A masterpiece about a man who is obsessed with himself and his earnings and his pride.
It's about a man and his Rosebud, and the rosebud symbolises so much than we can even understand.
Citizen Kane is a fictional character mind you, yet is done so realistically by Orson Welles.
This was the greatest off beat film in 1941 coz when more films were on war related issues or thrillers this was on a person a megalomaniacal self obssessed and an eccentric character. This was a film made by a man who for the first ever in the hollywood history was given complete control by studios and asked to make any film he wanted. Orson Welles made this film, a masterpiece. Orson is extremely passionate and has a great visual there are no close ups or no heavy background score yet there is an inherent tension created just with lighting and the expression.
Two things, that were technically far more superior than most movies in 1940's was lighting and sound. Cinematography is something where so much can be learnt from this film.
Look at this shot for an instance,
Wow, a man who is so near yet so far far far away. It symbolises a lot in this film. Charles Foster Kane walks in his final stages and what has he got is nothing. Just before this shot, he holds a piece and says "Rosebud" which were his last dying words. The film begins with people trying to know, media trying to know what is Rosebud, the last dying words of Charles Foster Kane.
It means so much, it means blossom, it means innocence, it means serenity and all is lost. At the end when Leland says "All he wanted out of life was love". And Charles after being whatever he was, has lost it.
Its subtly symbolic, technically by far the greatest and characteristically, enigmatic and unforgettable. You just can't have so many good things in one from a first time director, but Orson, the guy made an unmistakable masterpiece that has stood the test of time and even 70 years, it's Blu Ray seems great and the sales speak for themselves what a film this is.
A 5/5 for one of my favorite films and intact I have seen it so many times and yet I keep learning so much. This reminds me of one thing "Character, Character, Character. The characteristics of characters drive the emotion of the cinema, great characters make great cinema".
I still can't get enough of this film. Will revisit this film time and again for sure.
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