[.ca] Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Amazon.com Essential Video:
Arguably the greatest of American films, Orson Welles's 1941 masterpiece, made when he was only 26, still unfurls like a dream and carries the viewer along the mysterious currents of time and memory to reach a mature (if ambiguous) conclusion: people are the sum of their contradictions, and can't be known easily. Welles plays newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. The result is that every well-meaning or tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event. Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz, and photographed by Gregg Toland, the film is the sum of Welles's awesome ambitions as an artist in Hollywood. He pushes the limits of then-available technology to create a true magic show, a visual and aural feast that almost seems to be rising up from a viewer's subconsciousness. As Kane, Welles even ushers in the influence of Bertolt Brecht on film acting. This is truly a one-of-a-kind work, and in many ways is still the most modern of modern films from the 20th century. --Tom Keogh

Additional Features:
No minuscule "featurette" for the greatest movie ever made. The backbone for this grand two-disc set is the 1995 Oscar®-nominated documentary The Battle over Citizen Kane, a very rich two-hour film on how this masterpiece was almost destroyed by Welles's adversary, William Randolph Hearst. A great remastered print is complemented by two running commentaries, the better one by critic Roger Ebert. Don't think you want a two-hour lecture by Mr. Ebert? Just listen to his 10-minute talk over the gallery of photographs from the movie (which you can flip through manually with your remote or see as a slide show), and you'll want more. Ad campaigns, storyboards, and even call sheets are included in this must-have DVD. --Doug Thomas

Citizen Kane-nobody could have played it but Welles-:
Up until recently I had never seen Citizen Kane in toto.I had seen bits of it here and there in arts classes and on TV.After watching this movie and reflecting I can only envision one man that could ever had played this part to perfection and that was Orson Welles himself.This movie is as much autobiographical as it is biographical,that is there is as much Welles in this picture as Hearst.From what little I have read on both subjects over the years it is amazing how much these two men had in common in real life in their personalities and their subsequent dealings in whatever concerns were of most importance to them at any given moment.It was almost art imitating life imitating art. But in 1941 both came together in one glorious time which would never be repeated.The picture earned Welles and company I believe around 10 OSCARS(if memory serves) of which only one was issued denying Welles his just due.Hearst had won the battle but in the end Welles won the war. On further reflection another thing that very much jumped out at me as I viewed this film was the cinematograpy.The camera work was phenomenal.The lighting,the angles and the placement of shots added totally to the entire feel and execution of this picture. And another aspect that I noticed was the editing.Of course as Welles controlled just about every aspect of the picture this,I would assume,could also be laid at his feet.But take for example a scene which involves Kane and his first wife.It lasts about five minutes in all but it shows them sitting at either end of a large table.Through several dissolves we see Kane and his wife going from a newly happily married couple to two distant and cold individuals.Brilliantly done. Technically this picture has been cleaned to perfection.It is a fine transfer.There are two discs here,one has the movie along with clips from the original trailer and opening night,a short interview with a co-star and two different commentaries.The second contains a special which(again) I only saw part of a few years back on PBS called:"The Battle for Citizen Kane",which was part of the American Experience series.You will notice that this disc alone is for sale so it is worth every penny to be included in this set. All in all I highly recommend this set to everyone.I have really no complaints in any department.While I don't think this is THE greatest movie ever made,I do believe it is one of the most important and best ever done.And when you compare it to some of the best works ever to come out of any film producing nation in the world it is no small praise indeed.

Very Overrated Movie:
It's not a bad movie, but it's totally overrated. Two things surprise me about it: the first one is how Welles got a cart blanche to make the movie the way he wanted to and why on earth this movie is valued so high by AFI. I think that Ingmar Berman said everything about this movie: "For me he's just a hoax. It's empty. It's not interesting. It's dead. Citizen Kane, which I have a copy of- is all the critics' darling, always at the top of every poll taken, but I think it's a total bore. Above all, the performances are worthless. The amount of respect that movie's got is absolutely unbelievable."

