Cinema Cram: Film 23: Citizen Kane (1941)

How this works

We will release a movie every ten days beginning with Birth of a Nation (1915) and then jumping to the 1920's where we will release one new movie for each year within the decade. Our goal is to work our way from the 20's to the present while gaining insight into the evolution of film. All the movies we choose will be available through Netflix. The basic idea is to build a community of like-minded film fans and connect them with a forum for discussion. Without futher ado...it's time to Cinema Cram!

10/24/10

Film 23: Citizen Kane (1941)

Netflix Summary: Orson Welles reinvented movies at the age of 26 with this audacious biography of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane, which, in essence, was a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Welles's complex and technically stunning film chronicles Kane's rise from poverty to become one of America's most influential men -- and it's considered one of the best movies ever made.

A few fun facts from IMDB.com:
*The camera looks up at Charles Foster Kane and his best friend Jedediah Leland and down at weaker characters like Susan Alexander Kane. This was a technique that Orson Welles borrowed from John Ford who had used it two years previously onStagecoach (1939). Welles privately watched Stagecoach (1939) about 40 times while making this film.
*William Randolph Hearst was so angered by the film that he accused Orson Welles of being a Communist in order to keep the film from being released.
*During filming Orson Welles received a warning that William Randolph Hearst had arranged for a naked woman to jump into his arms when he entered his hotel room, and there was also a photographer in the room to take a picture that would be used to discredit him. Welles spent the night elsewhere, and it is unknown if the warning was true.

Note from Juror #3: This is my all-time favorite movie. I greatly urge you to watch the documentary about the making of the movie within the special features. The story behind the story makes the film that much more legendary.