Anybody want to discuss Citizen Kane?

2,089 Views | 24 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by Bruce Almighty
bagger05
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AG
Just saw this for the first time today on my flight.

I liked that it felt so relevant even though it was an old movie. The journalism stuff seemed applicable as the modern media seems more interested in creating news rather than reporting it. The exploration of narcissism seemed very relevant since it seems like it is such a huge problem for millenials.

I really liked it and appreciated it, but honestly I don't understand how it's the greatest movie ever made. I suppose I can't possibly grasp how groundbreaking the cinematography and storytelling style was for the time. Orson Welles was a badass though. Basically played three different characters (I'm sure that performance was quite inspiring to Eddie Murphy in Meet the Krumps).

So... Good movie? Great movie? Greatest movie? What is your opinion?
israeliag
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I think what it has done to film is a large part of why it is so great. Watch any biopic (fictional or based on true events) and you can see that they are all built on the template that it made.

And yes, Welles killed it. I remember being so amazed at how much more natural his acting was compared to the others in the film who had that early film weird acting style.

So yeah - it pretty much set the standard for storytelling, acting, cinematography and prob more.

I would be interested to get TCTTS' take, and anyone else who has worked production and film development.
jkag89
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There are other movies from the same era that I enjoy more still it is a very good movie I did not properly appreciate until I knew the story behind it.

American Experience . The Battle Over Citizen Kane | PBS

The Battle Over Citizen Kane - Part 1 YouTube
jeffk
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It's super iconic and influential, but there are loads of other films from that time period that I enjoyed more.

Glad I watched it (twice), but I have no desire to see it again.
Bruce Almighty
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I think it's the greatest movie ever made, but it's not an easy movie to watch.
AliasMan02
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Been a while, but I hated it.
DustysLineup
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Tough film to get through. I had to watch it twice before I remembered that Rosebud was his childhood dog.
bangobango
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Rosebud is her vagina.
bagger05
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quote:
Been a while, but I hated it.

You are typically the most enthusiastic and positive person when it comes to movies. I think this may be the first time I've ever heard you say that you hated a movie.
bagger05
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quote:
I think it's the greatest movie ever made, but it's not an easy movie to watch.

So what is it about this movie that sets it apart from other all-time greats like Casablanca or The Godfather in your opinion?
AliasMan02
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quote:
quote:
Been a while, but I hated it.

You are typically the most enthusiastic and positive person when it comes to movies. I think this may be the first time I've ever heard you say that you hated a movie.


I just remember being unspeakably bored and hating the character.
Bruce Almighty
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quote:
quote:
I think it's the greatest movie ever made, but it's not an easy movie to watch.

So what is it about this movie that sets it apart from other all-time greats like Casablanca or The Godfather in your opinion?


When I say it's the greatest, it's like me saying Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time. I don't think Babe Ruth could compete against modern day athletes and their are dozens of movies I'd rather watch than Citizen Kane, but it's done more for modern day film making than any other movie ever. More than Godfather, more than Star Wars, more than Gone with the Wind. That's why I say it's the greatest.
DustysLineup
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It's impossible to fully appreciate a film as innovative and influential as Citizen Kane because you've seen it all a thousand times in later films. Just trust the historians on this one. Or find a good documentary about it.
I used to run with a bunch of Calvin Klein male models 25 years ago in DFW
Mr. White
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I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said. It DID inspire one of my favorite White Stripes songs.

Philip J Fry
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AG
quote:
quote:
quote:
Been a while, but I hated it.

You are typically the most enthusiastic and positive person when it comes to movies. I think this may be the first time I've ever heard you say that you hated a movie.


I just remember being unspeakably bored and hating the character.


Yup. Never even finished it.
israeliag
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AG
quote:
quote:
quote:
Been a while, but I hated it.

You are typically the most enthusiastic and positive person when it comes to movies. I think this may be the first time I've ever heard you say that you hated a movie.


I just remember being unspeakably bored and hating the character.


