I just watched it, and I don't get it.
2006-08-19 13:00:20 · 7 answers · asked by tustudent 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Movies
I tied myself to the chair and forced myself to watch Citizen Kane. It is #1 on the American Film Institute top 100 American movies, so I HAD to watch it. True, I found it very boring. (I kept praying for the movie to end!) It does feature a good performance from Orson Wells, but most directors look to it for inspiration for the (at the time) new camera techniques.
2006-08-19 22:43:55 · answer #1 · answered by retracm67 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe this review will help you a bit. The main thing is that this movie is not made for fun. It is artistic movie and have more than one level.
Review from IMDB
OK look, let me settle something between those who love and hate this film. A lot of people hail this film because it is technically brilliant and ground breaking. Director Orson Welles did a lot of things visually that no one had ever done before. Nearly every film maker was in some way influenced by this movie. This movie also had a great impact in its time. The title character was based on media giant William Randolph Hearst. He was that generations Donald Trump. He opposed this film so much he did everything in its power to stop its release and almost succeeded. Lastly this film contains some of the strongest and most common themes in literature; Life versus death. It is for these reasons why this film is so revered.
On the contrary people who hate this film mainly complain that it is boring. Which is a legitimate complaint. The story is slow compared to today's standards, and there is no real Hearst character alive today in which to relate. So yes, the story on the surface is outdated. However, this does not make it a bad movie. It was not made as a Matrix/Star Wars type of movie which can be enjoyed even at surface level. This is not pure entertainment. Remember there is more to film than storytelling. This film was designed to be cinematically beautiful and to tell a basic story of love and redemption. There is much more to the story than the thinly veiled attack on Hearst, one just needs to look deeper. Look at Shakespeare or Hawthorne for example, their literary works are universally loved. Yet, many people blow them off because they refuse to look past the outdated language into the beautiful prose and simple ubiquitous themes. Just because something is outdated does not mean it lacks worth in today's world.
My advice to those who did not like it the first time or have not seen it yet is simple. Watch it again for what it is. Do not expect to be on the edge of your seat for two hours. Watch it for the cinematography that alone makes this film among the best (I don't agree with AFI's number one ranking but I think it still ranks high). Look deeper into the story and try to connect with it on some level. At the very least appreciate how influential this film was and where the industry would be without it. If you can do this, then maybe some of the naysayers will change their minds. Again, you do not have to love Citizen Kane, but at least respect it for what it is.
2006-08-20 14:47:22 · answer #2 · answered by Tatyana K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well for one thing, Orson Welles was only about 25 when he not only starred in the film but directed & produced it. There was a lot of controversy about the film, because it ficitionalized the life of very rich & powerful Randolph Hearst and some speculate the film was also loosely based on Welles life. For a lot of people what makes this movie great is not only the acting, but the cinematography which inspired many filmmakers and the symbolism.
Rosebud, Kane's dying words are significant, because it was the name of his Sled when he was a child. Rosebud, the one thing he loved the most, was taken from him early in life and that laid the foundation for everything that followed. Sometimes it takes watching a great film more than once, to really appreciate it.
2006-08-20 15:46:56 · answer #3 · answered by mangosmoothie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I never got it either but then I'm fairly linear in my thinking. But, if some people think that it's one of the greatest movies ever...good for them. I have the right to think differently.
It could be the way Orsen Wells, used the shadows while making a black and white film. Like I said, I never got it either.
2006-08-19 20:07:09 · answer #4 · answered by Firefly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I couldn't tell you, I have never read it or watched it..I thought about at least watching the movie, but I haven't worried about it..
2006-08-19 20:05:50 · answer #5 · answered by chazzer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably just because it's old. I watched it and almost vomited my intestines out through my eyeballs, it was so boring.
2006-08-19 20:06:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't even know what it is
2006-08-19 20:05:43 · answer #7 · answered by swimchic2807 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