Customer Reviews

Citizen Kane [Region 2]

5 star:		(540)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(52)
2 star:		(52)
1 star:		(100)

 

 

Probably the most unfortunate thing that ever happened to `Citizen Kane' was that it found itself atop the AFI top film list. Now, no one can simply enjoy the film. Everyone feels compelled to scrutinize it and make a decision about its greatness. Asking whether `Citizen Kane' is the best film of the century is like asking if Marilyn Monroe was the most beautiful woman. It depends on whom you ask.

`Citizen Kane' is not the most entertaining film I've ever seen, but it is certainly one of the most important. It is a vanguard motion picture and a gargantuan achievement for Orson Welles. If you consider the fact that Welles was a 24 year old Hollywood outsider who had only done radio and theater when he landed the contract for this film, you begin to appreciate what a big deal it was. This was during a time when a few studios controlled every film that was made. How many 24 year old actor/directors can you name today, even in a world where independents abound?

The story is based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Writer Herman Mankiewicz had an up-close look at Hearst as he had been an occasional house guest at the Hearst mansion. The similarities were striking, right down to the paramour whose career Hearst promoted, who loved to do jigsaw puzzles. The fact that this film was released at all is a marvel in itself. Hearst went on a personal campaign to crush the film and enlisted every powerful friend he had to stop it. Louis B. Mayer offered RKO $800,000 to destroy the print. John D. Rockefeller ordered the Radio City premier cancelled. All of Hearst's newspapers were forbidden to mention the film.

Hollywood was uniformly against it and Welles was branded an insolent maverick. The film was snubbed by the Academy. It was nominated for 9 Oscars and won only best screenplay. The film turned out to be a commercial failure, losing $150,000. With all the forces stacked against it, we are lucky to be having this best film debate at all.

The story has a simple moral; that money and power can't buy happiness. We see Kane's progress from a happy child, to an idealistic young journalist intent on helping the common man, and finally to a bitter and angry old man whose innocence has slipped from him. One of the most effective scenes that illustrated this was the two minute overlay of breakfast conversations with his wife. It starts with cooing lovers and progresses through increasing levels of discord. It ends in silence with the two reading separate newspapers, her disdain for him subtly indicated by her choice of the hated Chronicle as her newspaper.

What is so remarkable about this film is the filmmaking. Director after director has pointed to some aspect of this film as having influenced them. The use of shadows and various perspective shots was not unprecedented in 1941, but never before had they been used with so much dramatic impact. What was unprecedented was that `Citizen Kane' was the first film ever to depart from the strict narrative format, which moves forward chronologically. The film starts at the end and jumps around in time based upon the perspective of the person who is telling his or her story about Kane. So the next time you see a flashback, remember it started here.

The makeup was revolutionary. Welles often went through four hours or more of makeup to be properly aged for each scene. The film also launched a number of brilliant careers. Besides Welles, Joseph Cotton and Agnes Moorehead went on to long and prominent film careers.

If `Citizen Kane' is not the best film of the century it is certainly one of them. Its influence on a generation of filmmakers cannot be ignored in the equation. People who watch this film and ask, "What's the big deal?" are comparing it with modern films that have borrowed from this film's techniques and undergone 60 years of evolution. It's like going back to Kitty Hawk and saying, "What's the big deal, the flight only lasted a few seconds."

There is only one rating to give to a film of such monumental importance. It is the consummate 10.

This is a great DVD set for any fan of Citizen Kane... it was ranked best film of all time by AFI. It was also nominated for 9 academy awards and won for best original screenplay. This box set includes 3 discs as I have listed below...

Disk #1 - Citizen Kane (the Feature Length Film including the Movie Premiere Newsreel, Rare Production Photographs, Storyboards, and more)

Disk #2 - The Battle Over Citizen Kane (the Academy Award Nominated Feature Length Documentary detailing the bitter struggle between film director Orson Welles and newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst)

Disk #3 - RKO 281 (Golden Globe Nominee for Best Mini-Series, Best Actor, and Best Actress, this HBO drama is filled with exciting performances from some of Hollywood's greatest stars)

In addition, this box set includes a collectible senitype with an image from the motion picture and its corresponding 35mm film frame. Plus, a 16-page commemorative booklet is included that also features images from the motion picture.