That touches on another point: you wouldn't have breaking bad or any of these antihero films/shows without it.
et98
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quote:
When I say it's the greatest, it's like me saying Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time. I don't think Babe Ruth could compete against modern day athletes and their are dozens of movies I'd rather watch than Citizen Kane, but it's done more for modern day film making than any other movie ever. More than Godfather, more than Star Wars, more than Gone with the Wind. That's why I say it's the greatest.

- MarkoRamius
quote:
I think what it has done to film is a large part of why it is so great. Watch any biopic (fictional or based on true events) and you can see that they are all built on the template that it made.

And yes, Welles killed it. I remember being so amazed at how much more natural his acting was compared to the others in the film who had that early film weird acting style.

So yeah - it pretty much set the standard for storytelling, acting, cinematography and prob more.

- israeliag
quote:
It's impossible to fully appreciate a film as innovative and influential as Citizen Kane because you've seen it all a thousand times in later films. Just trust the historians on this one. Or find a good documentary about it.
- Harry Lime
quote:
you wouldn't have breaking bad or any of these antihero films/shows without it.
- israeliag

I agree with all of these. Movies are like all other forms of art. While you may not want to jam out to it on your iPod daily, Beethoven's 5th is one of the greatest and most influential musical compositions ever created. It's embedded in most of the popular music we hear today or at least influences it. Citizen Kane is the same way.

In addition to Citizen Kane, there was a definite shift in movie-making & acting styles starting in the late 1930s/early 1940's. Prior to this, movies were essentially produced, filmed, directed, and acted like stage productions. All the talent, both in front of and behind the camera, came from the stage era, so it's natural that movies reflected that genre. But movies like Gone With the Wind & The Wizard of Oz slowly started reflecting their own art form and cinematography. Line delivery began to normalize from the fast-paced, over-enunciated style to more lifelike performances while production crews began improving camera angles & lighting & sound designed for microphones. Movies (and editing) finally evolved from the traditional one-camera, single-performance style commonly used by stage productions.

But it was Citizen Kane that really put all these modern productions techniques together and brought it into the next era.

When it comes to story-telling, the most popular and seemingly innovative stories are still stealing from Citizen Kane even in 2015. Citizen Kane directly influenced The Sixth Sense & the entire genre that spawned from it with the "twist endings." Citizen Kane directly influenced Breaking Bad and every TV show & movie that focuses on the anti-hero. Citizen Kane's story lines involving politics, business, and journalism are still found in movies today. Story-telling through the eyes of an investigative reporter and the documentary & mock-umentary styles of story-telling that have been so popular over the last 15 years are all influenced by Citizen Kane.

Personally, I'm not an old movie fanboy. I hate it that people love old movies just because they're old. For me, most of the "classics" from the 30's, 40's and 50's are terribly overrated; however, there are a few that are truly brilliant...and Citizen Kane is the most glaring example.
Philip J Fry
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And if we didn't have the hidden fortress, we wouldn't have Star Wars. Doesn't mean I'd prefer HF just because it lead to bigger and better things.
Bruce Almighty
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Huge difference between Hidden Fortress and Citizen Kane. Lucas just took some of the story to use in Star Wars but it didn't influence generations of movies after.
Duncan Idaho
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Worst cgi ever.
israeliag
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quote:
And if we didn't have the hidden fortress, we wouldn't have Star Wars. Doesn't mean I'd prefer HF just because it lead to bigger and better things.
There's also a difference between what can be considered "greatest" and "favorite".
MGS
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Easily Orson Welles' second greatest after Transformers: The Movie.
Duncan Idaho
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People have hit on it. It is the film equivalent of Ulysses

It is important not for artistic reasons but for technical reasons
DCC99
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So Citizen Kane is to film what the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" is to music?
Bruce Almighty
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I can listen to Pet Sounds every day, so no.
Bruce Almighty
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Citizen Kane is more comparable to Mozart or even maybe Charlie Parker than The Beach Boys.
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