Citizen Kane (1941) (Gold Edition Box Set; Includes RKO 281)

Citizen Kane

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Aug 3, 2006

Pros: great movie

Cons: black and white for those who prefer color

one must understand the context in which this film was made to truly appreciate this film for the highly innovative,true work of art that it is.Citizen Kane is an atypical film made in the studio era, of Hollywood, basically studio bosses owned every...thing and everyone in the film and used their stars and matched to their genre,followed a straight narrative and kept the spotlight on their stars.Citizen Kane broke all the rules in more ways than one, the lighting is used thematically,to express betrayal,trust,et cetera.When Kane makes his declaration of priniciples, he steps out the light of good intentions and his face is completely darkened by shadows, so we cannot tell if he was lying,self delusional or merely being idealistic ,but the lighting lets us know it is a lie.This was a big no-no,in the studio era, the stars must be lit at all times.This film is highly innovative for it's time only because Orson Welles had a unique contract that gave him complete creative control of this film,which was unheard of.The story starts with the death of the main character Mr.Kane, a media magnate, his death,goes back to his childhood and makes a full circle,by chronicaling his life and ends where it started at hids death.Welles threw convention out the window and used an entire cast of unknowns from his theatre group, some had never worked in film before,neglecting the established star system of the studio bosses,and the straight predictable start to finish story line. Unlike a typical Hollywood movie from this era, the females in Citizen Kane are far from weak, indeed they are the strongest characters in the movie,the women of Citizen Kane were dominant forces to be reckoned with .One of the best scenes in the movie is the montage of Kanes marriage,that shows years over a couple of minutes, the couple start off close and in bright lighting and as the marriage progresses,the talking evolves into silence,his wife look becomes more severe and the table gets longer,it ends with the wife expressing her disdain by reading the rival newspaper in his face during breakfast.This film was not just innovative because of the film techniques such as deep focus, focusing on three planes of action,chiarascurro lighting,overlapping dialog,using echoes to emphasis coldness, or lighting to emphasis a characters trapped feeling, no this film was innovative for it's time because Welles made his own film and played by his own rules while making it,satirizing the life of media magnate William Randolph Hearst,neglecting to use established stars in stereotypical roles and film techniques and produced a high quality film demonstrating the stifling effect studio bosses exerted in the creative process of motion picture making.It is no wonder this film was the most criticized and blacklisted film in Hollywood duing the studio era.I viewed this film with a greter appreciation,for the second time after gaining a little more understanding of the film's context.This is a great film and worth every penny, I cannot imagine how someone could not enjoy this film. Read more Less

The greatest movie of all time. Period.

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 3, 2005

Pros: Brilliant story, flawlessly told

Cons: The fact that not everyone has experienced it.

Don't ask me anything about it. Just see it.

Greatest Movie ever

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Jul 9, 2003

Its just great. Perfect in every way

citizen kane one of the best ever period

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 27, 2002

this is a great film. its scope, its cinematography, the attention to detail.if you don't like this maybe you don't know as much about movies as you think you do. kane is the multi-layered whirlwind for which their are few equals (fellini's 8 and a... half, potemkin, the early von stroheim) its the high art film of cinema. except no substitute.nomolosafi '86 Read more Less

One of The Greats in One of The Greats

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 11, 2002

Citizen Kane - Where to begin? Kane is one of the greatest films ever made (if not The Greatest). Living in the world of the MTV Generation (I am at the age now that Orson was when he began Kane), I can see why some viewers would give Kane a low ra...ting. There are no huge special effects that grab your attention upon first viewing. No computer generated monsters, fast speed car chases, or screen-wide explosions. But, the beauty of Kane’s effects are, they are subtle. They are meant to hide themselves within the film. To hide themselves so much that the viewers do not even know that there was a “special” effect. Watch the film with Mr. Ebert’s commentary and you will see what I mean. There is a table that opens up to allow the passage of a camera. There are windows that are purposely out of proportion to give a sense of depth. There is even a camera that is buried beneath the floor to allow for a grand perspective. Kane’s greatest achievement may or may not have been the camera work, but the story is also a wonderful sweeping tale(Oscar winning). Kane’s story was so well told, that it almost led to the movie’s demise in the oft-told William Randolph Hearst scandal.There is so much that can be said of Citizen Kane and it’s young genius creator Orson Welles, a man whos talents were far too great for Hollywood. He was one of modern film’s most wasted talents. Could you imagine if Orson’s film The Magnificent Ambersons had not been butchered? Could you imagine if Orson was allowed (and encouraged) to make movies, the way HE could, for all of his life? He spent his life fighting against the establishment, and he spent his life taking acting and radio gigs just to fund HIS plays, and HIS films, HIS WAY. It led to a bitter end for a great talent.In finality, I’ll point to Orson Welles’ Oscar nominations in 1941 for Citizen Kane (all which he should have won), as a small proof of his greatness. Orson Welles wrote, produced, directed, and acted in Citizen Kane. For the film he was Oscar nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Picture (goes to the producer), Best Director, and Best Actor. I don't know of anyone else in the history of the awards who has held this distinction. And... Mr. Welles... was only 26 years old. Read more Less

The best!

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Aug 31, 2002

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. A must for everyone!
I can't come up with any bad things about the movie.

the greatest

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Aug 28, 2002

the greatest movie of all-time is a understatement.orson welles is one the most intelligent directors/writers ever.a pure cinematic feast.if you don't have this classic in your collection just say no.

its ok

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Aug 11, 2002

This movie is ok but the best in history? No! Psycho, Vertigo or The Godfather are pretty great movies that should be #1 like this one is. Kane is not the greatest. Casablanca is also a pretty good movie with great actors.

THE DVD....

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 15, 2001

Considering the fact that Warner had no original camera negative this print is the best quality black and white DVD out there! Period! This is just an amazing disc and what a beautiful way to demonstrate the format with one of the best films EVER. ... It is open to debate whether it is the best film of all time and those who study film surely know how great it is. Fact is the film is a 'special effects' masterpiece although the effects are hidden. This DVD just shows off Welles ability with lighting and sound. Not only that, but his use of camera and the composition of shots. No one should pass up the opportunity to see this disc...just amazing. Read more Less