Citizen Kane - Pros and Cons

Hearing everyone's take on Citizen Kane definitely helped me to realize why I liked it. I also realized some things that I didn't like.

First of all, earlier I mentioned that I like the choppiness of the film. I realized that I also like the fast-paced-ness...we basically saw Kane's entire life within a two hour time frame. Grace pointed out a particular scene that I loved - when we saw Kane and his first wife Emily go through what seems like years of meeting for breakfast (umm, dinner?). I thought that that was really neat because it showed the decline of their marriage as well as Kane's transformation into a workaholic of sorts within a few short minutes. I like when things 'get to the point,' so to speak, so that's why I really enjoyed that scene.

A lot of people mentioned that they didn't like Kane's character...especially towards the end of the film. I still can't say how pleased I am with the character development. On one hand, it was interesting to see his decline without a specific reason given. It left me asking "what the heck happened that made him this way?" And sometimes I like when a movie makes me think like that. On the other hand, it kind of irks me that no reason was given for his decline! Like, what was the theme of the film? What was the point?! I think it was Lee that brought this up, and I have to agree with him in a sense. It was also brought up how the movie doesn't really make sense unless the viewer has an understanding of the historical context, and that is a good point. If I didn't have background information than I probably would have hated the film...

During class I realized another thing that I didn't like about Citizen Kane...it was all textuality and no presence. Not once did I feel emotionally moved or drawn to any of the characters. Maybe this is what Welle's intended - especially with his cold portrayal of Kane toward the end of his life. Maybe he didn't want us to have sympathy. Still, I would like to have felt at least some emotional pull. For me, that is (generally) crucial when it comes to whether or not I like a film.

However, I've still got to say that Citizen Kane is a great film. I appreciated it, and I can understand why it continues to be recognized as one of the greatest films of all time. I mean, movie buffs and critics tend to think they're more legit for liking bizarre films, so I'll give them this one!