Citizen Kane (DVD)

...such a classic film as Citizen Kane? It's frequently hailed as the greatest film ever made, and normally appears in the top 5 of any film list you come across. In 1941 a 25-year old Orson Welles burst into Hollywood and was given free reign to direct, produce, write and star in a film about whatever he wanted. So what did he do? He created a debut picture of such amazing technical quality that even today it still influences the film industry. The ...
...gripping and full of drama, Citizen Kane is remembered chiefly for its technical accomplishments. In so many ways, this 1941 masterpiece was ahead of its time. The use of light and dark, and the cinematography in general is superb. The way Welles controls the camera makes for a special cinematic experience. It constantly swoops and moves, and there is one shot early on in which the camera passes through a glass roof. This is seen nowadays quite ...

l-m-n-o-p 21.08.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

How can a reviewer possibly approach 'Citizen Kane' from a fresh angle? Revered and studied and analyzed in the minutest detail by anyone with even the slightest interest in film, there's very little new to be said about it. So let me begin by saying, as Film student, I can sit down in front of Welles' third greatest achievement and pick out all the reasons why every critic for the past 60 years has hailed it as the greatest film ever made. I can ...
...I recognise it as one of the greatest films ever made, I could pick 200 films I'd rather watch. Poor kid Charles Foster Kane is adopted by a starchy millionaire at an early age. Having a silver spoon forced into his mouth, the child thrives. Money leads to more money, and as an adult, he becomes a successful newspaper magnate. We follow Kane through numerous marriages, broken friendships, business ventures and failed political ambitions. Kane eventually ...

Plissken 26.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

Citizen Kane might be a film difficult to watch, understand and learn something. It is a philosophycal biography. It is about power, money, ressentment. A man (rather a boy,- this is the first lesson: we always remain children trying to make up our lost childhood. He, Kane, played by the excellent Orson Wells compensates, in his adult life, the poverty and loss of the comfort of having a loving family, by making money, money and money. Not enough, ...

OSK 30.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

...and an enjoyable one. Citizen Kane is a classic - but it is not the greatest movie ever made, people who tell you this are boring film buffs who either marvel at the interesting use of camera angles and lighting, or are incapable of making a decision themselves and follow the advice of many film critics. Its a good movie, its a classic but oh boy I have only ever watched it once and that was enough for me. The story centres on the death of a newspaper ...
...his last words ‘Rosebud’ and we see in detail the life of this man. As a character piece this movie is outstanding - Orson Welles as the protagonist gives power to the man who starts out as an idealist and becoming more powerful, corrupt and egocentric as he ages. For the time the effects are stunning, using new camera and direction techniques (such as the depiction of a marriage over many years shown simply over the breakfast table) which have become ...

biscuit 24.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

It is commonly argued that Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time, It has become a part of American Folklore It was the first film by Orson Welles. He was only 26 when he wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film Plot: Charles Foster Kane, a Multimillionaire newspaper tycoon, dies alone in his Mansion, Xanadu. Before he dies he drops a Crystal ball and utters the Word 'Rosebud' In what is one of the most famous clips in Cinema History. ...
...113-Minute Documentary: "The Battle over Citizen Kane" The Production Post Production Production Notes Welles Filmography New York Premiere Footage Price: £5 If you have not seen this film you have not experienced true cinema at its very best . A recent craze has been to class films in terms of top tens and films to watch before you die. This film could easily come out on top of both of these charts and is a definate must see. 10/10 ...

lukedspurs 04.05.2007 (05.05.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

Citizen Kane! Mention it's name and you imagine a masterpiece of film making, the holy grail of the cinema. Actually watch it and you're in for a shock. Let's be honest here, this is a visually stunning film and certainly a masterpiece but that alone doesn't make a great film and that's the big problem here. Yes this is an artistically brilliant film, and those arty types who get off on this sort of thing may love it, but your everyday man in the ...
...he/she sees and with Kane you'll end up finding it dull, dull, dull. For most people this will be hard work if you're trying to simply sit back and be entertained. What we do get is a great idea for a story (the life tale of a newspaper tycoon), a set of excellent performances, and the one of the most memorable single words in cinematic history. The direction is excellent and the production rich and sumptuous but it's not an easy film to watch. ...

TheNeil 07.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

...forced them to sit through Citizen Kane. This time the roles reversed. I fawned over the brilliant camera work and the mystery of "Rosebud". They made fun of the melodramatic characters and threw popcorn at me. I learned all over again that there are no absolute standards for literary taste. I still believe, though, that critics are warranted in praising this as one of the greatest of all time. Citizen Kane tells the rags to riches story of Charles ...
...intricate, ironic, and thought provoking. Citizen Kane is the freshman effort (1941) of the "boy wonder" director Orson Welles. Hearst was not flattered and threw up enough roadblocks to prevent the film from achieving much box office success in the U.S. at the time of its release. An ambitious reviewer could analyze this film in a variety of sophisticated ways. For example, one could describe it as a sort of ironic parody of American capitalism. ...

