In one short posting? No ...

Posted by TG (A) on October 1, 2001 at 17:19:54

In Reply to: could u explain why this film is so great? posted by mellson on October 1, 2001 at 12:48:59:

... but there are numerous weighty tomes devoted to analysing this film, try your local library.

Is it the best film ever made? Well I think so, for what that's worth. It has so much which is done supurbly, nothing which is done badly, nothing missing and nothing superfluous. The story is involving and beautifully resolved, the acting first class, the ... oh, heck - it's just all good.

I first saw Citizen Kane when I was in university in the early 70s. I took a film course as a minor and part of it was a screening of a major film each week followed by a tutorial & discussion. Most films just came & went but the week we screened Kane was different. No one in the class had ever seen it before, and after it finished there was spontaneous applause and a group decision to skip the tutorial and just watch the film again, which we did. In fact we would have watched it a third time but the projectionist had to close up for the night. The tutor didn't bother setting any assignments for that week - he said he guessed that we had got the point.

Cheers

PS - After you see Kane, watch something else from the immediate pre-war period so you can appreciate just how ground-breaking it was at the time. Then watch Griffith's "Intolerance". It is a more difficult film for modern eyes to relate to, but you'll be amazed at how much of the language of cinema he invented which was then ignored for a quarter of a century until Welles came along and did it again.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - I bought the new Citizen Kane DVD last week... - marantzman 12:41:51 10/01/01 (19)

Just watched "Magnificent Ambersons" last night. - Allan Songer 07:28:56 10/05/01 (0)

could u explain why this film is so great? - mellson 12:48:59 10/01/01 (17)

thank you all... - Mellson 12:42:59 10/02/01 (0)

If one word could describe this film it would be GENIUS. - Audiophilander 09:13:48 10/02/01 (10)

America's... voyeristic need to know..." - clarkjohnsen 07:19:46 10/03/01 (1)

Keep picking nits and some day you may own a sweater. - Audiophilander 09:43:32 10/03/01 (0)

"Roast beef, on rye, with mustard."--Garrett Morris, SNL (nt) - TAFKA Steve 18:44:24 10/02/01 (1)

Let's see, ...yeah! It's here! That would be the Roger Ebert commentary, right? ;^) NT - Audiophilander 21:59:27 10/02/01 (0)

Re: Jeez, 'phlouder. Outside of Outside, we agree on sumpin' - Bruce from DC 14:08:10 10/02/01 (1)

Re: Jeez, 'phlouder. Outside of Outside, we agree on sumpin' - dtremit 12:35:29 10/23/01 (0)

a million thanks.. - Mellson 12:38:55 10/02/01 (3)

"Agonizing over suck movies just for my surround setup" - clarkjohnsen 07:21:03 10/03/01 (2)

U R right. that's why I sold my DVDp years ago.nt - Mellson 10:38:12 10/03/01 (1)

Riiiight. - Tom §. 12:44:27 10/03/01 (0)

In one short posting? No ... - TG 17:19:54 10/01/01 (0)

It can't be all that great. - TAFKA Steve 15:22:16 10/01/01 (3)

Re: It can't be all that great. - caa 12:49:32 10/04/01 (1)

Oh, you're no fun. - TAFKA Steve 15:34:44 10/04/01 (0)

Re: LOL!!! Great post Steve, should be a 'reference' review!! (nt) - Jeff Starrs 00:09:55 10/02/01 (0)

Follow Ups

In one short posting? No ... - TG 17:19:54 10/01/01 (0)

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