boldness and complexity of their work is unmatched by any other. It's not possible to say who's greater, of course; together they are a pantheon of two. Both deserve to be honored (not pitted against each other).
it might not be my FAVORITE film of all time, but it certainly earns its spot as the GREATEST film of all time. its important to listen to what everyone in the video says about it. not only did it rewrite the rules of cinema, but also ensured that those rewritten rules would last all the way up to 2009 and beyond. within it you can find a stellar example of anything cinematic: cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene, ensemble acting, score, script. the list goes on.
The Greatest Movie of All Time ... Citizen Kane is truly a masterpiece, Hollywood classic. "Rosebud" is an icon ... power and wealth without happiness is like a dead man walking.
I've literally seen most of the movies the make up the list like The Godfather and Casablanca, and yet this is the movie that I come back to the most. I first saw it in my teens, and I've never gotten tired of it. This is the ultimate example of the perfect film. It's been seventy years, and I don't think there has ever been a film foreign or domestic that has topped it yet. The number one spot should be retired to Kane leaving all other films to fight for the second spot IMO.
I still haven't gotten Citizen Kane and why it's so good. Yes, it was good with its cinematography back then but overall it's a sleeper. I mean it's so dull and slow without one little attention grabber. I'm a film student and I've had to watch this 4-5 times and I couldn't stay awake through any of those showings.
Thats what I was saying. Its ONE OF the greatest films ever made but not THE Greatest film ever made. Yes it may be a good movie but there are different genres that have all different meanings to them. All I'm saying is for it to be the greatest movie ever, it has to be perfect in every way, in every category thats flawless. I think they should just call it one of the most widely recognized classic films of all time.
I think that this truly is the best well made film of all time. I'm not saying it's my all-time favorite movie, but it's just up there. It's very well made and has a well executed ending by keeping it simple.
Every time I see this wonderful movie, I think of it as the cinematic equivalent of one of Theodore Dreiser's social-critique novels, such as "Sister Carrie" or "An American Tragedy" (the latter a good alternate title for "Citizen Kane"). There are SO many great moments in this film. (One of my favorites is Susan's retort to Thompson after she finishes telling him the story of her marriage to Kane. "You know, in spite of everything, I still feel sorry for Mr. Kane." "Don't you think I do?"). With all the (thoroughly justified) rhapsodies over Welles' directing, it's always important to focus on his utterly magnificent performance of the title role. No one in film history has ever aged fifty years more convincingly in a part. Just think: Welles as "Citizen Kane", Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator", and Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon" -- and the winner of the Best Actor Oscar for 1941 was Gary Cooper as "Sergeant York". Ain't Hollywood grand?
Magnificent film, I wish I could have met Orson Welles, but no one ever mentions Everett Sloane and his heart breaking recolletion of a girl he saw for just a moment on a ferry. Am I alone with those kinds of memories?
I love this movie so much I could watch it repeatedly. I can't call it the greatest movie of all time because there are other movies I like better, but I have no trouble calling it one of the greatest movies ever made. Welles treated the film like a combination of a stage and radio play, and used the camera to elevate it further. THAT is the right way to treat a movie. Not an inch of the movie was done without thinking, everyone is absorbed in their roles, and it constantly grips you.
Some say if you can't understand why Citizen Kane is one of the greatest and influential films of all time (or the greatest and influential film of all time), you have little to no hope in creating good films.
There's no such thing as a perfect movie. No matter how "GREAT" a movie is, its absolutely impossible for a film to satisfy 100% of it viewers. I think 90% if its lucky. When it comes to film there is no correct opinion. I'm one of the few who didn't respond to Kane. But I acknowledge it achievments and respect those who did enjoy it.
I totally agree, NewOwnership. I'd love to see a realistic film on Hearst, including his relationship with his long-suffering architect : maybe seen from her eyes. There's enough interesting material on Hearst to do a very long miniseries...something the size of Upstairs Downstairs.
