Tuesday marked the second time for me to see Citizen Kane and I have to admit I groaned inside when our Dr. Hendricks announced we'd be watching it that day, so I was really quite shocked by how much more I enjoyed it this time, or at least how much more involved I felt. The first time I saw it--about two summers ago, I think--I was definitely taken aback by the filming techniques and cinematography, but something about it just kind of put me off about it, moreso when I discussed with my parents after we watched it together.
I was still impressed this week (it still looks more "modern" than many of its peers at the time), but I just felt so much more swept in by the storytelling; it's electric and ever-moving, filled with a sense of excitement over its discoveries (that's my critical blurb for the night, folks). One can imagine many filmmakers-to-be (Martin Scorsese came to my mind) watching this and sitting up, exclaiming "Holy $#%&! Where's a camera?" Random as this is, someone once remarked that Tim Burton's Batman movies were stylistically similar to Citizen Kane, and I can totally see that now; just watch the opening of Batman Returns and see what that shot over and through the large gate toward the Cobblepot mansion reminds you of. I'm sure there are many more examples out there...can any of you out there name some other movies that reference or are similar to Citizen Kane?
As I've discussed with a few other people, I thought that after seeing this and Touch of Evil Welles's storytelling was sometimes illogical or at least filled with plot-holes. Before I saw Citizen Kane again I thought, "well maybe it works in Kane's favor since it's a story largely told by various people, allowing for some inconsistencies," and maybe one could still defend this point. But seeing the movie again, I think that the story works well beyond that, largely because it doesn't have so many problematic plot-holes. The truth is that Citizen Kane has a purpose in conveying a message and telling a story, and it does both of these things very well with plenty of style and innovation to spare. My point is, for those who may not be so taken with the movie or are unsure about seeing it, Citizen Kane has a story to back up its visuals, and both are equally compelling.