rahfl 08.06.2004 (09.06.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

I was first introduced to Citizen Kane after buying the video in a pound store! It was the best bargain I have ever had. Orson Welles was undoubtedly a genius and at 25, his first film was destined to be an all-time classic. It broke all the rules. The story of a powerful US businessman, the film begins with his death. Everything else is in flashback. The cinematography, the script, the music - everything was ahead of its time. The only film to ...
...Kubrick and Clarke's 2001:A Space Odyssey. The flashbacks are extremely clever - each story by Kane's associates, friends, relatives etc is tainted with their own ideas and experiences of Kane, so that the viewer gradually pieces together the complex picture that was Charles Foster Kane. However, the viewer is left still guessing the meaning of "Rosebud" Kane's dying word. I defy anyone to guess the significance of the word until the very final second ...

JohnG 08.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

I'm not sure how to go about reviewing this film. After all, the critics love it, directors were influenced by it and it has the reputation as the greatest American film.........ever! Geez, talk about spitting in the wind if you DON'T like it! My opinion? I'm not doing any spitting thanks very much! Nearly 60 years after it's initial release it can still be appreciated as a fine work of fiction (although it is an open secret that it is based around ...
...the Murdoch of his day). The story opens with the death of the wealthy publisher, Charles Foster Kane, who utters the word "Rosebud" on his death. After some nifty cinemaphotography we realise what a powerful man Kane was and a reporter is sent on his way to discover more about his life and who or what "Rosebud" was. Through a series of flashbacks we get a good picture of Kane and we even learn who or what "Rosebud" was even though it remains a mystery ...

Izzy 07.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

Citizen Kane is all about mysteries and riddles, with dark hints and subtle nuance. As the film commences, the newspaper magnate, Charles Foster Kane, lies dying, and utters as his last mortal word “Rosebud…” kicking off a quest to find out what he meant by it, as the film backtracks and works through the story of his life, in search of the truth. However, there is a far deeper and much more intriguing mystery, and that is exactly why this quirky ...
...of the entire problem with Citizen Kane. Because it’s so widely lauded, one goes into the viewing with the expectation of something really stupendous and awe inspiring, yet what you actually get is something quite feeble by comparison. I once sat down to watch it to see exactly what the fuss was all about. When it started I felt bored, but consoled myself that something would improve and that I should stick with it. As time dragged on and it went ...

dave27 07.01.2001 (08.07.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

Citizen Kane is regarded by many as the greatest film ever made and, to a cetain degree, with good reason. I was first introduced to it when I was at school, made to sit through a screening at the end of a hot summer's afternoon. At the time, my pals and I were completely uninteresed, instead counting down the minutes until we could escape into the sunshine outside. But I have since come to regarded it as a true classic movie, way ahead of its ...
...sensational, thought-provoking tale. It is shot in painstaking black an white, which adds as much to the atmosphere as does director/star Orson Wells' booming naration. It can at times difficult to watch but bear with it. Wells provides a truly outstanding story that makes the mind work overtime and tugs at the heart strings. While I don't consider it to be the greatest ever, it is an incredible effort that is as relevent today as it was when ...

ISmokeMarlboro 11.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

After what I'd heard about this film I was expecting it to be at the very least fairly decent. I had to watch it (twice) during AS media studies class. Not only was it possibly the most boring film I've ever seen, everything said about it's "classicness" is completely wrong, in my opinion anyway. This film was voted the greatest film ever for about 30 years in a row! NO WAY! This film would put you to sleep sooner than make you appreciate the "fine ...
...ramble on any more but suffice to say that I don't like it, and the only reason I believe critics acclaim it is because it's "trendy" in the film critic world. They're a classic example of the type of people I hate - they say it's good because they're told it's good. They make up their mind and then look for evidence, rather than the other way around. ...

Beano 16.10.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

What can you say about this? His first film, he was 25. It is the best of all time. Everything from the cinematograpy, to the characterisation, script, lighting and acting has it all. The complete zenith of a career, how could he possibly follow this? In fact, his career never soared as high again [unless you include the Paul Masson adverts]. This has been my favourite film for around 30 years, and i always give it a screening at least once a year. ...

ProfPavilion 11.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

...is about a man called Citizen Kane who is taken from his poor parents to a better life. He is given a newspaper to run at a young age and does so in a heroic, for-the-people way. His methods make him the richest man on earth. However, he loses sight of his goals and becomes less moral and more egotistic and materialistic. The message is plain and effective:- the man who has everything but at the same time nothing. It makes me shiver writing of ...

davey 15.06.2000 (22.02.2001) · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)

This was Orson Welles' first time directing a film. A film in which he also plays the starring role. It was released back in 1941 and caused a lot of controversy as it depicted the american mans love of power and corruption. A theme we have seen many times since in many forms but never before this film was released. Welles directory of this film was inventive and fresh, just as is the cinematography. To appreciate how unique this film is you really ...

squidgly 28.10.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Citizen Kane (DVD)