Rating: 
Summary: I don't understand this movie's fame...
Review: Citizen Kane is a boring, pointless movie. After watching it three times, I still cannot see why this movie is so popular. The end leaves viewers feeling unsatisfied and confused. Don't waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring? Slow? Overrated? Hardly.
Review: It makes me ill to read some of the negative reviews posted for this movie. A perfect example of the MTV generation more interested in action, gore and sex than a movie as poignant and profound as Citizen Kane. Don't read this review thinking of some desiccated old reviewer who remembers "the good old days" of film making, as I am only a normal 22-year-old guy, and had only seen the movie for the first time yesterday. Then I saw it a second time later that night, and a third time this morning. Boring? Slow? The time seemed to fly by watching the movie. With the cinematography better than any I've seen today, and with the intriguing story of an equally intriguing man who never finds what he needs the most in anything he did in his life filling your mind with possibilities of exactly what Rosebud is. A movie that makes you think 60 years after it was made. Then again, it is probably that fact that makes this movie such a turn off for the younger crowd. They don't want to think, all they want is a mind-numbing action-packed drug of a movie, if you will. It pains me to imagine a persons mind so restricted to the point where any picture outside of what is "normal" sends their minds into a fit of rejection. Was this the best movie of all time? I'll have to think about it. But it certainly ranks up there with the best I've seen. In case you were wondering, I will buy this movie, and add it to my collection of DVD's, and it will be the first black and white movie I own. I'm a science fiction guy first and foremost, owning Independence Day, Men in Black, The Fifth Element, Fight Club, Gattaca, Dark City, The Abyss etc. I will make Citizen Kane a proud addition to them. What is the one thing a man who has everything could never get back? If you can answer this question, you know the secret of what Rosebud is. Don't criticize a movie just because you don't get it. People of small minds have a problem reaching beyond the trash put out by the studios today. Believe me, most of it is trash, I try to go to the movies once a week, and have yet to see a movie this year I will buy when it comes out on DVD. Rent it, borrow it, buy it. Just watch it. You won't be disappointed. ...
Rating:
Summary: Citizen Kane is overrated
Review: Well being considered the greatest movie of all time, it comes with the territory. By nature, any time something extremly subjective like a movie is ranked number one people are going to be divided. Personally I don't think this is the best movie of all time, it's in the top five for sure but not the best. That honor has to go to my all time favorite the Godfather but that story is for another review.
The movie Citizen Kane is a radical departure for most people. Raised in the short attention span theater, alot of people don't have the patience to sit through this movie. But for those who do, and are in the mood to think a bit, this movie is great. When you first see it, on the surface their isn't much their. It's a good story but why all the hype. Well the impact of Citizen Kane actually hits you when you turn off the movie. You sleep on it, or you do something else and the next day you start to think about it. You realize that this is damn good cinematography, not just for 1941 but for 2001. Their is a ton of great shots in the movie from when he drops the snow globe to when he takes a picture of the reporters he stole away. You then begin to think about Rosebud. Sure everyone already knew what Rosebud was, but why is it so important to a man who seemingly has everything, and yet nothing at the same time? You also begin to see that for all his success, his failures far out weigh them. All this stuff starts seeping into your mind and you suddenly realize the impact of this movie. His unraveling at his failed attempt to make an opera star out of his wife, his failed attempt at running for governor all make you think.
So for those of you who "get" Citizen Kane, you already knew these things, but for those of you who have seen it and don't like it, watch it again and like the quote at the end of American Beauty tells you, "look closer."
Rating:
Summary: Best DVD ever...
Review: While I enjoy the DVD versions of the movies with lots of visual and sound effects. My favorite DVD movies are black and white movies. The black and white seems alot crisper than the video copies. I was waiting for this one to come out on DVD. This movie is wonderfully acted and the cinematography is excellent. Its a shame that this movie was made before Panavision. I do agree with some of the reviews that this movie is slow but there are more to movies than car chases. Excellent flick.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film
Review: I'll be succinct. This is a high quality, classic film of lust for power, position, and love. It is a gripping wonderful story from genius in the golden age. Even though it doesn't have flashy effects, violence, or nudity it is an entertaining experience, one far more powerful than any contemporary film. It may not be the best movie ever, but it is a great film. Anyone that says otherwise is either too dense or has too short of an attention span to understand this. If you enjoy art and a thought-provoking plot, buy this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Short of a screening, DVD is the way to see this film.
Review: Is "Citizen Kane" the greatest film ever made? I can't answer that for you. It's not my favorite film of all time, it's not even one I watch all that often. But it is one that continues to mesmerize every time I run it, and I do think it lives up to its reputation. Short of seeing a restored print on the big screen, this DVD version has to be the best way ever to see this film, in absolutely beautiful black and white. If you have any doubts whatsoever about whether or not you'll like "Citizen Kane", at the very least give it a rental, preferably this DVD version. I'd be willing to put money down that you'll be back for your own copy shortly thereafter. Also included is the wonderful documentary "The Battle Over Citizen Kane", which is a good, informative study of the lives of both Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst, and how their lives eventually collided over this film. It was a bit strange that the producers of the DVD chose to leave the opening and closing segments from the film's original PBS broadcast, including a short commercial for Scott's Turf Builder, on the DVD release, but that's why the Japanese invented the skip button. More than a worthy purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond expectations.
