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Citizen Kane [1942]
from Universal Pictures UK
starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris
directed by Orson Welles

Features:

• Black & White
• PAL

Editorial Review:

The most acclaimed film in cinema history, Citizen Kane receives extra bolstering each time it tops a "greatest films ever" list. As a piece of filmmaking it ticks all the right boxes: a precociously talented director and lead actor in Orson Welles, Gregg Toland's innovative cinematography, a strong screenplay by Welles and Herman J Mankiewicz, rich scoring from Bernard Herrmann, and so on. For its time, it was technically groundbreaking, and laid out a blueprint for Hollywood filmmaking that's still influential. But, most importantly, as a viewing experience it's still one of the most mesmerising and beautiful films in existence. From its opening scenes--Kane's eerie Gothic mansion, his lone figure muttering the word "Rosebud" as he dies, journalists discussing the newsreel footage of his obituary--Kane lays out an enigma: who exactly was this man? Looping flashbacks build up a portrait of a contradictory figure who, despite living in the public eye, remained a mystery at heart.

A testament to the corrupting influence of money, fame and the media and at its centre the tale of a man in search of love, Citizen Kane is a personal tragedy on an epic scale. Technically, it's a lesson in filmmaking in itself whose daring aesthetics nonetheless remain unobtrusive. It's doubtful that a debut director will ever be given such free reign by a studio again and even if this happened, it's doubtful that such a masterpiece would be created.

On the DVD: Citizen Kane in this DVD special edition is beautifully remastered and comes with a feature illustrating the before and after of the restoration process. A 50-minute documentary, "Anatomy of a Classic", hosted by Barry Norman, delves into the making of the film as well as trying to deal with some of the myths that surround it, like the (untrue) rumour that Welles ran over both time and budget. Film historian Ken Barnes takes over for a commentary and Welles himself is featured in his controversial 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds and 1945 broadcast of The Happy Prince. A photo gallery, extensive cast and crew profiles, breakdown of all the films expenses and trailer round off this admirable package.--Laura Bushell

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Warning! Go for the right edition!
  
  Watch out!
  I bought this edition after reading the "Amazon.co.uk Review" above, where it says "On the DVD: Citizen Kane in this DVD special edition is beautifully remastered and comes with a feature illustrating the before and after of the restoration process. A 50-minute documentary, 'Anatomy of a Classic', hosted by Barry Norman, delves into the making of the film..." etc.
  Big mistake: Nothing of the description of the DVD is true! The review is written about a completely different edition... more info

• Great 2-disc set
  A couple of the negative reviews on this page are actually referring to a very poor earlier DVD; yet Amazon (in their wisdom) have posted them on this page! Finding the best DVD (or the best copy for the money) is tricky enough without mixing the reviews up. It looks like they've posted the wrong product details as well. For the record, I'm talking about the NTSC R1 two-disc with a gold band at the top. The picture is a great improvement on earlier editions (at least one of which had sync problems, too).... more info

• The most influential movie ever made
  Last year, the American Film Institue released their second poll declaring the 100 Greatest Films ever made. Citizen Kane, for the second time around, came in at number 1. After watching, one doesn't have any trouble seeing why it was voted as the greatest film of all time. The acting, particularly from Orson Welles, who at 27 did a performance which spanned six decades, is remarkable. The cinematography, editing and music too are astonshing. However, it is the way that through it you can see a wide range... more info

• Beyond the cult, the myth
  The natural question ,we have to wonder about when watching this film, in its new splendor after restoration, is whether Orson Welles did not try to make a movie about himself. He sure did. I would even say it is a posthumous autobiography in prospective expectation. It is an American film about America and the Americans. The grandiose grandeur of those who are dreaming America into being and the petty narrow-mindedness of those who are only defending their own interests. Which tribe is most important? No... more info

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