Citizen Kane

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Orson Welles was only 25 years old when he created this unprecedented masterpiece released in 1941 (Pearl Harbor). It simply fascinated me the first time I watched it and still awe inspiring with every subsequent viewing. His background consisting of only theater and radio ( he played the iconic “Shadow”), Welles had no experience in making a motion picture. He managed to overcome this obstacle to co-write, produce, direct and star in what has been called the greatest film ever made.

William Randolph Hearst, the dominant newspaper publishing mogul on whom Welles based his film, fought long and hard to prevent Citizen Kane from being released since much of the film paralleled his own personal life. He offered to reimburse RKO Pictures all expenses producing it if they would burn the negatives. Personally, I’m glad he failed. RKO film 281 opened 4 months on 1 May to critical acclaim.

Citizen Kane is reputed to have inspired more directorial careers than any film in history such as Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott and Brian De Palma . Welles radical techniques in shooting his movie were plainly unconventional during the time, nearly classifying Kane in the realm of an independent film and became a milestone for other film makers to follow.

One of the most essential differences was that Welles decided to start Kane at the conclusion and work his way back to it. This certainly was not mainstream Hollywood at the time. It gave the film a uniqueness never seen before. Welles immediately draws you in with a series of foreboding shots of Kane’s palatial home of Xanadu, into his bedroom where he utters the key line “Rosebud.”

News on the March, a movie newsreel, follows chronicling Kane’s life that’s actually a condensed version of the movie. It’s atched by a cluster of reporters who’ve been assigned to delve into the late Charles Foster Kane’s time on this earth, and, most importantly, what he meant by his last dying word.

Welles and his talented Mercury Theater troupe render stalwart performances in this semi-biopic of a man who rose to great heights financially, but could not maintain a good

relationship with anyone, probably his greatest weakness. Joseph Cotton affords the highest support as Jed Leland, the straightforward , practical drama critic forKane’s newspaper, the New York Inquirer; Erskine Sanford is just hilarious as the befuddled Herbert Carter whose office Kane takes over at the paper; Ruth Warrick and Dorothy Comingmore, playing Kane’s 1st and 2nd wives respectively bring out the best and worst in Kane’s character and Ray Collins(Lt. Tragg in the Perry Mason tv series) dominates his transient confrontation scene with the media mogul.

Herman J. Mankiewicz co-wrote the script and like so many good films, past and present, not one line is wasted. He and Welles apparently toiled over it, making sure it was top quality. The overlapping dialogue adapts perfectly to the situation whether amusing or serious. One scene quite notable is when Kane takes over the Inquirer where the banter between he and Herbert Carter is nearly side-splitting.

Gregg Toland’s brilliant use of light and shadow is a quite a cornerstone in modern cinematography, strongly highlighting important characters while downplaying the minor ones. This is further enhanced by the use of high and low angle shots creating superior or
inferior tones.

Certainly among his other films(The Lady from Shanghai, The Magnificent Ambersons), Citizen Kane is arguably Welles’ tour de force. It has stood the test of time for over 60 years as a constant in the Hollywood universe of classic films and filmmaking.despite his eventual fading from film work, he’ll always be remembered for creating a cinematic standard that not only employs the latest techniques, but innovative ones as well.

By Richard Lombardo
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There isn't anything that I can, or should, add to the volumes of words written about this classic and universally acknowledged masterpiece, but I'm compelled to say my piece. Citizen Kane has gone from an annoying film I couldn't understand, when I was a teen, to a puzzle I had to solve, to a masterpiece I contemplate and enjoy.

Sixty-four years ago Orson Welles created a mystery with Citizen Kane, and it has been analyzed more than any other film.

Roger Ebert, one of the truly great critics, has written an essay of respect to this film (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times) that should be read only after you've viewed the film a half a dozen times.

As a kid I was always happy to see Joseph Cotten's name in the credits, which used to run at the beginning of the film. There was something about him that I liked, his presence on screen, his acting ability, I don't know what is was, I just know that I liked him. Citizen Kane may very well have been Joseph Cotten's first film, and he was outstanding in it.

Orson Welles is masterful in his portrayal of Charles Foster Kane, one of the most enduring characters in film history.

Agnes Moorehead, whom you undoubtedly know as Endora from the TV series, Bewitched, had her film debut in Citizen Kane. She went on to act in more than sixty films. She acted until she passed away in 1974.

Ray Collins, who played James W. Gettys in Citizen Kane went on to act with Fredric March in The Best Years of Our Lives, Gary Cooper in The Fountainhead, Touch of Evil with Orson Welles, Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, and with Judy Garland in The Solid Gold Cadillac..

Everett Slone was in Somebody Up There Likes Me, the great Paul Newman film, and with Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quin in the Van Gogh story, Lust For Life.

I bring all this up to show you how important this film is by the quality of actor in it, which is something most people never talk about. If you go down the list of actors even further than I just have, you'll be even more impressed, if you're a movie buff. Some are character actors who helped make many films memorable because of their performances.

No film collection is worth its salt if it doesn't include a copy of Citizen Kane.