For many critics and film fans, Citizen Kane can lay claim to the title of the greatest movie ever made precisely because, even if only in the form of in-camera effects and a wealthy, lonely
anti-villain
, Welles' movie even influenced the direction of Rotten Tomatoes' highest-rated movie, 2017's Paddington 2.
Is Citizen Kane worth watching?
CITIZEN KANE may let some people down, but
it's still worth seeing
. It's a difficult undertaking for someone of my generation to watch a film like CITIZEN KANE. Not because it's “too old” or “too boring”, but because it has been hailed–almost universally–as the single best motion picture ever made.
What is the message of Citizen Kane?
The Difficulty of Interpreting a Life
The difficulty of interpreting a person's life once that life has ended
is the central theme of Citizen Kane. After viewing an in-depth, filmed biography of Kane's life, the producer of the biography asks his reporters a simple question: Who, really, was Charles Foster Kane?
What made Citizen Kane innovative?
Citizen Kane introduced Hollywood to the creative potential of other cinematic techniques as well. One such innovation was a technique known as
the “wipe
,” where one image is “wiped” off the screen by another. Other innovations involved unique experiments with camera angles.
Is Citizen Kane a hero?
Welles self-consciously portrayed his hero as a complex figure, and in a short documentary “trailer” made to advertise the film he challenged the audience to put all the pieces together.- He described Kane as
“a hero
, a scoundrel, a no account, a swell guy, a great lover, a great American citizen, and a dirty dog.
Why was Citizen Kane so controversial?
Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was said
Hearst was particularly angry over the movie's depiction of a character based on his companion
, Marion Davies, a former showgirl whom he had helped become a popular Hollywood actress.
Why was Citizen Kane taken away from his mother?
Charles Foster Kane was born of humble origins in the small settlement of Little Salem, Colorado, circa 1863. A mine given to his parents — to settle a bill for room and board — happened to be rich in gold, making the family suddenly wealthy. … However,
Kane blamed Thatcher for ripping him away
from his family.
What is considered the best movie ever made?
- 1 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – 9.3.
- 2 The Godfather (1972) – 9.2. …
- 3 The Godfather: Part II (1974) – 9.0. …
- 4 The Dark Knight (2008) – 9.0. …
- 5 12 Angry Men (1957) – 8.9. …
- 6 Schindler's List (1993) – 8.9. …
- 7 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – 8.9. …
- 8 Pulp Fiction (1994) – 8.9. …
Is Citizen Kane a true story?
The film is commonly regarded as a fictionalized, unrelentingly hostile parody of William Randolph Hearst, in spite of Welles's statement that “
Citizen Kane is the story of a wholly fictitious character
.” Film historian Don Kilbourne has pointed out that much of the film's story is derived from aspects of Hearst's life …
What does Rosebud symbolize?
“Rosebud is the trade name of
a cheap little sled on which Kane was playing on the day he was taken away from his home and his mother
. In his subconscious it represented the simplicity, the comfort, above all the lack of responsibility in his home, and also it stood for his mother's love, which Kane never lost.”
How does Citizen Kane manipulate time?
The screen time of Citizen Kane lasts from his childhood to his death. Obviously, the screen time is much longer than the running time. Thus, the most important manipulation of time in this film is
its compression
.
Is there a lot of camera movement in Citizen Kane?
In Citizen Kane,
Welles and Toland blend camera movement with the drama of the scenes
, and use it more spectacularly. … The shot establishes space and sets up the scene, but it does this in an overt and noticeable way. The movement is more like Murnau than Wings or Applause.
What does the ending of Citizen Kane mean?
Rosebud reveals Kane's final realization that
he's lost his childhood goodness/innocence and become a bad person
, since the sled represents a wish to go back to an earlier time in his life before money and fortune corrupted him.
What makes Kane fabulously wealthy?
Kane is born of humble origins in the fictional settlement of Little Salem, Colorado, in 1862 or 1863. A supposedly worthless mine given to his mother in 1868—to settle a bill for room and board by Fred Graves — is discovered to
be rich in gold
, making the family suddenly fabulously wealthy.
Who is the antagonist in Citizen Kane?
Reappraising
Hearst
, the villain of ‘Citizen Kane'
