I saw this film in a small and slightly dingy theater down the street, one that showed classic films more frequently than newer releases. The theater itself stands as a relic to a bygone era, a place
in time when expensive snacks and cheap glamor were not necessary to
enjoy the magic on the silver screen. Taking my seat in a population of
less than twenty viewers, the lights dimmed and the journey began,
starting appropriately with the “RKO Presents” shot reincarnated from
decades long past. It wasn’t until the lights returned and the ending
credits rolled that I was finally released from the film, trembling
from my captivity that had transfixed me for hours. To say that the
film held my attention entirely is an insult to the film: I was
spellbound.

Citizen Kane begins with sordid gloom as we gaze upon a decrepit Castle Xanadu, the lonely estate of now dying Newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles). Clutching a simple snowball in his
hand with final desperation, Kane dies, breaking the snowball and utter
the cryptic last word “Rosebud.” From there the film spirals into a
newsreel dedicated to the life of Charles Foster Kane: his wealth, his
marriages, the rise of his empire, and his lonely, depraved fall.
Believing that his newsreel needs more substance, reporter Jerry
Thompson (William Alland) investigates the private life of Kane and in
particular tries to delve into the mystery of Kane’s last words. To
accomplish this, Thompson interviews those who were close to Kane such
as his best friend Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), his business
manager Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloane), and his second wife, Susan
Alexander (Dorothy Comingore). Through their flashbacks, the film
traces the life of Charles Foster Kane as he gains great wealth as a
child, builds a newspaper empire as a young man, fails in political
aspirations as an older man, and then finally dies alone in a decaying
Xanadu.

The film is utterly brilliant in how it presents a mystery in the form of a biopic, adding a level of unprecedented dimensionality on the portrait of Charles Foster Kane. As the story peruses from memory to
memory, we are never given a complete picture of the enigmatic mogul
and are in fact presented with more questions than answers. By the end,
although we never get a definite answer as to the full story of Kane,
it works in the mindset that the only one who can know a man the best
is himself, and being left with only the scattered memories of a
complex man will never give a solution to who the man was. This is
especially noted with the mystery regarding “Rosebud” which Thompson
refers to when he states “one word cannot sum up an entire man’s life.”

Adding to this level of mystery is the use of multiple narrators to tell a single story, which was unprecedented at the time of the film’s release. Every one of Kane’s associates, from his friends to his wife,
have all aged, somewhat haggard because of their encounters with Kane.
Adding to that, is the unsteady mental state of sveral of them, such as
Leland consistently forgetting certain facts regarding the story or
Susan Alexander delivering a drunk rendition of her memories. As such,
we have the element of unreliable narrators that diffuse the story
considerably and add even more of a puzzle to the Kane mystery. This
makes the film engaging on a subtle level that keep us as an audience
questioning our perceptions of Mr. Kane’s reality.

Bringing this mystery to full fruition requires directing, writing, and acting on a nearly impossible level of mastery, but thankfully Orson Welles is able to provide on all fronts. The story and dialogue
is of the highest quality, producing the most quotable lines in film
since Gone With the Wind or Casablanca. The
direction of the film and its approach on the story is unique in that
it encompasses all of Orson Welle’s experience with the stage and radio
as well as new and different techniques of Orson Welles. One example is
his use of montage, which made it easy for him to span years of Kane’s
life in a few minutes, such as in the infamous Breakfast sequence which
details sixteen years of his marriage in two minutes and effectively
executes the increasing tension between himself and his wife. Another
is Welle’s use of deep-focus shots that keep the entire image in focus,
framing scenes in a highly innovative way and creating a stage-like
atmosphere.

The greatest thing that Welles brings however, is his acting ability, which transcends great acting and brings a presence and performance that only someone of Welles’ caliber can muster. He is able
to not just embody Charles Foster Kane, but he lives as Kane throughout
his entire life and changes his performance to reflect that. Sure, he
is assisted by fantastic makeup that makes the aging process visually
seamless, but it only accentuates his amazing performance that on it’s
own reflects a man whose life is devoted to love but slowly and
inevitably loses it all. On a side note, the rest of the actors are
superb in the supporting roles, particularly Thompson, who is not even
shown from the front most of the time. All of them become their
characters very well and take their own pieces within the jigsaw puzzle
of Citizen Kane.

Saying that this film was great is a gross understatement. This film is a masterpiece of cinematic perfection and deserves all of its acclaim and more. Throughout the movie I found myself brought to tears,
not because of how sad it was, but because of how superb it was.
Leaving the theater, I saw the movie as many things: awe-inspiring,
haunting, and even intimidating. But above all else, I saw it then as I
see it now: one of the greatest films that will ever be made in the
history of man.