Rating of
4/4
An amazing piece of Timeless Art
Tino - wrote on 05/21/08
This is one of the greatest masterpieces of American cinema history, and it is so for a reason. Citizen Kane is the type of picture that leaves you, almost too suddenly, yet its perfect. You find yourself completely satisfied, and yet, you just can't get enough. Citizen Kane is a revolutionary picture, that probably started the intense tales of men, who worked for everything they had, got it all, and then lost it. It's stronger then any true biopic to date. Orson Welles, was truly a genius. How he could have written something so amazing and thought-provoking, as well as star in and direct it is surely mind-numbing. It is the sort of thing that is too magnificent to be real, yet completely believable. There are other films that follow the same type of 'plot-line' (if there really is one in these types of movies) that have also been shined upon as American classics. These films include Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, most recently There Will Be Blood, and what I personally consider to be the best American film ever made, even though the AFI arguably disagrees, The Godfather. These are tales of powerful men, who start out with nothing but their own principles and morals, gain the power they wished they'd always had, then watch it, as it kills them inside, and sometimes even physically.
Citizen Kane starts out with the famous last word of the title character, "Rosebud". This was the last word of an immensely powerful and rich man, and the press goes on a manhunt, trying to figure out its meaning. They believe it to be a mistress. The story then continues and dives into the life of Charles Foster Kane. Starting out with his rather poor and simple childhood, it then moves onto Kane as a young man, whom eventually starts out a paper sworn to the truth and justice. After scandals, and other problematic life issues for Kane, he begins to start running for office. The larger and more powerful he gets, the further he goes away from his original plans and stances of honesty, heroism, and justice. It's a true American tale of power and corruption, in all of its forms. The last scenes were somewhat difficult to interpret at first, but after discussing the film, and re-watching, the meaning behind them becomes incredibly clear, relevant, and stunning. This is an incredible tale, of stunning proportions!
