Rating: 10/10
Director: Orson Welles
Score: Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography: Gregg Toland
Citizen Kane is a masterpiece. From the extraordinary cinematography to the outstanding
acting, Citizen Kane has gone down in history as the most influential film ever made.
To begin I want to discuss how absolutely beautiful this film is. Every single shot is taken with
care and each of them is complex and interesting in its own way. The story behind the
cinematography is quite astonishing: Orson Welles being new to the film industry gave full
artistic control of the cinematography to Gregg Toland who was already a veteran filmmaker. I
also felt that the set designers did a wonderful job of working with Toland to insure a perfect
scene. There is never a scene, save for the one at the end which is inside of a warehouse,
where the screen and shot feel cluttered. In every shot, you know exactly what to look for and
it’s amazing.
Secondly, the score, while very pretty, isn’t very memorable. I don’t mind this at times because I
really enjoy the film’s quieter moments. While on the topic of sound, I think the sound design is
also particularly great. There are a couple of scenes, including Kane writing the review, where
everything is quiet and there is a very small, but remarkably noticeable sound.
Finally, the acting and story. The acting in this film is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Orson
Welles, Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, and Everett Sloane absolutely kill it. Ray Collins stood out
to me because he literally has like five or so minutes on screen, but he really does an amazing
job. Orson Welles does great as well. He really sells Charlie Kane as a character. I also thought
that his voice acting was particularly good. The story is a story of politics and an overbearing
love for one’s self. The story follows Jerry Thompson as he tries to piece together the life and
affairs of Charlie Kane so that he might solve the mystery of “Rosebud,” which is Kane’s dying
words. It is an outstanding story and I found it incredibly interesting. I also really loved the
ending, it was fantastic.
Overall, an outstanding film. If you’re hesitant about watching it because it's old and black &
white, please do yourself a favor and watch it.
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