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DVD Tuesday: How Great Is Citizen Kane?
Citizen Kane courtesy Turner Home Entertainment
Orson Welles' Citizen Kane: A pop masterpiece that plays like breaking news.
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See Maitland McDonagh and Ken Fox review this week's new flicks in Movie Talk!
Everyone's heard that Citizen Kane (1941) is the best of the best: It just topped the AFI's most recent list of the all-time greatest films, and critics, academics and movie buffs all genuflect before its flawless mix of technical invention and lacerating dissection of the American Dream gone wrong. But what sometimes gets lost in the adulation is the fact that it's a blast, and that's why it's this week's DVD Tuesday pick.
Tell people you're a movie critic and they want to know your favorite movie of all time. There are a lot of ways you can go at that one: After flailing embarrassingly at the question on more than one occasion, I decided to come up with an answer and a rationale. So now I say my favorite movie is the one I'd take to a desert island if I knew I'd be stuck there for years and would have to watch it over and over again. And that would be Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, because every time I see it I see something new, and it never fails to thrill me with its sheer, giddy intoxication with what you can do with a camera and an idea. I taught film history/theory/criticism for years, and Kane never failed me: It hooked students who recoiled at black-and-white and thought anything made before Jaws (1975) was as antiquated as a bunch of cave paintings.
The story was inspired by the life and career of tabloid pioneer William Randolph Hearst (grandfather of kidnapped heiress-turned-brainwashed revolutionary Patty), but it could have been ripped from today's headlines: Catapulted into the heart of the wealthy WASP establishment through a combination of luck and his steely mother's determination that he not become a drunken wastrel like his father, Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) builds a media empire on idealism and betrays it, grabs for the gold ring of political power and sees it slip away. Kane impulsively buys a newspaper (and then another and another), flamboyantly formulating a declaration of principles — a public promise to his readers of fairness, objectivity and dedication to hard facts over shallow sensationalism — and subsequently breaks every one. He marries a president's daughter and destroys their marriage — and his gubernatorial campaign — for a fling with an uneducated, none-too-bright girl who likes to sing; his relentless determination to mold her into a respectable opera singer destroys theirs. How did a man who once held the world in his hand wind up dying alone in a half-built estate gone to seed, whispering the enigmatic word "rosebud"?
Structured as a reporter's investigation into the meaning of rosebud, Kane is a mystery, a cautionary fable, a psychological drama and an epic tale of hubris going before the fall. Contrary to some claims, Welles didn't single-handedly reinvent cinema with Kane: Preston Sturges' script for The Power and the Glory (1933) anticipated Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz's flashback-driven Kane screenplay and veteran cinematographer Gregg Toland's audacious, stylized, deep-focus compositions (in which everything is unnaturally sharp focus, from the foreground to the farthest recesses of the background) are as much a part of Kane's greatness as Welles' endlessly inventive storytelling. But Welles brought it all together: off-kilter angles, offbeat but perfectly motivated scene transitions, time-defying editing and vivid performances from Joseph Cotton, Everett Sloane, Agnes Morehead (yes, Endora from Bewitched!), Ruth Warrick, Dorothy Comingore and Welles himself. It's all wrapped around a story that raises genuinely provocative questions about power, wealth, integrity, class, ambition and the million ways in which men and women compromise their ideals, delude themselves and destroy their better natures, taking others down with them.
Now that's what I call a movie.
Things to consider:
Is there such a thing as "the best movie of all time?"
Is Charles Foster Kane a product of his environment, his nature or both? Was he ruined by a sudden windfall that made him so rich he never had to work, get an education (he was thrown out of one top-flight college after another for carousing), or shoulder any of the responsibilities that shape most people's lives? Did wealth free him to dream extravagantly? He could buy a newspaper chain and run it any way he wanted, uncompromised by money-based pressure. If he had been a stronger man, might he have resisted the temptation to betray his ideals? Or would he have destroyed himself and others just as surely if he'd been raised as he was born, the son of poor Colorado rooming-house owners whose marriage was poisoned by alcoholism (his father's) and frustrated ambition (his mother's)?
Is there a movie that changed the way you look at movies? What was it and why did it make such an impression?
Do you read them movie lists (best, worst, most influential)? Do you make them? Do they help make sense of the bewildering number of movies there are to see, or do they perpetuate the reputation of a limited number of titles at the expense of others?
Previously in DVD Tuesday
La Jetée (1974)
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
Bob le Flambeur
Near Dark
Perfect Blue
Pan's Labyrinth
Les Girls
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
The Queen
Expresso Bongo
I'm Not Scared
Shocking Grindhouse Double Bill! — Scanners and The Candy Snatchers
Don't Look Now
Re-Animator
Casino Royale
http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800073953#comments">Pi
The Prestige
13 Tzameti
The Departed
Suspiria
Kiss and Make Up
Kiss Me Deadly
The Long Good Friday
What Alice Found
The Devil's Backbone
The Descent
The Devil Wears Prada
Pandora's Box
The Thief and the Cobbler
Nashville
Panic in the Streets/Jack Palance Interview
The Pusher Trilogy
Scarface
Slither
Sunset Blvd.
