the fresh films reviews

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Citizen Kane (1941)

Director:
Orson Welles
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Drama
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Citizen Kane
RUNNING TIME
119 minutes
Producer:
Orson Welles
Screenwriter:
Herman Mankiewicz
Orson Welles


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Charles Foster Kane Orson Welles
Jed Leland Joseph Cotten ½
Susan Alexander Dorothy Comingmore
Jim Geddes Ray Collins
Mrs. Kane Agnes Moorehead ½

 

Review

The career of Orson Welles is a perfect example of that if you start off too brilliantly, you're more or less bound to go downhill from there. However, if the signature film you leave behind is Citizen Kane you shouldn't be too dissatisfied. It has every element of a true classic in it, and its timelessness becomes more and more apparent as time goes on. What is perhaps most mesmerizing about this film is the range of its themes and the incredible force with which they are delivered. Not many movies have the amount of implicit meaning, imagery, allegories and discussions that Citizen Kane carries. It raises questions of moral, human, political and social character, and it does it balanced, nuanced and with dignity. Welles direction is brilliant (the use of shadows here is groundbreaking), but his acting is (if possible) even better. His Charles Foster Kane spans a lifetime and Welles ages with him as if he'd lived the life himself. A uniquely rich motion picture that is as compelling on the fifth viewing as on the first.

Copyright © 27.1.2005 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang [HAVE YOUR SAY]