Frequently cited as the best film ever made, Citizen Kane, written, produced, directed and played by Orson Welles, follows the rise and fall of a publishing tycoon. With his dying word Rosebud, Kane ensures he remains in the public eye even in death as a newsreel reporter seeks to solve the mystery of the word’s meaning.
Innovative filmmaking for its time – bustling staging, overlapping dialogue, chiaroscuro lighting, rhythmic, almost singsong editing – Citizen Kane is a seamless merging of art and melodrama. But it’s the storytelling that lets Welles’ film down. The film is told in a series of flashbacks and/or newsreels of the great man while reporter Jerry Thompson (William Alland – Riffraff, The Lady From Shanghai) pieces together the backstory from Kane’s early days to his lonely death. Estranged best friend, Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten – The Third Man, Gaslight) provides personal information and background to the scandal that, in spite of his extreme wealth, destroyed Kane’s political ambitions.
Kane is not a likeable man – but the same can be said of the rest of the characters in Citizen Kane. The bombast of the tycoon carries all before him with the hysterics of second wife Susan (Dorothy Comingore – The Hairy Ape, Mr Smith Goes to Washington) both grating and unexpectedly stereotypical for such a film pushing boundaries. There’s no denying Welles’ film, 80 years after its release, remains impressive. But its weaknesses prevent it claiming that revered top spot.
Nominated for 9 Oscars in 1942 including best film, director, actor, cinematography, editing, won 1 for best script.
Rating: 78%
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