In Cold Blood
Brick
Also: This week's new DVD releases
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Jun 26, 2007 10:25 AM
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I saw Citizen Cane once. I hated it and still can't figure out why it's 'the best movie ever'.
Movie lists -- best, worst, most influential… do you read them? Do you make them? Do they help make sense of the bewildering number of movies there are to see, or do they perpetuate the reputation of a limited number of titles at the expense of others?
These lists are all so subjective. They are fun to read, but hey don't mean anything. entertainment weekly has been doing lots of these lately. The most recent was the top 25 action movies. Some of them, I didn't think had much action and some of them I tried watching and hated (kill bill movies), so they wouldn't have been on my list.
Maybe some of the lists would get me interested in seeing a movie, or introduce me to one I'd never heard of, but not often. I read a lot of entertainment magazine and stuff, I LOVE movies, so I usually know what's out and what the movies are about.
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Jun 26, 2007 12:34 PM
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Maitland - I have to admit that I have never watched this movie. I am a few years shy of 50 and I have yet to see this classic for all of the reasons that you stated when talking about your film class.
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Jun 26, 2007 12:45 PM
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I also have not seen this, but I know the ending and what "Rosebud" is, and can someone please clarify for me why this has been said to be a twist or surprise ending? My first response when I found out what Rosebud is was "That's it?"
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Jun 26, 2007 1:07 PM
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I first read about Citizen Kane when I searched the World Book encyclipedia under Motion Pictures when I was under-12 in the late '70s. A few years later after Welles' death, I watched it on AMC late night (around 2 in the morning) sometime after Christmas knowing what Rosebud was. So that spoiler partialy ruined what could have been a great viewing experience. Also, a local critic from my hometown Baton Rouge area named David Foil said it should be seen on the big screen when it played on then-running Varsity Theatre so that may have also been a factor. As for whether any best lists influence me, well, for every critical-acclaimed movie that I don't get (Last Tango in Paris recently comes to mind), there's one I never even heard of until I stumble upon some clip on YouTube that I turn out to love (Melody which starred Oliver! kids Jack Wild and Mark Lester and featured a cute girl named Tracy Hyde in the title role would be an example that I just saw on Google Video). Basically, if the movie is interesting, I'll watch. Otherwise, I'll avoid whether critically-acclaimed or not.
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Jun 26, 2007 1:07 PM
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My first response when I found out what Rosebud is was "That's it?"
Me too!!
well, for every critical-acclaimed movie that I don't get (Last Tango in Paris recently comes to mind)
That's how I feel about American Beauty. I can't figure out why it won academy awards. I thought it was a terrible movie.
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Jun 26, 2007 1:13 PM
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I saw Citizen Kane many years ago and remember liking it very much but it would probably not even be in my top 100 of all time. I doubt I'll ever watch it again because there are so many movies out there I've never seen so I only re-watch movies that really stuck with me. Notorious w/Cary Grant and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are a couple of older movies that come to mind. The most recent movie I would put in my list would probably be Pan's Labyrinth. I can never remember the names of my favorite movies though when I'm trying to, so I'm probably forgetting my absolute favorite.
I agree all such lists are totally subjective but I do read them just to make sure I've at least seen all the movies listed. I have about 600 + movies in my Blockbuster online queue consisting of quite a few from someone's list that I'd never heard of or never got around to watching. I still read reviews of the movie from various sources first to make sure it's the kind of movie I might enjoy (for example, I hate war movies and avoid most of them).
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Jun 26, 2007 1:14 PM
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As someone in there mid twenties that fancies themself a film buff I watched Citizen Kane because I heard so many people talking about it being one of the greatest movies ever made. I have to say I was not disappointed. The movie resonates with you for all the reasons Maitland stated. The story of a man who has everything and looses it. And to those that don’t understand the significance of Rosebud you really are missing the point. For me it is not the revelation of the words being a (SPOILER ALERT) childhood sleigh, but the meaning of the word as a piece of forgotten childhood when everything was simpler and he was truly happy for the last time. The sleigh represents the promise his life had that he squandered. My favorite scene is the one where his wife leaves him and he wanders thru the enormous house of Xanadu and passes the mirror wall and you see his reflection going on forever in the glass truly emphasizing his complete and utter sense of loneliness. Truly one of the greatest movies of all time and in my top ten favorites.
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Jun 26, 2007 1:30 PM
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Maybe I just don't think about movies enough. I watch movies to be an escape. I don't want to watch for hidden meaning or anything like that. My dad like to over analize movies and stuff and I just don't care. If a movie makes me laugh or cry (that never happens, btw) or the CGI amazes me, then I like the movie. If I'm bored through it or it asks me to do more than I'm willing to do, then I don't. Maybe that's why I didn't like this movie.
