Citizen Kane

Considered one of the best films of all time, it is difficult to write a review about a motion picture with such high esteem as Citizen Kane. Yet, if it were released today, many of the film-goers would certainly neglect its importance and transcendence in cinema, as it happened in the past when Citizen Kane didn’t recoup the money it cost to make, and it was measured as a stud. The majority of masses, accustomed to watch the fast-pace movies shaped by big studios and their corresponding stereotypes will be somewhat bored at Kane’s slow pace and meticulous construction of narrative. Even so, its influence is still today greatly under-appreciated, as most cinema has in one way or another stemmed from the techniques and styles that Citizen Kane proposed. Even so, it is a pleasant surprise to see the use of light as an enhancement of space and creator of ambience, and the explicit importance light takes in the “painting” of a picture, the setting of a mood. On a final note, the “creative chaos” proposed by Welles, in which he transmits a message through chaotic portrayals of apparently disparate scenes, is a testament to the future of cinema that would adhere to the director’s guidance.