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Rating: 
Summary: The Best Film Ever Made
Review: Citizen Kane is, and I am not exaggerating, the best film of all time. I truly believe that, too. I'm not saying that just because everybody else says. I have seen many many movies, and all sorts of them. And Citizen Kane is the best movie I have ever seen. It not only has the best written script of most any movie, with the best and most memorable lines of any movie, performed with pristine accuracy by so many first time in Hollywood stars, it has an amazing cinematic flair, ranging from the makeup used to age Orson Welles to the magnificent set pieces. And the way the script moves... It starts at the end, then goes to the middle, then the beginning, wash and repeat et cetera, et cetera. No movie goer should go without seeing it. Highly recommended.But one thing... It's not my favorite film. I enjoy watching it, for all it's magnificence, but I enjoy other films much much more... There you go.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Buy this Version
Review: Don't buy this version of Citizen Kane. 1.) Two of the DVDs come stacked on top of each other, something Warner Brothers (the makers of the regular and collector's version) highly do not recommend. 2.) Hairline cracks: my first copy came with hairline cracks in the feature disc and with severe cracks in one of the supplemental discs; my second copy came with hairline cracks in one of the supplemental discs; again Warner Brothers themselves warned me not to play a disc with hairline cracks. 3.) Within 5 minutes of buying this version the glue on the box failed and it started to fall apart.
I thought the problem was with Warner Brothers, but they disowned any connection to the gold version. Save yourself the headache and just get the special edition version and not the Gold.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: I can definately see why. It's shot perfectly. The cinematography is extradoniary, as is the story, plot, acting, music, and historical accuracy. It's incredible. The way it is told and it's just amazing. The story is about a newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. The result is that every well-meaning or tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event. The movie starts off like a documentary, and then they reveal that it is footage made up for the rememberance of Charles Foster Kane, who at that point had died. On his deathbed he uttered 2 words "Rosebud." No one knows what he meant by that, so they start interviewing and asking people who knew him to tell them everything they knew. The reporters find out about his childhood, young adulthood, his adulthood, and basically his entire life. They sadly never find out what or who Rosebud was, but the audience finds out. I'm not gonna tell you, but it so obvious that you'll kick yourself at the end of the movie for not knowing.
Rating: 
Summary: Citizen Kane in Depth ~ D. Lane
Review: In the movie Citizen Kane, auteur Orson Welles uses a variety of visual effects to make his film appealing to audiences. The film begins in medias res because Kane has already died at the start of the film. This technique is used to immediately capture the attention of the audience. The film is about a group of reporters who set out to research the life of the very rich, static character Charles Kane. Their goal was to discover the meaning behind his last words, "Rosebud." The audience learns about the life of Kane through the use of flashbacks and a nonlinear film structure. As the reporters interview different people in Kane's life, we are taken back in time to witness the relationship Kane had with those people. This style of film is much more interesting than the normal chronological structure.
The flashback to Kane's childhood shows a happy boy playing in the snow on his sled. His mother is inside making arrangements to send him away after learning Charles would be inheriting a large sum of money. The extreme close up angle of her face shows that she believes she is doing this for the good of her son. She obviously feels he would be better off away from his father, especially with all of the money he will receive. This flashback explains why later in life Kane's character is so concerned with earning the love and acceptance of others. He felt like his mother sent him away because he wasn't good enough. He spends his adult life trying to force people to love him. He marries two different women, runs for governor, and buys a few newspapers in an attempt to control what people think. Unfortunately, nothing works out as Kane would have liked, and he dies a very lonely man. In order for a film to be successful, the audience must have a connection with the main character. The flashback to Kane's childhood makes the audience feel sorry for him and understand why he is the man he is.