The one negative about this box set is that (although you see it in Amazon.com's picture)... the theatrical poster is not included. I suppose this is because it would have to be folded and then would not be in good condition for framing or hanging. Therefore, they include a "free" mail-in offer to get it sent to you... the catch... there is a shipping and handling charge. I was disappointed by what I consider to be an outrageous shipping fee, especially after shelling out the $$$ to buy this set.

I still gave this set 5-stars because it is such a great movie!

I had no intention of writng a review, but after reading several I couldn't stop myself.

It seems like most of the people here are falling into two camps, the "Film Snobs" and the " Folks whose brains have been rotted by MTV, etc..."

The comments of the"MTV people" seem to be typified by this quote I picked from out of many bad reviews: "Maybe you intellectual, artsy types go for this, but give me Star Wars any day!"

Where the "Snobs" counter back with:

"I cannot think of another film which so challenges the viewer time and time again. I still pick up little nuances, incredible effects and camara angles, and overlapping dialog on subsesquent showings. Gregg Toland's camerawork is justifiably among the most memorable in film."

Oh boy!

I, of course believe Citizen Kane is a great film, but I believe both sides in this argument are missing the point.

I really wish those who defended this movie spoke about it in human terms, rather then talk about the camera work, or Welles' age or it's "impact" on film history.

It is great because (if you let it)it will tell you a deeply emotional story.

It is no accident that the very first and very last image of the film are the same. A locked gate with a sign that says,"No Trespassing." For in this movie, Kane is a guy with a virtual "no trespassing" sign around his neck. He is a man who wants so deeply to control those around him, to FORCE them to love him, that he allows nobody close. He essentially locks out all hope of love!

Give it a chance...don't expect Star Wars. Pay no attention to the camera work and special effects, they are beside the point. Welles is talking about the very saddest, deepest, loneliest part of us all...you might find something to relate to....if you are patient.

I have just been going through the poor reviews of this film, and I would like to respond.

(1) If you approach this film as the greatest movie of all time, you are bound to be disappointed. With expectations that high, what film could possibly match up? Expectations are everything. I try very hard to be noncommittal when recommending a movie I love to my friends so that they can approach it with limited expectations.

(2) The film is 60 years old. If you dislike black-and-white, or are unwilling to make some adjustments for older styles of acting, etc., it's not for you.

(3) I don't think it's a very lovable film. It is simply not the kind of old movie that sweeps us away emotionally like, say, Casablanca. We watch these characters from outside; we're not really invited to empathize with them much.
It's not surprising that those reviewers who cite Gone With the Wind as the greatest American movie, with all its romance and emotion, are outraged that the AFI selected Kane over it.

(4) We all have our favorite movies. Saying one movie is the "best" is a silly sort of game anyway. I'd bet that most of the 5-star reviewers could name movies that are as much or more a personal favorite than Kane.... I can not think of a movie that I think is superior to Kane in craftsmanship.

(5) Yes, Kane does take concentration and alertness to follow. One of the key motifs is a jigsaw puzzle, and the film is definitely constructed that way. To those who love it, the intricate structure is a source of endless enjoyment. But if you just want to kick back and let the movie do all your work for you, this is not the film.

To sum up, I first saw this movie several years ago, with extremely high expectations, and felt let down. I received the excellent DVD for a Christmas present. I approached the movie with lukewarm expectations based on my previous experience and was totally knocked out! It truly is a brilliant film, but try to approach it as just another movie. Forget all the "best American movie"... If you are the sort of person who is able to appreciate a 60-year-old, black-and-white movie that is emotionally cool but artistically stimulating, you're in for a treat!

By all accounts this appears to be a wonderful reissue and collector's edition. However, one "little" problem remains. And it will remain forever. A clue to this problem is found in a comment from the product description:

"Presented here in a magnificent 70th anniversary digital transfer with revitalized digital audio from the highest quality surviving elements ..."

What that means is the original negative of "Citizen Kane" was destroyed years ago. Lost forever by an RKO executive's mistake to slate the negative for silver reclamation, the "highest quality surviving elements" are basically cannibalized intermediate negatives of fair to poor quality. I know, because I was given the job of assembling the best possible negative to strike new prints from for the 50th anniversary theatrical release. In the 20 years since, there is a remote possibility that better elements have been found. However, I seriously doubt any cleaner elements were discovered since RKO provided me with every positive master and intermediate negative they could find in their library.