@shadowclaw46 (Cont.) Anyway, Ed Wood's story is proof that it takes true talent to pull of a movie like "Citizen Kane" the way that Orson Wells did. Another thing that was ground breaking about "Citizen Kane" was the cenimatography. It's absoulty brilliant. If you compare "Citizen Kane" to other movies that were going around at the time, then you'll realize how diffrent it was from the others. It was so advanced for it's time and that's how it redefined filmmaking.
burrowshredss, I don't care if you like it or not or if you agree or disagree. It is my opinion that James Cameron actually found the ingenious techniques that made Kane so absorbing for sooo many years... and still is. In fact, one reviewer came out of Titanic, raving about how he hadn't thought about a movie that much since Citizen Kane. I'm not alone. But, you have your opinion and I have mine, burrowshreds
There is a difference between a good movie and an entertaining one. Surprisingly not all movies strive to be entertaining. You can pause Citizen Kane at almost any point in the movie and get a poster out of it. THAT'S quite a feat. Orson Welles performance is astounding and captivates you. Best film of all time? Depends on your definition. But I will say that it is pretty damn close.
Check with your local public library. If you belong to Netflix, they likely will have it. It's on DVD and Blu-Ray, so you can watch it on your TV, instead of your computer monitor.
i agree, people have their opinions, nothing can be greatest of all time, in terms of how people like it. but this movie did set the gold standard. and in my eyes it took a while to see why this film has been labeled the greatest American film ever. but i dont disagree with you though.
then how do Beatles say Beatles are greatest band ever? This film has been reviewed by many people and has been seen all over the world. It is the one of the greatest American films ever made.
personally citizen kane isnt my #1 favorite all time movie (its definately top 5) but i can completely understand why its given the title of the best film ever made.
@Wiseguyzmoney Just because you adore something does not mean that when ever you view or engange in it, you are eager and excited throughout the whole movie. The reason I adore this film is BECAUSE of its slow pace and complexity. That is the reason this film is a masterpiece because it was the first one to propel those qualities to their boiling point. And I did not have to endure this movie or these qualities, if you have to ENDURE something I would assume you did not like it.
The people that say Kane is boring & isn't and attention grabber is obviously jaded and brainwashed by the modern cinema. You have to appreciate the dialogue because that is the most important factor in my book. If you took away the CGI of Avatar, it's just another war hero movie with substandard acting with a shallow amount of emotion. How you come people can read a classic novel in pure silence but can't watch a movie that has the same amount of imagination and innovation as that book?
@LukeLovesRose I agree, quite honestly as well. But, I was only talking about the dialouge and plot, which is where I believe avatar falls short. Though I was completely baffled by the imagination of the film, which is one of the key requisists for a masterpiece; and I was sucked into the world that my eyes were beheld, I was not sucked into the characters nor their actual plight. I was entitling to those who thought Avatar was greater and beyond all films simply because of its visual beauty.
Just from watching a scene or two from here on youtube and watching this I know I will have to watch it again. It's been about 6 years since I've seen this movie. I was only in 9th grade and probably had very little tatse in films. There is no way this is a terrible film. It's also one of those movies that make me wonder if they would ever make a remake but rethinking they probably should not touch this classic.
I love this film. It was a controversy at the time due to the parody of the life of one of the worlds most wealthy and powerful men, William Randolph Hearst. Hearst tried to shut Wells down pre and post production. He tried to purchase all of the copies and rights to the film to keep it from the public. His "mistress" was the beautiful movie star Marion Davies. If anyone is a Hollywood, History or Biography buff, the real stories of the lives of the people involved make it even more interesting
I would place Godfather II above Godfather i. That movie weaved two separate plots together unlike anything I had ever seen. And for it to be a sequel is just incredible. To me, Citizen Kane is academically and technically perfect. Every scene, every word, every emotion, every camera angle, every lighting position, convey a thought or message. I disagree that it is a big movie. They took very little and made it appear larger than life through creative and dramatic camera positioning.
