The movie, the myth, the legend: Citizen Kane

The age-old debate is extending through conversations of everyday citizens: what is the greatest movie of all time? The younger generations might say Avatar or Inception. You might get a couple more people who will throw it back and say Titanic, The Shawshank Redemption, or maybe even going as far back as The Godfather. As far as personal favorites go, these are not wrong answers; no movie is a wrong answer. People can argue over what the best it until they are blue in the face. However, the general consensus in the cinematic universe, regardless of people's personal favorite, is that the greatest movie ever made is Citizen Kane. Everything that came before it could not touch it and everything that came after it was trying to be like it. Why is it the greatest though and why do film teachers still tell you its the best ever? The music was something out of a philharmonic. The cinematography is a spectacle. And the story is complex, yet simple. It blends mystery, romance, and tragedy into a one-of a kind-narrative. The controversial Orson Welles put together a masterpiece for the ages.
The music and the camera techniques can stand strong alone, but together they weave together to make their own character. The crescendos and movement of strings blend when Kane faces off Leland from low angle shots, portraying both men as giants with their own soundtrack. The two characters are similar, but are destined for a collision course the entire film until the final showdown in Chicago. The music when the characters are together is one voice, but as the tension increases each man gets his own sound. By the final confrontation, there is no longer any music because the former friends are too far gone to hear each other's melodies. This, of course, is the famous shot where Welles drilled a hole in the floor to the lower the camera to get the low angle shot. That might seem like a stupid reason in today's movie making, but back then they had the large, clunky cameras that could not be lowered in an effective way. This is just one example of the blend of camera and sound. Citizen Kane has really good montage sequences. The opening segment as they show off the Xanadu and other locations in the film follows the music heroic and tragic turns. And then, when Kane speaks his infamous words, "Rosebud," the montage that follows with slow zooms, fades, and orchestral movie all lead to the grand reveal when the audience discover the answer to the film's mystery.
As good as the music and the camera techniques are, the storytelling is what drives it to the greatest-ever status. Orson Welles was able to show an entire man's life in a two-hour time slot. The entirety of Kane's ups and downs were shown like the audience was dying and his life was flashing before their eyes. The story showed the downfall of the American Dream. Even to the most powerful men, who seem to have everything, the pursuit of success can destroy everything you thought you were fighting for. Kane was never happy. Welles makes that known in the first 10 minutes of the movie when he shows a young Kane being taken away from his parents. That was the last time he was happy. In the back of our minds, we know watching movie that that was most likely the last time he was happy, but we watch the whole movie hoping he finds that same feeling he had while riding on that sled in the very beginning of the picture. Speaking of the famous sled...I can't talk about Citizen Kane without saying more about rosebud. We know Kane's life by watching the newsreel right in the beginning. Why do we watch the whole movie then? Because we are trying to figure out why rosebud is so significant and we only get chunks of story to piece it together. Turns out that was his only bliss. In a similar, but more tragic fashion, to Pippin, Kane is just trying to find himself and he sadly never does. 1941. The best storytelling ever and Hollywood was just getting on its feet.
Citizen Kane is the greatest movie ever according to scholars. Is it everyone's favorite? Definitely not. Does anyone deny its significance? Go ahead and try.