Rating: 
Summary: This a boring movie, but a great documentry,
Review: I know this is supposed to be the greatest movie of all time but I just could not get intreasted in it even though I spent twenty five dollars on the dvd. THe movie is very slow although for a movie made 60 years ago it looks good on dvd. It is just very slow I watched it for a hour and ten minutes and finally took it out. The dvd set was not a complete waste of money though beecause I enjoyed the 2nd disc documentry a lot and found a new formed respect for orson welles. I was looking foward to the War Of The Worlds radio broadcast but can not found it on either of the discs, Does anybody know where its at or if its not on my disc for some reason.
Rating: 
Summary: Really, Really, Really Good
Review: I was worried before I bought this...after the hatchet-job done with Welles' "Touch of Evil" (did anybody else notice the so-called 'letterbox'? T.O.E. was NOT originally a widescreen release, so the black bars on the top and bottom just COVER UP part of the original picture!!!), but fortunately they did a truly great job with this DVD release of "Citizen Kane." A really beautiful picture...the best I've ever seen it, to be sure.As for bonus material, you're not going to find many packages better than this one. The 2-hour documentary about Welles and Hearst will shed all kinds of light on the story behind the movie, the movie itself, and the careers of both men. Amazing, amoral, spoiled geniuses. Incredibly interesting. It's hard to believe that a man like Hearst really existed, but he did. And then there are TWO full length feature commentaries, productions stills, a short newsreel about the original release of the movie, and more.
Rating:
Summary: This is how a DVD should be made
Review: This was one of the most entertaining films I have seen in a while. The story is so original and keeps you wondering what may happen next. It is amazing how modern such an old movie can look by the cinematography's innovative style. The DVD's video is very sharp to go along with it's clear sound. The extras are great, it comes with a documentary, two commentaries, and a whole bunch of trivial types things. I believe this is THE DVD to buy among the current releases, for it's story and well put together package.
Rating:
Summary: Orson would be pleased
Review: When Orson Welles found out that Ted Turner wanted to colorize Citizen Kane, his response was: "Tell Turner to keep his damn caryolas away from my movie." It was Welles' greatest masterpiece, and he was very eclectic about how it was marketed. I believe that Orson would be pleased with the Citizen Kane (Special Edition) DVD. This edition gives you three perspectives: Citizen Kane sans commentary, Citizen Kane with Peter Bogdanovich's commentary, and Citizen Kane with Roger Ebert's commentary. Their commentaries are excellent. Bogdanovich views Citizen Kane from a predominately psychological perspective, and Ebert views it from a cinematic perspective. Their commentaries complement one another perfectly. Disc 2 (The Battle Over Citizen Kane) explains the historical background of Citizen Kane. I recommend that you view disc 2 before viewing disc 1. Disc 2 eradicates the misconceptions associated with this movie. Eliminating these misconceptions lets you view Citizen Kane in terms of the story that Welles wanted to tell.
Rating: 
Summary: a great reason to see this movie
Review: There are a lot of people who call Citizen Kane the greatest film of all time. I don't know about that (there are a lot of films I enjoy watching more than this one), but I am blown away by the cinematography here. In movie years, Citizen Kane is older than Moses. This makes its camera work and staging all the more remarkable. This is a brooding tour de force. I invite all the people who have never seen it to sit back and drink in the imagery that Welles throws at the viewer. From the bright and clear images of Kane building his news empire to the distorted views of him being covered in a burial shroud...few have shown such mastery. Cinematography is just the tip of the iceberg though. All of the visual appeal is used to convey a message about what is really important in life. Even if it does not become your favorite movie, this is a film that demands to be seen. This new DVD edition is a wonderful reason to either see the movie again or to watch it for the first time. In particular, I enjoyed Ebert's commentary immensely. This is a great package. I recommend this movie.
Rating:
Summary: An American Masterpiece
Review: Too many people who don't like this film becasue they don't understand the way this film was made. This is the film that broke the rules and as a result, every movie in some way borrows from this one, The acting is phenominal from all cast members and I don't even need to mention the screenplay and direction. This is a film for the ages that one viewing cannot do justice. This isn't the kind of film you watch on the surface only, because no one thing in this movie has a single meaning. "Rosebud" is more than just a sled, or a lost childhood. The film says it best that no one word can describe a man, and that is what Citizan Kane was doing; describing a complicated man from different points of view. This is, indeed, the greatest film made.
