Citizen Kane

CITIZEN KANE (1941) - June 16, 2009 (Fifth or Sixth Viewing)
Justifiably known as one of the best -- if not the best -- films of all time, this was a masterpiece about the rise and fall of Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper tycoon. Everything about this film -- from Orson Welles' direction to Gregg Tolland's stunning cinematography to the performances -- is pretty much perfect. I don't think I can possibly say too much about Welles' direction, which is absolutely amazing -- both considering when it was made, and just taken on its own. The film has barely aged at all, mostly because of Welles' dazzlingly contemporary direction (in fact, I wish more contemporary directors would learn a thing or two from Orson Welles). Then there are the bravura performances, particularly Welles himself, who convincingly portrays Charles Foster Kane from from his early years as an idealistic young newspaper owner, to his final days as an embittered, defeated old man. It's a really amazing performance; the fact that Welles was able to do such an incredible job both in front of and behind the camera pretty much makes my brain explode. What a genius -- and what a tragedy that he was subsequently treated so shoddily by Hollywood. ****