Critical Analysis Of Roger Erbert's 'Great Movie Citizen Kane'

For citizen Kane, the most important assets of his life are not the political ambitions, successful newspaper business, nor his relationships with the significant others. Judging by his last word, “Rosebud,” the most important piece of his life is memory from his childhood. Although his life is changed for what appears to be better, from a materialistic viewpoint, it actually leaves him vulnerable and alone. Kane’s life is ultimately destructed by his lust to fulfill the American dream of fame, power and wealth. The inevitable struggle of Kane is reflective of the struggle of many must confront in this materialistic world, as one on his or her quest to find the true meaning of

Citizen Kane by Orson Welles is a story that was made for excellence. However, since it was about William Randolph Hearst, it did not do too well. Many movies didn't want to play the film because they were scared of Hearst and his power. Although, many could not see the movie it still became one of the greatest films ever made through its uncommon angles, montages, and lighting.

Charles Kane, a newspaper mogul, died at his home in Xanadu. His last dying words were ‘Rosebud’ which no one had any idea what they meant. A newspaper reporter is given the task to investigate what the word meant. He had to interview many people including Kane’s friends like Jedediah Leland and his concubine Susan Alexander who only shed some light on the mystery of Kane’s life but no information about the Rosebud word. Citizen Kane is the movie that has received lot applause for centuries despite flopping at the box office in 1941. The narrative structure line non-linear form, the mise-en-scene composition, and the cinematography put the film in high regard.

Citizen Kane is filled with symbolic imagery. In most of the movie you can pick out scenery, character actions, lighting, camera movement, and the composition within the frame of key shots that help tell the story without the character orally telling the full story. However, because of its new and experimental use of mise-en-scene, the movie did not do well in the box office. In time Orson Welles movie would become one of the best movies of all time and would even come to change filmmaking in

The debate over Casablanca and Citizen Kane has been a classic argument between film critics and historians alike because both of these pieces contain great cinematographic value, and are timeless pictures that have managed to captivate audiences well beyond their era. However, the real question at hand is which film is the greatest? Which film transformed the future of American film making? It is these questions that I as many others have, will attempt to answer in the following essay as I explain why I believe Citizen Kane has achieved the status of greatest film ever made.

Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane is a revolutionary film. Although it might not look like much to the modern viewer, many aspects of the film were the first of their kind to appear and are still used today.

The debate over Casablanca and Citizen Kane has been a classic argument between film critics and historians alike, and this is because both of these pieces are timeless pictures that have managed to captivate audiences well after their era. On a broad spectrum analysis this is an apples and oranges debate as the two films both have great cinematographic value but for different reasons. However, the real question at hand is which film is the greatest? Which film transformed the future of American film making? It is these questions that I as many others have, will attempt to answer in the following essay as I explain why I believe Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made.

Orson Welles’ 1941 classic film Citizen Kane tells the story of Charles Forster Kane. The turning point of the film is when Jim Gettys attempts to blackmail Kane. The scene demonstrates Kane’s fall from grace through pride. His reactions to the other characters in this scene (Mrs. Kane, Susan Alexander, and Mr. Gettys), the angles that are shown in his perspective, and the lighting of the scene helps to demonstrate this point. It is after the blackmail scene that, in desperation, Kane tries to regain his credibly with the public and

The 1941 film, Citizen Kane, is a dramatic tragedy that chronicles the life of Charles Foster Kane from boyhood to newspaper magnate. Along the way, characters try to figure out what life really means and question if the “American Dream” is really all it is cracked up to be. Directed by Orson Welles with cinematography by Gregg Toland, the film won the New York Film Critics Award as best picture, and received nine Academy Award nominations, but won only one for best Screenplay for Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz (Synthesis: Citizen Kane 439). Is Citizen Kane worth all the hype? Yes and no. Citizen Kane throws in every imaginable filmmaking technique, except the kitchen sink, to make it a masterpiece in composition, but a fizzle in narration.

The film Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, is a great example of how a man can be corrupted by wealth. Through the characters in the film we can observe how Charles Foster Kane, an idealistic man with principles, can be changed and misguided by wealth and what accompanies wealth. The film takes places during the late 19th century and early 20th century, a time in American history when the world is changing and wealth is a great power to change it with. Through the story telling of Kane’s life we are able to see how wealth changes, not only Kane’s ideals, but his actions and how he perceives the world.

Citizen Kane was a 1941 American mystery drama film, which was starred, co-authored, produced and directed by Orson Welles. The film was a huge box office success and was nominated for nine Academy Awards. The film is revered as one of the greatest films of all time and is continuously voted atop movie polls. Critics praised Citizen Kane for its cinematography, music, and narrative structure which were innovative for the times. Orson Welles stepped away from the typical Hollywood style to introduce a fresh take on storytelling, special effects, lighting and scene framing.

Citizen Kane as a film is highly heralded, its fresh techniques went on to influence film everywhere. A

There are many reasons as to why Citizen Kane has been lauded as one of the best, if not the best, film of all time. Orson Welles's Citizen Kane has had a lasting impact on cinema and continues to influence directors to this day. Visually striking, Citizen Kane helped to usher in a new era of cinema through its innovative techniques and use of mise-en-scene.

At the 1942 Academy awards, Citizen Kane was booed off stage numerous times, despite being nominated in 7 categories and winning best original screenplay by Orson Welles and Herman J Mankiewicz. Greetings board of studies panel members, as a current year 12 student I urge you to reconsider eliminating Citizen Kane from next years module B curriculum. Although the film was not well received in the early 1940’s, it has become renowned as one of the greatest films of all time, with distinguished critics noting its cinematic innovations, allowing the film to have enduring power. Textual integrity enables Citizen Kane to continually meet values and create meaning, while still entertaining a modern audience through coherent form and language, for instance the construction of the film, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and the social message of isolationism. Through comprehensively studying Citizen Kane my understanding of the film has been deepened and enables me to enjoy the film to a greater extent. As Citizen Kane is a film, it is more accessible to a contemporary year 12 audience than a novel or play. The audience is an active agent in completing Citizen Kane’s meaning through interpretation. Much of the film can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the life experience, values and beliefs a responder brings to the film. Citizen Kane serves the rubric well for the purposes of module B; it would be a tragedy to lose such a rich text.

Citizen Kane brought the aspects of a newspaper tycoon in the 1940’s to life in a form of a dramatic narrative. This film is based on a true story of a newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst and based off of some aspects of Orson Welles(Writer and Director). This filmed has been named, “The best American film of all time” due to the fact that, during the time of its making, it was the first film to take on many new techniques of cinematography. Citizen Kane is a revolutionary film not only in the drama genre, but in filmmaking of all forms.