Citizen Kane

1. In class we discussed Citizen Kane in a couple of different ways. We went over Orson Welles and how this was his first film, we discussed the basic background and plot of the film itself, and we discussed the different accolades the film has received. Obviously the plot that we talked about it class would hold true to the movie, but without talking about the background and going into detail about the film, I might not have noticed a couple of things. For instance, I definitely would not have recognized the scenes that had the snow globe in them, outside of the very first scene of the film, without going over beforehand that it was there. Also, I may not have looked at the different lighting situations as critically as was described in class. I surely would have noticed that the lighting used in the film was a little odd, but I probably wouldn’t have thought so deeply about it.

2. http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/citizenkane This article, as wonderfully worded and rich in vocabulary as it is, basically just talks about how the writer thought the film was great. The article talks about different aspects of the film and how they made this film so great. These different aspects included describing the film visually, narratively, and thematically. Visually, the article refers to the unordinary camera angles and unconventional use of lighting. Narratively, referring to the storytelling of multiple points of view and the dramatic span of decades. Thematically, the article discusses how Kane was a mystery man from nearly every angle, and the films famous twist.

3. The article, again as wonderfully worded as it was, basically just tells you everything you already know after seeing the film. If I had read this article before I had watched the film, it would have been more than anxious to watch it. The article speaks so highly of the film, bringing up every great aspect about it, that it would literally be difficult to wait to watch the film. However, since I have already see Citizen Kane, the article was nothing special to me. It basically just summed up everything that we went over in class and that you saw in the film and sugar coated it.

4. While I did greatly enjoy the film, and I can see the genius behind the plot and execution of it, I honestly wouldn’t put it as the best film ever made. I acknowledge that it is a great piece of film history, but to rate it that high just seems too much for me. On the other hand, if you were to ask me what the greatest movie of all time was, I wouldn’t have an answer for you. Anyway, I did enjoy the film, I would recommend it to someone else, but I wouldn’t tell them it was the best movie I had ever seen.