I did the best job I could given the circumstances and I was able to deliver a decent negative to strike new prints from. Still, one segment of the negative proved impossible to fix. Near the end of one reel, permanent emulsion scratches appear for several seconds. They are thick and white and impossible to miss. At the time, there was no replacement footage available.

I am eagerly awaiting the release of this new edition to check and see if others were able to fix what I could not and to see if some how, some way, better "quality" elements were found in the interim. When I have a chance to screen this edition I will report back on what I see.

However, know this: No new print or DVD will ever be struck from the original negative.

I was pretty shocked, listening to Roger Ebert's commentary, on how much special effects played a role in creating Citizen Kane. Citizen Kane is as contrived as anything in Star Wars, states Ebert in a great feature length commentary that touches on just about everything from the revolutionary deep focus film techniques to amusing on-screen gaffs by some of the actors. There is also a commentary by Welles biographer and director Peter Bogdanovich, which is similar to Ebert's although not quite as engaging and enthusiastic as the plump critics'. Listening to Ebert is like sitting down in your favorite class with your favorite professor...I love the guy and his commentary is one of the reasons I bought the disc.

The actual movie looks beautiful. The engineers did a great job in transferring the film to digital form and the picture is bright and brimming with detail. And if you consider the fact that I use RCA cables rather than S-video let alone component video with progressive scan, it emphasizes how beautifully the film has been remastered.

The package also contains an extra disc with the 2-hour long documentary "The Battle over Citizen Kane." The program gives an in depth look at both Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst and how the controversy surrounding Citizen Kane was as epic, influential and far reaching as the film itself. The discs also boast some interesting special features. One section reveals some letters written to Welles documenting initial reaction to the film from fans and studio heads as well as some nice still shots of the Citizen Kane premier and the deleted brothel scene.

Besides the fact that the beautifully transferred movie is superior entertainment, the commentaries and documentary disc make it a superior educational experience as well. I have a pretty large DVD collection of around 100 titles or so and I know quality when I see it. Citizen Kane Special Edition delivers and no DVD collection should be without it!

Just in time for the 70th anniversary of "Citizen Kane," this September will see the release not only of "Citizen Kane" in 1080p HD, but also the release of the much sought after "The Magnificent Ambersons." Much has been written here about "Citizen Kane" and whether it truly deserves the title of "greatest movie ever made," so I will only say that it was an innovative film during its release that greatly impacted decades of filmmaking to come. That said, it is up to the individual viewer to decide whether they find the rise of Citizen Kane and his media empire to be "boring" or "completely enthralling."

Either way, this release brings with it an amazing extra that has yet to see the light of American home vide, "The Magnificent Ambersons." Welles' follow up to "Citizen Kane," and an adaptation of the 1918 pulitzer prize winning novel, "The Magnificent Ambersons" has widely been hailed as one of Welles' most brilliant films. This comes in spite of the fact that the studio cut the film down from Welles' 148min envisioned cut, with the cut footage presumably lost to the world since its preview release. Yet, even at a brisk 88 minutes, "The Magnificent Ambersons" still remains a remarkable tale of class and family dynamics. The film has been remastered, and will be a much welcomed DVD considering that it was previously available solely via shoddy bootleg copies and imports. The DVD will be exclusive to Amazon, but it is worth noting that it will be bundled along with the "Citizen Kane" in its own separate casing with its own UPC. In other words, it is highly likely WB will keep it as an "Amazon Exclusive" for a year before releasing it to all retailers as a stand alone release. So those who do not feel like upgrading to Blu or shelling out 80 bucks just for "Magnificent Ambersons," can rest assured that a stand-alone release will undoubtedly follow.

