The Greatest Film of All Time!

This would have to be, without a doubt, one of the hardest films to review! Every critic worth his salt under the sun has branded this film the greatest ever made. How do I know this? ...It's written on the back cover of the DVD... But if you ask my 2009 advanced English class you will find a small group who would rather stab themselves in the eyes then watch Orson Welles' 1941 classic - Citizen Kane.

This timeless masterwork (#1 in the American Film Institute’s list of Best American Movies) is more than a groundbreaking film. It is also grand entertainment, sharply acted and superbly directed with inspired visual flair. Depicting the controversial life of influential publishing tycoon, Charles Foster Kane, this Academy Award winning film is rooted in the themes of power, corruption, and vanity – the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man’s last word: “Rosebud.”

I love Orson Welles’ and respect him as a groundbreaking actor and visionary director. Every piece of dramatic work he has produced is brilliant. His work in this film is no exception. His portrayal of the monolithic Kane is gripping as you follow him from a young, handsome and likable college freshman to an old, tired and pitiable recluse.

I make films myself and I often have cursed sets where nothing goes as planned. It was a comfort to find as I was researching the film that Welles chipped his anklebone halfway through production and had to direct for 2 weeks from a wheelchair. When he was called upon to stand up onscreen, he wore metal braces. The injury occurred in the scene where Kane chases Gettys down the stairs and Welles tripped. Thank God! I thought it was just me!

This film just has too many fantastic scenes in it. It deserves all the accolades it has received over the years and I have no doubt it will continued to be studied in English classrooms for years to come.