Citizen Kane

September 2, 2011

Citizen Kane

This is one of those movies about which no new thing could possibly be said. It is so respected as one of the greatest films ever made that there is not a film student alive who has not seen this movie and written about it. The script, acting, and directing has been meticulously analyzed by generations of fans. Every shot, every angle and every line has had volumes written about it. I suppose I could talk about shot composition, or the use of deep focus, rear projection, clever editing and dissolves. I could talk about the seemingly effortless job that Orson Welles does of portraying Kane through the ages as a callow youth and as a bitter old man. I could go on about the use of light and shadow. I could make a stab at an analysis of Welles’ politics. In the end, though I’d feel too much like I was repeating things that have already been covered, so I’ll try to do my review from a more personal perspective.

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