1001 Movies Club - Citizen Kane (1941)

#141. Citizen Kane (1941)

Why It's In The Book: "Since 1962, Sight & Sound magazine's oft-cited critics' poll of the greatest films ever made has placed Citizen Kane, Orson Welles's remarkable debut film, at the top of the list. By 1998, the American Film Institute called it the greatest movie of all time. It also garnered Best Picture awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review, and won an Oscar for its screenplay. The legend of Citizen Kane has partly been fueled by the fact that Welles was only 24 when he made the film, but also from the obvious comparisons between the titular character and newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who moves heaven and earth to stop the picture from being made and then, when not stopped from being distributed, he tried to discredit. But beyond the ridiculous hype of any single film being "the greatest movie of all time," Citizen Kane is of tremendous interest and importance, for a number of reasons... the film's narrative complexity, without ever violating Classical Hollywood narrative continuity and causality, is a remarkable tour de force, responsible in large part for critic Pauline Kael's accusations that the film's true genius lay not in the hands of wunderkind Welles, but in those of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. The film's real power, though, lies in its cinematography: Gregg Toland developed a technique for deep-focus photography, wherein the extreme foreground, central middle-ground, and background were all in focus at the same time, allowing the eye to focus on any part of the image. this technique was criticized at the time for calling attention to itself, in direct violation of the codes of Classical Hollywood cinematography, wherein good photography was assumed to be invisible. Even by today's different standards, Citizen Kane's cinematography is striking and unforgettable." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Adolytsi - 10/10
"It is a fantastic film, nothing less, and one that is infinitely watchable."
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Alyson - 10/10
"The amazing amount of creative energy Welles put into Citizen Kane is more deserving than the Oscar ceremony of 1941 showed."
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Doug Tilley - 10/10
"As impressive today as it ever was."
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Jaime Grijalba - 10/10
"Citizen Kane is one of the most passionate and revolutionary movies (in their time) in history of cinema."
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Jeff Coté - 10/10
"Though I myself would be incredibly reluctant to refer to any film as "the greatest of all time," I can certainly see why so many place this label upon Citizen Kane."
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Klaus Ming - 10/10
"there is arguably no other movie which perfected so many elements of movie making in a single project."
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Michaël Parent - 10/10
"As stated in the first lines of this review, this is not an attempt to analyze and describe Citizen Kane in its whole but more something like my interpretations of its meanings and the understanding of the theories about it."
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Tim Burrow - 10/10
"The film is certainly notable for the impact it would have on almost everything that followed it, and every viewing brings something new to my appreciation of it."
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Jay Cluitt - 9/10
"Kane's legacy and influence cannot be overestimated, and it remains technologically impressive at over seventy years old."
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Kim Wilson - 9/10
"Citizen Kane is one of the most important films ever made.  No, it didn’t win a Best Picture Oscar or rake in huge receipts at the box office (it actually took a loss), but it revolutionized the art of filmmaking—and for that it should be appreciated and watched."
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Movie Guy Steve - 9/10
"It's not my favorite film, but it is one that I never tire of watching."
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TSorensen - 9/10
"So, is it the best movie ever? I would not stretch it that far. A lot of water has run under the bridge since then. But this is a very unique picture and a cinematic milestone and certainly a must see for anyone interested in movies."
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Squish - 8/10
"I genuinely believe Citizen Kane is one of THE motion pictures that separates the movie-goer from the Film-Fan (notice the subtle yet derogatory capitalization)."
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Overall Rating: 9.6/10