Review: Scary. Absolutely scary. This is one of the very best restorations on a film that I have seen. The images are so sharp and clear that they are literally menacing. This is the true definition of a perfect restoration. For first timers, you won't like this film. But the images will haunt you and you will return to it like a puzzle that stumps you the first time around. The acting (all courtesy of Welles' Mercury Theatre) is superb. The photography is unparalleled. The Bernard Herrmann score is classic. An American classic that grows more and more relevant with every new era. We need it more than ever. Orson Welles will never die...and neither will Kane.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest American Film
Review: Carrying the assumed title of "The Greatest American Film" is a tall order. Not only does it set the bar pretty darn high but it also challenges viewers (who feel BREAKIN'2:ELECTRIC BUGALOO deserves the title) to look to dislike it, or totally avoid it. To be objective, the film is only a very good film today as it is separated from the era of William Randolph Hearst. But, with knowledge of Hearst's dominion, CITIZEN KANE (a veiled expose of Hearst)is escalated. This stunning DVD set does wonders in linking today's viewer with that world. It includes an intriguing 2 hour documentary, 1995s THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE. Additionally a fun, incisive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert and another dry, redundant commentary by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. The film transfer is stunningly clear, giving the wonderful scenic design, lighting and sharp focus its due. The audio track is also a great transfer, nicely showing off Bernard Herrmann's musical scoring. 24 year old Director/Star Orson Welles capitalizes his knowledge of theatre and radio (and lack of knowledge of movies) to take risks at every turn. The seamless scene transitions, low-angle cinematography and broad matte paintings are the stuff of legend. Each and every shot composition has the care of the greatest animated features. Worth multiple viewings, this is one for your collection. But, it can't be the greatest film ever... that still belongs to BREAKIN' 2:ELECTRIC BUGALOO! ;)
Rating:
Summary: This is getting pretty old...
Review: For the most part, I really don't care about criticisms. Everyone has their own opinion and they're perfectly entitled to them. But It's very arrogant to label someone a "complete idiot" just because they don't like this movie. It's a watchable movie and it's well-made. That's all I got out of it. And there are thousands of other movies (some of which are not as well-made, though) which have much better and more involving stories than "Citizen Kane." So, it's in my humble opinion that this movie is considered fantastic for it's artistic style, and NOT it's supposed "remarkable" story. I own the film, and have seen it about five times. It's required reading for movie buffs, and I like to watch it about once a year for the simple reason of watching "Citizen Kane," but I don't think it's a masterpiece. There's not really much else I can say. Do I recommend the film? I suppose. After all, if you haven't seen it, you get spit on by movie nuts.
Rating:
Summary: Best DVD of all time?
Review: This restoration of "Citizen Kane" is nothing short of miraculous, practically as dazzling an achievement as the film itself. It's pretty well known that the original 35mm print of "Kane" was lost long ago, so expectations of producing a superior duplicate from another duplicate were never very high. On the film's 50th anniversary, Turner Enterprises released a restored print for theatrical release, but though it was brighter, it had a somewhat white-washed, softy-focused aura that served neither Welles' purpose nor the "film noir-ish" properties of Welles' masterpiece adequately. The DVD restoration, on the other hand, has crisp, sharply-defined images, richly complex and nuanced blacks, whites and greys, and an audio track that sounds fresh and "present" without over-equalization of highs and lows or gratuitous stereo simulation. For some viewers, "Kane" ranks as the greatest film of all time because it's possible to stop the film on any single frame of its 2-hour length and produce an exegesis not only on the aesthetic and technical strengths of that individual shot but on the film as a whole, given its organic structure and the microcosmic status of each of the parts. For such viewers, this version should prove especially indispensable, affording glimpses of information--faces and other objects formerly covered by dark shadow, lap dissolves once too subtle to spot even in slow motion, competing, yet independently crucial, conversations--perhaps not accessible since the film's initial release. Even without the bonuses, the single disc would be worth the price. But the inclusion of an additional DVD, "The Making of Citizen Kane," along with the historical, biographical, contextual materials included on the first disc make this package a steal. With this many riches to choose from, viewers may be excused if they pass up the Peter Bogdanovich running commentary on the film (I couldn't stay with it for very long), but Roger Ebert's extemporary "play-by-play" is not merely profuse but perceptive, articulate, and edifying from the very first shot. Even his commentary during the gallery of stills, in which he explains why "Citizen Kane" is his favorite movie and why it deserves its reputation as the best ever, is not to be missed. (I now realize that the hurried, superficial quality of much of his newpaper reviewing in recent years says more about the product than the reviewer.) One caution: The first disc, with "Kane" and all of the assorted contextual material that follows, initially behaved "buggy" on my iMac DV. After disabling extensions, internet connections, and practically every other program except the DVD player, I was able to run the entire disc with no further problems.
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