Aside from the much-lauded "Magnificent Ambersons," the boxset [1 Bluray/3 DVD Set (counting "Magnificent Ambersons")] will also host a bevy of other special features. These include:
~ 2 Audio Commentaries (One by Roger Ebert, the other by Peter Bogdanovich)
~ "The Battle Over Citizen Kane" (A 113min Feature Length American Experience Documentary, presented on DVD)
~ "RKO 281" (83min 1999 HBO Docudrama telling the story of Welles' battle with Hearst over the film, presented on DVD)
~ Interviews with Ruth Warrick (Actress: played Emily Norton) and Robert Wise (Film Editor)
~ Reproduction of the Original Theatre Pressbook
~ A Hardcover Book Full of Glossy Photos/Backstory/Interviews (Almost identical in composition to "The Wizard of Oz"/"Gone With the End" Ultimate Collector's Set books)
~ 10 Printed Correspondence Memo Reproductions
~ 5 Printed Lobby Cards
~ Correspondence between Welles and the Studio concerning the film
~ 2 Radio Broadcast Recordings of Orson Welles' performances
~ 1941 Movie Premiere Newsreel
~ Vintage Featurettes & Theatrical Trailer
~ Storyboard Gallery
~ Photos/Ads/Memorabilia Gallery
~ Uncompressed Monaural Audio

Add five stars for the quality of the two films, take one star away for the failure to do either of them justice. More could and should have been done in the case of both films. In fact, in the past, more HAS been done:
ABOUT CITIZEN KANE:
In 1984, The Criterion Collection issued their first title ever, a CAV laserdisc of Citizen Kane, spread out over five disc sides (spine number CC101). It was wondrous, because it allowed full-frame access (30 frames per second) to the montage-work in the film. Never before seen, there were extras--a visual essay of over 100 production photos, plus the theatrical trailer! The back jacket named the people who made this release possible--Film Negative Transfer by Alexander Lobel and Ronald Haver; premastering at Devlin Productions, manufactured by 3M in St Paul, Minnesota. Video Review published the critique: "has opened a door to a kind of movie viewing that has never been accessible to consumers before."
Seven years later, in 1991, on the 50th anniversary of the film's premiere, Criterion reissued the title, again as a CAV laserdisc (spine number 147), adding two more extras -- an interactive documentary with 35 leading film figures, and the early Welles film "Hearts of Age." The film was entirely retransferred, using newer technology that had become available. The jacket credits Maria Groumbos and Gregg Garvin for the film-to-video transfer this time. The transfer results are much improved over the first laserdisc.
Ten years after that, in 2001, on the 60th anniversary of the premiere, Warner released the two-disc Special Edition DVD, with loads of extras, including two excellent full-length audio commentaries, by Roger Ebert and Peter Bogdanovich, and the film "The Battle over Citizen Kane" on a second disc. There are no transfer credits listed, but clearly a lot of love was put into the transfer from the original film elements. This is one of the better DVD releases of all time.
Now, ten years after that, in 2011, on the 70th anniversary of the film, we have the Blu-Ray. Everything is the same as the Special Edition DVD except the following add-ons: a souvenir book, a collection of miniature posters, and a third disc containing the film "RKO 281," all contained in a very lovely box with "CITIZEN KANE" in big white letters on a black background. Again there are no transfer credits for "Citizen Kane" but the blu-ray seems to use the same digital master as the DVD. Oh, there has been alteration of that master, in the darkening of the whole film which is obvious from the first frame. The "No Trespassing" signs that bookend the entire film are much darker overall than on the DVD. There is excessive DNR employed in that stage of remastering, because the fog that drifts back and forth over the matte paintings in the opening sequences is mottled, clearly confusing the computer that was entrusted with the task of reducing video noise. There are a lot of faces in the foreground of this movie, usually as the commentators point out being an observer in the right foreground of the screen. On the DVD the left face of that observer looks like a normal face, but on the bluy-ray there is the appearance of sand-paper. That is a frequent artifact of black-and-white films released on blu-ray. As a result of these things, the 1991 DVD is still preferable viewing for me.
So how can we assess thirty years of Citizen Kane on home video? The years 1984, 1991 and 2001 were great steps forward in bringing us into the presence of the film as such, and in each of those cases there was a return to the mother lode, the original film negative, to make a transfer using the best methods available at the time. The year 2011 has not been a great step forward. One suspects that there was no return to the mother lode, and that the remastering process was entrusted to a computer chip. Perhaps ten years from now, for the 80th anniversary, the film will reappear, on the head of a pin or whatever the greatest technology since baked bread will be at that time.
ABOUT MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
In 1986 The Criterion Collection released a CAV laserdisc of Magnificent Ambersons (spine number 9), loaded with extras including storyboards, reconstruction of Welles' original ending, the radio play version of 1939, surviving fragments from the lost silent film version of 1925, and an audio commentary by Robert Carringer, who also produced the disc together with Robert Stein. Film-Negative to Tape Transfer is credited on the jacket to Alex Lobel. Video Review awarded this the prize for "Best Interactive Disc" of 1986. This was widely regarded as one of the best laserdiscs ever produced. Mysteriously, the film never appeared on DVD until now, attached modestly to the side of the blu-ray box of Citizen Kane in the Amazon exclusive. The DVD advertises itself as "newly remastered" but what could that possibly mean when the picture quality is identical to that on the laserdisc of 25 years ago? Was the laserdisc picture so good that it can't be bettered? In any event, there are no extras at all to the DVD, no commentary, no anything. If one would like something tangential, a good buy would be the DVD "It's All True," a nice film about Welles in South America at the time Ambersons was being edited without him. While Ambersons is a welcome addition to the DVD inventory, the no-frills DVD cannot hold a candle to the magnificence of the laserdisc. No one owning the laserdisc would have any reason to consider the DVD an upgrade.
Again, add five stars for the quality of the two films, take one star away for the failure to do them justice.