And on the DVD: The picture is outstanding! I've never seen this film look so good. And for film buffs, the feature commentaries by both Peter Bogdonavich and Roger Ebert are excellent and give you a whole new perspective on the film. The documentary that comes with it, Battle over Citizen Kane is haunting.
This movie is a must-see and must-own for anyone who appreciates great filmmaking.
Rating:
Summary: It's Terrific!!
Review: The gorgeous new transfer of CITIZEN KANE on this DVD is much improved over that for the Criterion laserdisc version in 1991. The picture is much cleaner; scratches, splices, and other blemishes have been cleaned up considerably. Details in darker areas are much clearer. For instance, in the scene where Charlie writes his declaration of principles while his head is in a shadow, on all previous transfers of the film that I saw, his head is in near total darkness; but on this DVD, his facial features are still clearly visible. Another example is the scene where Charlie orders Susan to continue singing and his shadow totally engulfs her face. On this DVD, you can distinctly see her facial expression in the shadow, while on older transfers, you cannot. The improved details within shadows are crucial since much of Greg Toland's innovative photography makes elaborate uses of light and shadows -- shadows that are not just invisible black spaces, but with details, textures, and significance just like lit spaces. Observant viewers will also notice on the improved DVD picture that, during the projection room scene, one of the people in the shadow is Joseph Cotten. He is barely noticeable on old transfers, but very much so on this DVD. (CITIZEN KANE is a rare film in which the actor who plays a main character also plays a cameo role in it!) Also welcomed is that certain frames in the movie are displayed in "windowboxed" format (such as the huge headline "Kane Marries 'Singer'"), ensuring that they can seen in full on certain monitors. The audio transfer has not been neglected. The mono sound is clear, sharp, and smooth. Loud sounds are bright but not harsh. Soft sounds are always audible. The softest sound in the movie is probably the moment when Charlie says to Bernstein, "Close the door," right after Susan's opera debut. On old transfers it is barely audible, but much more so on this DVD. There are 2 audio commentaries, one by Roger Ebert, who has done many shot-by-shot analyses of CITIZEN KANE and has deep knowledge about the film, and another one by Peter Bogdanovich, who knew Orson Welles personally and has deep knowledge about Welles's life and career. Ebert's narration is livelier and covers more grounds. He analyzes some of the themes in the story, and explains many innovative techniques used by the filmmakers, emphasizing that KANE is largely a "special-effects" picture. Bogdanovich speaks subduedly and sparingly throughout (at one point he says there are other Welles pictures he likes more than KANE), but he makes many keen observations about Welles that can only come from someone who knew him well. He says he once asked Welles why he did things so differently from other filmmakers. Welles replied, "I was like the guy who felt sick, and the doctor asked him what he did very morning. And he said, "Every morning I get up, then vomit...". The doctor asked, "You VOMIT every morning?" And the guy said, "Doesn't EVERYONE?" The guy thought what he did was normal. And so did I." Other extras on the DVD include a one-minute newsreel footage of the film's New York premiere, the wonderfully-edited original theatrical trailer, and about 100 stills from the film's storyboards, production photos, press kit, and posters. In the "Still Gallery" section, Roger Ebert speaks again on an 11-minute audio track about the significance of Welles' achievements in KANE. There are two "easter eggs" (undocumented features) on the DVD as well. One is on the main menu -- select the "sled" symbol and you will see a 6-minute interview of Ruth Warrick, who recalls her experience working with Welles. Another "sled" symbol can be found in the "Production Notes -- On the Set" section where Robert Wise is mentioned. Selecting it will take you to a 3-minute interview of Wise, who recounts a few anecdotes about KANE. The second disc contains the excellent 2-hour documentary THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE, from 1996. The disc is identical in content to an earlier DVD released by WGBH Boston Video. The documentary provides vivid portrayals of Hearst and Welles, detail accounts of their rise to power, and fascinating details about the making of KANE and, of course, Hearst's attempts to destroy it. The makers of the documentary went on to make the equally brilliant HBO movie RKO 281.
Rating:
Summary: Could it get any better than this?!