The direction style in this film was way ahead of its time. Fading scenes made smooth transitions, even with the nonlinear structure in which it is filmed. Filming in black and white allowed Welles to take advantage of shadows. When Susan tries to convince Kane that she does not want to sing anymore, he steps towards her and his shadow covers her face as he tells her she cannot quit. She is singing again in the next scene. The camera angles are high as Kane gives his speech during the run for governor to indict that power and presence Kane exhibits. When Susan leaves Kane, there is a close up of a bird squawking loudly, which shows the emotional turmoil Kane is suffering through as he becomes alone once again.
There is a lot of symbolism in Citizen Kane. The most important symbol is the sled called Rosebud, which represents the only time Kane was ever truly happy in his life. This symbolism technique is called value placed on an object by a character. The reporters in the film fail to uncover the meaning of Rosebud, and in the denouement it is ironically burned as junk. The snow globe also represents his happy early childhood. The palace he builds represents Kane's wealth and power, yet all the space inside represents how lonely he really is inside.
Kane's character remains static throughout the movie. Even when he realizes he is losing those close to him, he refuses to change his ways. He loses two wives and his best friend and is left to die alone and miserable. Susan's character is very innocent and naïve when she first meets Kane. After many years in an unhappy marriage, she develops the nerve to leave Kane.
The unique style of directing and great acting makes Citizen Kane a fantastic movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great Set... With Only 1 Con
Review: This is a great DVD set for any fan of Citizen Kane... it was ranked best film of all time by AFI. It was also nominated for 9 academy awards and won for best original screenplay. This box set includes 3 discs as I have listed below... Disk #1 - Citizen Kane (the Feature Length Film including the Movie Premiere Newsreel, Rare Production Photographs, Storyboards, and more) Disk #2 - The Battle Over Citizen Kane (the Academy Award Nominated Feature Length Documentary detailing the bitter struggle between film director Orson Welles and newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst) Disk #3 - RKO 281 (Golden Globe Nominee for Best Mini-Series, Best Actor, and Best Actress, this HBO drama is filled with exciting performances from some of Hollywood's greatest stars) In addition, this box set includes a collectible senitype with an image from the motion picture and its corresponding 35mm film frame. Plus, a 16-page commemorative booklet is included that also features images from the motion picture. The one negative about this box set is that (although you see it in Amazon.com's picture)... the theatrical poster is not included. I suppose this is because it would have to be folded and then would not be in good condition for framing or hanging. Therefore, they include a "free" mail-in offer to get it sent to you... the catch... there is a shipping and handling charge. I was disappointed by what I consider to be an outrageous shipping fee, especially after shelling out the $$$ to buy this set. I still gave this set 5-stars because it is such a great movie!
Rating:
Summary: Great Set... With Only 1 Con
Review: This is a great DVD set for any fan of Citizen Kane... it was ranked best film of all time by AFI. It was also nominated for 9 academy awards and won for best original screenplay. This box set includes 3 discs as I have listed below... Disk #1 - Citizen Kane (the Feature Length Film including the Movie Premiere Newsreel, Rare Production Photographs, Storyboards, and more) Disk #2 - The Battle Over Citizen Kane (the Academy Award Nominated Feature Length Documentary detailing the bitter struggle between film director Orson Welles and newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst) Disk #3 - RKO 281 (Golden Globe Nominee for Best Mini-Series, Best Actor, and Best Actress, this HBO drama is filled with exciting performances from some of Hollywood's greatest stars) In addition, this box set includes a collectible senitype with an image from the motion picture and its corresponding 35mm film frame. Plus, a 16-page commemorative booklet is included that also features images from the motion picture. The one negative about this box set is that (although you see it in Amazon.com's picture)... the theatrical poster is not included. I suppose this is because it would have to be folded and then would not be in good condition for framing or hanging. Therefore, they include a "free" mail-in offer to get it sent to you... the catch... there is a shipping and handling charge. I was disappointed by what I consider to be an outrageous shipping fee, especially after shelling out the $$$ to buy this set. I still gave this set 5-stars because it is such a great movie!
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