As a fan of Orson Welles, here's my take on the box set after viewing both movies last night. It will be impossible to keep this brief and more detailed analysis of the films can be found elsewhere but here goes...

THE FILMS
Citizen Kane - score: A
It's been consistently ranked as the greatest motion picture of all time but first time viewers may be put off by CK's antiquated style and may struggle to appreciate its' artistic qualities without some historical context. In today's world, this would be mind-boggling: a major film studio handing over 9 million dollars and final cut directing-producing-writing-acting authority to a 25 year old kid who has never made a movie. Further imagine the same brash kid, fresh from creating national mass hysteria (the infamous 'War Of The Worlds' broadcast) making a film that essentially thumbs its' nose at a man who controlled the media at that time. We're accustomed to seeing authority being questioned in all art forms today but it was especially bold and scandalous 70 years ago. That Citizen Kane even survived attempts to have it bought and literally burned by those in power is but one testament to its' lasting influence.

Beyond the backstage legends of CK what remains is powerhouse story telling told through an unusually complex labyrinth style and clever movie making techniques. Orson Welles wanted to bring art to the masses and the oblique meaning of Rosebud pushed audience participation to new levels. The Mercury Players and everyone involved in the production all had equal importance but make no mistake, Welles' imposing shadow is evident in every frame. Welles is so convincing as Kane that it's easy to see the parallels to his own life, a vibrant young man given so much power slowing aging and dieing right before our eyes. Citizen Kane is so important a film that you simply cannot call yourself a movie fan without seeing it.

The Magnificent Ambersons - score: B+
After the tour-de-force that is Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons remains a curious choice for Welles. Although equally ambitious, it is far more quiet and delicate in tone yet there is a brooding menace lurking underneath as Welles tackles the introduction of the automobile wreaking havoc on the pace of American life as seen through the riches-to-rags decline of the Amberson family. However there may be some miscalculations from Welles as the characters seem even more disagreeable than Kane and less likely to create mass appeal, particularly for a 1942 audience seeking distraction from uncertain times as WWII raged across the globe. Retired silent star Delores Costello seems an odd choice as she appeared much older and detached than her character should be, Tim Holt's perpetually cranky character grates after a while and Joseph Cotten is so subdued and quiet that we'll always wonder what Welles himself would have done with the role.

The Magnificent Ambersons stands alone as movie history's greatest tragedy as RKO, due to the controversy and disappointing low box office of Kane, eventually took the movie away from Welles' control. RKO studio heads removed (and burned) almost an hour of Welles' original preview screening, rewrote and reshot important scenes and changed the tone of the film. With a confusing tacked-on happy ending (complete with absurd sappy string accompaniment) and jarring bland footage interspersed with the amazing surviving Stanley Cortez cinematography, the movie predictably suffered at the box office as a second card feature and was quickly shelved after its' brief run. Most tantalizing, the fate of the missing footage remains as a murky mystery. Although film historians point to RKO documents as proof of incineration and declare it as officially lost forever there are many who still believe the negatives exist somewhere in some form, perhaps even as deteriorating emulsion in Brazil where Welles was editing at the time or that editor Robert Wise would not be compelled to save the work on his own. Ambersons is a modern day Venus De Milo where what remains is impressive but one can't help but wonder what might have been had those in power not destroyed it.