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Jun 26, 2007 1:39 PM
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I'm a little disappointed with the comments here, what's with all the hate? I completely agree with Maitland and the AFI, Citizen Kane deserves every bit of praise it has gotten. It's an extraordinary cinematic achievement, easily one of the greatest movies of all time, for all the reasons mentioned.
One thing that's not often mentioned when discussing this movie is just how good Welles' performance is. I've seen it a bunch of times now, but every time I do I get chills running down my spine when he screams "You can't do this to me! I'm Charles Foster Kane!" Watching it, it almost feels like he had travelled through time and learned method acting before anyone else and then come back and showed everyone how it's done.
As for the question whether there is one definite Best Movie of All Time, the answer is no, of course there isn't. Just like there isn't a Best Play, Best Book, Best Painting or Best Poem of all time. It's all subjective. You can, however, pick out pieces of art that are groundbreaking for their time and changes the rules for everyone else, and Citizen Kane easily belongs on any such list.
As for whether Kane was a product of his environment or his nature, I'm not nearly smart enough to say. I have a feeling there are about 50 college theses on that subject that all heatedly disagree with each other. Personally I've always seen him as a product of what his parents did to him. I think Welles is trying to form this very Freudian interpretation of Kane's nature (just look at Rosebud) of how a great man goes through his life, when all he really craved was his mothers love. It seems fitting, I think.
To answer your third question, I would have to say that the movie that has had the most influence on me and how I understand movies would be David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. I had been very interested in movies before then, but that movie really solidified my passion. I've seen it something like eight or nine times now (which my friends consider masochistic since I always weep like a schoolgirl at the end. They just don't understand  ) and I always find something new and fascinating about it. Lynch is often accused of being a very indulgent film maker, just putting in weird stuff for the sake of putting them in. That's so wrong it's not even funny. He has an extraordinary control over his movies, every single object in every single frame serves an exact purpose and he leaves nothing to chance. I just adore that picture
I love movie lists. I always read them and get upset over some minor detail (seriously, how can The Graduate be put before On the Waterfront? What the hell are you guys smoking?) There is a fantastic podcast called Filmspotting where my two favourite critics (in addition to FlickChick, obviously) review movies and every show they make a Top 5 list of movies about some subject that has to do with the movie they were reviewing (for instance, this week when they reviewed A Mighty Heart they did their Top 5 Movies about Journalism). It's an enormously fun exercise to do, listing movies. I really recommend Filmspotting, it has great production values (unlike many other podcasts) and the two guys are very interesting to listen to. It's a movie show for those people who are more interested in Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinsky than the latest blockbuster.
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Jun 26, 2007 2:09 PM
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To answer your third question, I would have to say that the movie that has had the most influence on me and how I understand movies would be David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. I had been very interested in movies before then, but that movie really solidified my passion. I've seen it something like eight or nine times now (which my friends consider masochistic since I always weep like a schoolgirl at the end. They just don't understand
sorry, I didn't get that movie either.
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Jun 26, 2007 2:35 PM
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sorry, I didn't get that movie either.
Yeah, most people don't. You have watch it a few times which is grounds for insanity right there
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Jun 26, 2007 4:55 PM
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haha. I see. Usually, if I don't like a movie the first time, I don't try it again. And the ones I have tried to watch again I haven't been able to get through. Lots of people I know love the monty python movies, but I think they are stupid. I've tried to watch the holy grail a couple of times and turn it off after 15-20 minutes.
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Jun 26, 2007 5:16 PM
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True confessions time: Here's the Citizen Kane moment that destroys me.
It's when Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloan), Kane's college pal with a knack for making money (because, as he says, "it's no trick to make a lot of money... if what you want to do is make a lot of money" is talking to the reporter and recalls a girl he once saw on a ferry, as she was pulling out and he was docking. "A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember," he says. "One day back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl."
Wow. That exchange, for me, sums up the exquisite pain of a moment lost, the one you look back on decades later and remember in the context of how different your life might have been if one tiny thing had been different.
When I first started teaching film, I used to show Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) until it dawned on me that you can't understand Vertigo until you've done something you regret with every fiber of your being... something you'd turn back time to redo. And that's not an easy concept for the average college freshman or sophomore: It takes a while for the average person to make the mistake he or she would do anything to undo.
For my money, Bernstein's speech is one of the greats, a short, matter-of-fact encapsulation of one of life's great mysteries: Why were human beings granted/burdened with the ability to evaluate and reconfigure the past in light of the present?
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Jun 26, 2007 10:40 PM
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I took a quick trip to IMDB to look up Dorothy Comingore after reading this piece. It seems that Kane was the first time she was billed under her birth name having used the name Linda Winters for most of her career including her work with the Three Stooges. She didn’t seem to have many big parts before or after Kane. Have you any idea if this was the reason for her suicide at the age of only 58?
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Jun 27, 2007 4:42 AM
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