The Kane Legacy

Since lists of the greatest movies ever made have been compiled, Citizen Kane has consistently been at the top spot, and really without disagreement. It's hard to imagine that a film nearly three quarters of a century old could hold up that well, and that any film could win and maintain such unanimous praise. So what is it that makes Kane so great? To answer that question, one really has to view it for themselves, and with that first viewing, the tip of the iceberg has only begun to be revealed.

I recall my first viewing of this enigmatic masterpiece. I think I was probably 16 or 17 years old. I had just begun to take a serious interest in film and I had started to stray from the typical mainstream Hollywood fare to investigate the boundaries of this daunting art form. I had long heard about the lore of Citizen Kane, and so I wanted to experience it for myself. So I rented a VHS copy (a poor substitute for the original theatrical experience) and watched it to find out just what all the fuss was about. I didn't have the benefit of a film class or even a book about it at the time, so it was hard to really grasp just what made this film so revered. To be quite honest, I didn't much care for it upon that first viewing. It was dark, both in the look and the plot, it wasn't particularly engaging. To me, movies had always been about escape and enjoyment, and in this case, it seemed there was little effort to transport me anywhere I would want to go, let alone entertain me. It seemed boring, and more than a bit esoteric. I chalked it up to critics who have nothing better to do than proclaim what is great, purely in spite of the tastes of the masses.

A couple years went by and as my interest in movies grew, so did my appetite for seeking out films that challenged me and expanded my knowledge. I printed out a copy of the newly released list of the top 100 movies according to the American Film Institute and became determined to see each and every film on it. And of course, the film that topped that list was none other than Citizen Kane. I decided to give it another try. Perhaps with a little bit of perspective and time, my second viewing would be different. How true that was.

In the years that have passed, I've seen Kane a few more times, and with each viewing, it seems I spot something new in it that I hadn't noticed before. I might just pop it in to take a look at a scene or two, but it never disappoints. Through a bit of research and the magic of DVDs, I've managed to discover a lot of the mystique behind the film that grew out of the legends surrounding its making. There was the brash young prodigy Orson Welles, all of 24 years old when he began work on the project, coupled with the brilliant and daring cinematographer Gregg Toland and a host of talented young stage actors from Welles' Mercury Theatre company. Between them, they would push the boundaries of all conventional wisdom about the filmmaking process and what was accepted practice. They would test the limits of technology and narrative structure. They would experiment in ways that jeopardized the entire production, and in the end, they would leave a lasting impression that would cross generations of film audiences.

It's hard to appreciate just how great an achievement Citizen Kane really is until you understand just what a technical feat it was to accomplish much of what we see on the screen. Beyond the staggering accuracy with which Toland performed in-camera effects and the artistry and creativity of angles and camera movements, there are the performances which these techniques highlight that make the story come alive. It's a beautiful film to behold, even if the narrative does not grip you, at least not at first. I suppose it's appropriate that I didn't see all of the magnificence of that artistry the first couple viewings. It's often said that the most effective tools of filmmaking are those that are invisible to the audience. That is to say that if a film is really successful, we shouldn't notice how it's shot or edited. For me at least, this was largely true in my early viewings of Kane. Now that I've studied it a bit more, it's hard not to notice. But as someone who has worked on films and knows just how difficult the process is even with all the technology we have at our fingertips today, I'm that much more enthralled when I can go back and view a film that is this masterfully done without all those advantages.

Now, I can't tell you what you should think or what you should see in Citizen Kane if you take the time to view it. But I can tell you that your time will not have been wasted. Your initial reaction may be similar to mine. But don't be so quick to write it off. It may take some time, and a second or third screening, but I can almost bet that you too will find something of value in this gem. And then you can truly say you know first hand just what all the fuss is about.