@IgnorancEnArrogance I think both sides are wrong. People that say this movie is boring don't have patience and don't appreciate the more subtle qualities of this film. While people who adore this film undermine the slow pace and complexity that you have to endure throughout this film.
Yeah sorry, I forgot about my youtube account because I never post any videos or anything. So I just logged back in and decided to check all of my reply's from the past year.
@ElCapatainAndJT It didn't win Best Picture because it was based off a real person, and that person got offended then bribed the oscars not to give it the award. It was still nominated.
@09tranm I must disagree with you when you say that Gone With the Wind is overrated. Vivien Leigh's performance might be one of the greatest performances by an actress in cinematic history. I thought it was campy and over acted when I was younger. But I just watched it again the other day and was blown away. Now that I'm older I appreciate it so much more. Have u seen it recently? You should go back and watch it again.
I saw it. It was terrific! But one of my personal favorites. . . . .ehhh, I dunno, not sure if it can beat One Flew Over the Cuccoo's nest or Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
@gettavid Wait, I remember now! You said "There are lots of good old films, not just the classics" after mentioning how you liked those films. So, don't those films count as classics?
I've been watching many great movies, almost all of 100 bests from AFI list and I've arrived in a conclusion: the greatest movies like this one or Eight and a half from Federico Fellini etc, are evaluated in an academic perspective from directors or critics and to other peoples including me they just don't fit well. Probably it's difficult to perceive them is such perspective.
@IgnorancEnArrogance Well, to be honest, great modern cinema... like James Cameron films are actually so structurally perfect to make the audience feel like they're apart of everything that... it rivals Kane in terms of sheer brilliance in technique. The editor of Kane, Robert Wise actually saluted James Cameron after Titanic as being one of the top best people in the business.
@JesMarie0087 Um I didn't see Gone with the Wind when I was younger in fact I just saw it recently. It's a very very good movie. Like I said I didn't think Vivien Leigh's performance wasn't the weak part. I thought that the second half was a bit rushed since people kept dying left and right. They also didn't bother showing Rhett & Scarletts wedding. However, the ending was just perfect. It was the ultimate rejection.
i'v heard so much of this 1941 work of art that seems to spurn would be film makers into a pack of ideas, and have them turn their story into what it can be. But the sad thing is; i dont know where to see it. I'd be grateful though if someone here can help out, perhaps by giving me a download link....thanks in anticipation.
Clockwork Orange was a self-indulgent, incomprehensible mess. Kubrick was a visionary for sure, but lets not pretend that his vision was always worthwhile.
"Citizen Kane" has a great story. The filming was a big breakthrough in cinema. Orson Wells gave a wonderful performance. I just don't think it should be number 1. It really should be "Gone With The Wind." Just my opinion.
TheRepublic: I haven't seen The Godfather but it does look like a good film. I'm pretty sure it's more than 'a violent gangster film'. True, part of what makes Kane great is that it did introduce new concepts into cinema, as well as an interesting story, good actors, photography, etc. However, the criteria for a great film isn't solely bringing 'new concepts'. It just has to be a great film, I don't see why The Godfather couldn't qualify as that.
@mmm4466 I did kind of go to far, sorry about that. Allow me to explain how it redifined fimmaking. Orson Wells not only stared in this movie, but he also wrote, directed, and produced it. There aren't to many people who can do that. The only other director that I know of that did this is Ed Wood.
THE ONLY THING I AGREE ON AS FAR AS THIS FILM IS CONCERN IS THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. .OTHER THAN THAT,I DON'T SEE WHY ITS BELIEVE TO BE SO GREAT IN SO MANY EYES..I LITERALLY FELL ASLEEP ON IT
i have asked several people what they think the best movie ever is but no one ever said citizen Kane. a few of the answers i got were enter the dragon twin warriors skeleton key spirited away TMNT star wars episode 5 golden eye moon raker tropic thunder italian job Wayne's world trading places and lion king. does anyone agree with these?
