Orson Welles directs and stars in a stunning film that came out in 1941 and is regarded as a ‘masterpiece’ and many critics claim it to
be the ‘greatest film of all time.’ Let’s look at why it’s claimed as such and if I agree with this.
Orson Welles Citizen Kane (1941) is about a newspaper tycoon named Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles, who dies in the first 3 minutes of the film and whispers the word ‘rosebud.’ The whole film is a flashback, within flashbacks, on other characters point of views on Kane. A reporter trying to figure out who and why his last word was ‘rosebud.’ A look into Kane’s life as a publishing newspaper tycoon and how no one really knows what he wanted in life.
On the American Film Institute website, we see that number one on the list for greatest movies of all time is indeed, Citizen Kane.” In 2007, Citizen Kane was ranked 1st on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies–10th Anniversary Edition list of the greatest American films, remaining in the first position it occupied on AFI’s 1997 list” (American Film Institute). And has remained number one on many sites and by many critics. “Citizen Kane was chosen as the best film in motion picture history in 1962, 1972 and 1982 by Sight & Sound polls of international critics” (American Film Institute).
The film receives this honor for “the world’s most famous and highly-rated film, with its many remarkable scenes and performances, cinematic and narrative techniques and experimental innovations (in photography, editing, and sound). Its director, star, and producer were all the same genius individual – Orson Welles” (Dirks). It’s no wonder it’s highly rated on so many sites and by many critics.
After seeing the film, myself, I can adhere to why it’s received this honor. It has masterful deep focus shots, slow dissolving images to pronounce death and decay, the lighting, a seriously complex storyline, grand sets, the make-up, fast transitions to elude a passage of time and setting, and the use of soft close-ups to be a remarkable feature in its time and still is now. ““Citizen Kane” is more than a great movie; it is a gathering of all the lessons of the emerging era of sound” (Ebert 1998). The sound era had just come about and this film had many great moments of sound in it like thunder, rain, breathing, the wind, and the use of natural sound when he is destroying the room.
However, to me, having a ‘greatest film ever made’ is one of the most difficult lists you can make as a film lover because we over analyze everything we see and hear in a film. Plus, there are many films that are great, you can’t settle to pick just one. Citizen Kane is a remarkable film and has been shown elude it from others, but it’s not possible to agree with everyone on this, as it being number one for films. There are many films out there, to name just one as being ‘the one’ is almost absurd.
References
American Film Institute. “Citizen Kane.” American Film Institute, American Film Institute, www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=27624.
Ebert, Roger. “Citizen Kane Movie Review & Film Summary (1941) | Roger Ebert.” RogerEbert.com, 24 May 1998, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-citizen-kane-1941.
Dirks, Tim. “Citizen Kane (1941).” An Award-Winning, Unique Resource of Film Reference Material for Film Buffs and Others, with Reviews of Classic American-Hollywood Films, Academy Awards History, Film Posters., www.filmsite.org/citi.html.