PICTURE QUALITY
Citizen Kane: A
The original negatives were sadly lost to a studio warehouse fire in the 70's so restoration was made based on the best available found elements. Those who say the dvd from ten years ago looks better should have their eyes examined. Your viewing experience may differ if you're watching it on a smaller flat screen (and the prior dvd may indeed be enough) whereas I'm fortunate to experience it blown up on a 120'' projector. The 4k Kane blu-ray image is simply far superior. There is more clarity and (especially) depth to the visuals, we now know what all the hubbub was all about regarding Gregg Toland's deep focus photography. Fine detail emerges: from the light wisps of smoke coming from kerosene lamps, to the fabric and sequined detail found in the costumes, there even appears to be mahogany wood grain found in the mirror-like finish on Mr Bernstein's desk. This will seem like a fresh introduction to Kane even for those who've seen it many times, the picture quality is nothing short of astonishing.

Magnificent Ambersons: B-
The poor little kid brother to Kane continues to be kicked around. I've only seen MA on second generation bootlegs taken from the Criterion laserdisc so it's nice to have some of the dust taken off. Some details do indeed emerge (the fine silk sheen of the mourning costumes was especially startling) and the dvd is definitely welcome if not for the fact that it simply was not previously available. But there were moments where film damage (speckles, vertical scratch lines) takes you away from the story, so much so that you wonder how much effort had gone into the restoration. As others have noted, there are no extra features (the trailer could have easily been included as it contains some extremely brief but nonetheless fascinating deleted footage), no chapter options, even the still shot on the jacket back from the deleted boarding house scene comes off as the ultimate final tease! I have to assume that a film of this importance will eventually get the full blu-ray treatment thereby satisfying Warner Brothers intent to double dip the pockets of fans they know will first buy the dvd and then eventually the blu-ray. Amazingly yet strangely befitting its' sad history, the film continues to be held hostage to outside forces 70 years on.


THE BOX SET: B-
I'm unfortunately disappointed with the set because much of it was previously available on the dvd from ten years ago. The "deleted scenes" that was promised is nothing more than well known set photos and story boards (which, incredibly, were blurry) primarily from the shot and deleted brothel scene. The commentary from Roger Ebert, while informative is a repeat from the dvd. There is no 'War Of The Worlds' broadcast or interview audio (as mentioned on Amazon's list of features) on any of the discs. The opening night footage is extremely brief and has been previously available. There is a handsome small hard bound booklet that contains some razor sharp set photos, a collection of lobby cards that seems somewhat unnecessary and wasteful and a miniature replica of the original program with a typeset so tiny that I gave up trying to read any of it. The overhyped and somewhat inaccurate "Battle Over Citizen Kane" may be interesting for first-timers and HBO's "RKO 281" rounds out the previously-seen and mostly superfluous package.

FINAL THOUGHTS
It's fantastic to have Citizen Kane finally appear on blu-ray and the picture quality is so impressive that this box set is a "must own" for fans of this great film. But for the $60 price tag, the Ultimate Edition is disappointing simply because there is not enough new material. Lesser but curious fans sitting on the fence should wait for the eventual price mark down that will likely happen in the coming year.

This isn't my personal favorite film, but I certainly understand why many people revere it as the greatest. There's no denying the expressive way it uses the resources of the medium, the great power of the tragic story (which penetrates deeply into both human nature and American civilization), and the film's tremendous influence on other directors. As an example of the last point, think of how Lawrence of Arabia is structured: it begins with the protagonist's death, then jumps to a reporter trying to reconstruct the great but flawed man's story, and finally works its way at the end back to the man's death. Sound familiar? Yes, there are good reasons why professional directors and critics have voted this the greatest film, not only in the AFI poll, but also in the international Sight & Sound poll in 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002 . . .