Appreciation for Citizne Kane:
For those who thought otherwise of Citizen Kane . . . You really have to take a step back and really read between the lines. The first time I saw it I never quite got the film nor did I care too much about it. It wasn't until I watched it several times before I fully-appreciated the film. (The use of light and camera angles.) Yes . . . There is striking resemblence between the film and the life of Willian Randolph Hearst. So what!?! In order to understand the film, you have to understand the meaning behind the word 'Rosebud,' which refers to the sleigh that Kane had as a child. In essence . . . A childhood lost forever when his mother, even with much objection from the father, decides to sign over the papers in order for her son to have 'a better life'. In turn this lead to his downfall later in life. Who knows what would have happened had Kane had the opportunity to grow up with his natural parents.

i hate to say this but i was underwhelmed by this movie (1.5/5):
OK,i'm certain i'm in the minority here,but whatever.i did not like Citizen Kane.first off,i didn't think it was profound at all.i also didn't think the look of the film was that great.many people say it has a great visual style,but i disagree completely.how this movie is number one all time on some lists is beyond me.to say this movie was a drag is understating things.there was and is too much hype for this movie.so it's directed by and stars Orson Welles.even worse is Welles is widely regarded as a genius as a result.big hairy deal.i was bored out of my skull.considering this movie is considered sacred and any negative comment is blasphemy,i'm glad nobody knows where i live,otherwise i fear i may be hunted down and killed.not too many people are likely to pay attention to this comment,but i don't care.this is how i feel about Citizen Kane.maybe i'm a complete idiot,or maybe i'm just missing something.either way,this movie rates a 1.5/5 at best.

citizen kane the film of all films:
people really need to watch this film 1 or 3 times, to really understand how great this film is,it took me ten years to really understand the story i watched twice or more and still learning something from it! it is just pure masterpiece from the beginning to the end of the film!the visual is just stunning!the story and plot was amazing! just the way they put the story and plot together is pure genius! what a master piece ! orson welles is a pure genius! the way he gets unknown support actors and actress and bring out the best in them, it is amazing!orson welle knows how to direct a complete film from the beginning to the end of the film ,from actors to actress to plot to story! i like to say this to FALCON DISDRESSED 12 citizen kane is a real human life of a story!it is about real life ,it is a very human story about a man that had everything in life ! but lost it all.it is about greedy childish,selfesh,selfcenter controlling sad sad sad man!maybe it was because he was spoil brat, maybe it was because he didn't have a childhood!maybe it was because his parents neglected him and gave him away to a total stranger!or maybe the father was an abuser, maybe it was one thing or maybe it was a combination of of everything that happen in kanes life!all we know is when kanes was in his early twenties he wanted to help the poor people of the world from being step on by the greedy people of the world!but somewhere along his long life or early life something happen to him that made him they way he is! this is about a story a man could be you could be me could be about man down the street from you or even in a around the world !but it is a everyday story about any man in this world!it is real life story!FALCON DISDRESSED 12 YOU TENDED TO LIKE MOVIES THAT ARE S/F, ACTION,THRILLERS , COMEDY,HORRORS, AND B MOVIES,YOUR NOT MUCH OF A DRAMA FILM PERSON! YOU GAVE 4 TO 5 STAR RATING FOR THESE FILMS YOU LIKE : MEN IN BLACK,WILD WILD WEST,FAIR GAME, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 1-2,WAR OF THE WORLD TOM CRUSIE,SPEED -2,FF 1-2,MUMMY RETURN,THE LEAGUE OF EXTRA ORDINARY GENTLEMEN,KING ARTHUR,BEST OF THE BEST 1-2,TEAM AMERICA,THESE ARE THE FILM I WOULD HAVE GIVEN ONLY 1 OR 2 STAR RATING BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST AWFUL MOVIES!PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS PERSONALLY!I HAVE WATCHED OVER 2,500 FILMS IN MY LIFE!IM VERY OPEN MINDED REGARDING FILMS I CAN WATCH FILMS FROM THE 1920S TO PRESENT, BLACK AND WHITE OR COLORS FILMS, EVERY FILM I WATCH WHETHER IT IS BAD OR GOOD I WILL WATCH UNTIL THE END JUST TO MAKE A FAIR JUDGEMENT!I THINK I HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE TO MAKE A FAIR JUDGEMENT ON WHAT IS GOOD FILMS AND BAD FILMS!FALCON DISDRESSED 12 DON'T TAKE THIS PERSONALLY I REALLY DON'T THINK YOU MADE A FAIR JUDGEMENT ON CITIZEN KANE!YOU TALKED ABOUT ITS VISUAL FILM! I DON'T THINK YOU GOT THE MESSAGE OF THE FILM!IM TALKING ABOUT THE STORY AND THE PLOT OF THE FILM, THE STORY IS FASTINATING ABOUT THIS MAN LIFE!YES IT IS A VERY VERY VERY DARK FILM, IT IS NOT A LIKEABLE PERSON!BUT THE STORY IS AMAZING HOW HE BECAME THAT WAY!IT IS A REAL HUMAN STORY OF A MAN THAT COULD BE IN ANYONE OF US! this is why i say this is the greatest film that was ever made! it is a masterpiece of art of a film! mr orson welle knows how to put a film together from the beginning to the end of the film !that is why his films are call masterpiece!and that is why they say he is a genius