Review: Man, I'm not even going to write about the movie. Everybody already knows it's brilliant, a true masterpiece. Well, almost everyone... Some people refuse to admit that besides spectacular technical effects, the story itself is enjoyable, and meaningful. I won't go into detail on that, though... I'll just rave for a moment or two about the DVD, whith which I am thrilled. I love the commentary, I love the documentary, I love the photage, I love the media presentations. I miss only one thing: commentary by Welles himself, but some things are impossible, sadly. I think he would have been tickled pink to sit and talk about his baby, for two hours, to an adoring audience. :) Oh welle... Warner Brothers, I commend you. To anyone who is reading this and hasn't seen Citizen Kane, BUY THIS DVD IMMEDIATELY, AND HAVE IT OVERNIGHT MAILED, THEN POP IT IN THE MINUTE IT ARRIVES! If you are not amazed, and touched by this film, I'm truly sorry for you. You're missing out. To anyone who is reading this, and has already seen Kane, well, you better than I what you think of it. If you liked it, do yourself a favor, and buy this superb DVD, and enjoy America's #1 Film of All Time as you've not seen it before. If you didn't like it, don't buy it. Spend your twenty-five bucks on Batman Forever, or Titanic, or some other 'modern' movie, with 'superior effects,' and more 'engaging characters,' and an ending with 'more kick'. I wrote my Senior Report on Citizen Kane. I got a ninety-three. It was one of the lowest grades in the class, and it was one of the lowest grades I'd ever gotten in English (by far my best subject)... but I loved writing that report, and I wouldn't do a single thing differently. It's a magical movie, and this DVD does it justice. {steps off soapbox} Post-Script: I can't resist. I hate being really critical, but, "Rosebowl?" "Marlon Brando?" "James Caan?" Was he even alive at this point? Mr. Tyler Durden (I believe I got the name right, forgive me if I erred), I'm afraid you've got some things mixed up... everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but please, refrain from watching, and especially critiquing a movie while under the influence of hallucinogenics. Especially Citizen Kane. Thank You.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD Set -- Excellent Print and Good Features
Review: This is the DVD set that Kane (and most great films) deserve -- an excellent quality print with a very clear recording of its soundtrack. The DVD comes with about 30 index points, so it is very easy to find a particular scene. If you haven't seen it, don't let the fact that Kane is considered to be a "Great Film" put you off. Sure it is famous for all its innovations and clever techniques, but it really is a tremendous amount of fun to watch on its own. The DVD lets you see a great print of the film, and its extra features (below) let you understand the interesting history behind the film and also some of the technical things that help to make it a "Great Film." For me, the best extra feature of the DVD is a newly recorded running commentary by Roger Ebert who plainly loves Kane and really talks us through its many neat visual and sound effects. Ebert gives us a lot of "Now watch this..." that really add to the enjoyment of the film. There is also a second commentary by the director Peter Bogdanovich who was a good friend of Welles that gives of some sense of what Welles may have been thinking when he made different parts of the film. Both sets of commentaries have the nice feature that you can hear the original movie underneath them so you know what the commentators are referring to. In addition to the a disk of the film itself, this set has a second DVD that is a really good 2-hour 1996 documentary (seen on PBS) called "The Battle Over Citizen Kane." The documentary presents the lives of Welles and newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst whose life is the thinly disguised subject for the film. Both men led interesting lives, filled with ego and extragence. The battle kept Kane from being shown widely and basically ruined the film career of Welles who became the "youngest has been who ever was" after Kane premiered (he was 26! or so). There is lots of interesting file footage of Hearst and Welles, and interviews with those who knew them or have written about them. For me, one of the engaging moments of the documentary come in an interview with the old Welles saying that he basically wasted his life after Kane -- he should have left films rather than spending 98 percent of his time hustling (his word) to try to get money for his film projects, many of which flopped. This is a great set to have and is a definite buy. Finally, at [this price], it is a real deal, especially given that the set contains the documentary as a second disk.
Rating:
Summary: What the devil???
Review: Citizen Kane, in my opinion and in the eyes of just about every legitamite film critic in America is one of, if not, THE greatest movie of all time. After viewing it I was so blown away I had to sit down for awhile and collect my thoughts. At no point in the movie is it boring unless you are one of those ignorant fools who thinks all black and white films are boring. Albeit, there isn't much action in Citizen Kane, but the characters make up for it ten fold with their realism. The ending of Citizen Kane is definatly one of the biggest surprizes in the history of filmmaking and makes watching the movie worthwhile. The plot was so important that forms of it are being used in big name Hollywood movies to this day. The film was extremely naive in its undertaking as it writes a biography of one of the richest and most influential people in American history ever and showed how imperfect the life of a supposedly "perfect" person is. This movie truly plays out like a dream. Don't listen to losers who tell you elsewise.
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