Citizen Kane: The Greatest Movie Of All Time

Citizen Kane is often referred to as “The Greatest Movie of All Time” by many film critics, actors, directors, and film industry pioneers. Its story of Charles Foster Kane’s rise and fall as the wealthy newspaper tycoon is Orson Welles first feature film and his masterpiece. I must admit that last night was my first time watching Citizen Kane but I immediately understood why it is such a well-regarded film. I had previously read reviews and in-depth analysis about the movie but never actually saw it myself until now. Movies before Citizen Kane followed a linear narrative that told the story in chronological order from beginning to end through the eyes or words of one character or point of view. As you watch Citizen Kane you notice that the …show more content…
It starts with a series of newspaper headline reels detailing different milestones and controversies through-out Kane’s life. We come to realize that not only are they giving us background on the mysterious Kane, but it is also cuts into an editing room where we seem several reporters going over what they should add to the reel. Through-out the film I noticed that many scenes were shot in a way that allowed the foreground, background and all characters to be in the same shot simultaneously. I learned that this technique was called “deep focus” and it was used by the cinematographer to keep everything in frame and in focus to a degree that had not been seen before. A scene that stood out for me in this regard was when we see a young Kane playing outside in the snow through a window from the inside of a cabin home while three people look out at him. The three people are Mr. Thatcher, a banker who becomes Kane’s legal guardian, and Kane’s mother and father. The shot keeps all four characters in focus as the three adults walk over to a table to sign legal documents while Kane remains in view in the background of the