Citizen Kane: Difference between revisions

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[[An Aesop|The conclusion?]] It is indeed [[Lonely At the Top]].

A classic film from 1941 and the most famous work of [[Orson Welles]]. It's considered by many critics to be the Greatest Film Ever Made or at least the first great "modern" film, but [[Mainstream Obscurity|most people only know it through]] [[Popcultural Osmosis]]. It's a popular subject of [[The Parody]] even though many people [[The Weird Al Effect|no longer know the original.]] One would never guess it was a Box Office Flop.

A classic film from 1941 and the most famous work of [[Orson Welles]]. It's considered by many critics to be the Greatest Film Ever Made or at least the first great "modern" film, but [[Mainstream Obscurity|most people only know it through]] [[Popcultural Osmosis]]. It's a popular subject of [[The Parody]] even though many people [[The Weird Al Effect|no longer know the original.]] One would never guess it was a [[Box Office Bomb|Box Office Flop]].

Due to it being hyped as the [[It's the Best Whatever Ever!|Greatest Film Ever Made]], some find it to be [[Hype Backlash|a bit overrated]] when they do see it. Others who are reluctant to watch because of [[Hype Aversion]] may find at least some of this film [[Narm|a hoot]]. But hey, judge not: most have probably never seen the impressive deconstruction by [[Roger Ebert]], in his Special Edition DVD commentary, that attempts to explain some of the subtleties of why it has its particular rank.

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Aside from its famous ending, ''Kane'' is best remembered for pissing off William Randolph Hearst, who thought that the title character resembled him a little ''too'' much -- or perhaps he was angry that Welles's portrayal of Kane's mistress had destroyed the career and reputation of Marion Davies, Hearst's real life mistress. (In reality, Davies was a superb comedienne and a savvy businesswoman who had actually ''saved'' Hearst's publishing empire by giving him $1 million after he lost everything - and that was money she'd earned on the screen.) Welles denied that Kane was based on Hearst or any other specific individual, and later expressed regret that the character of Kane's mistress (which was actually based on the wives of Samuel Insull and Harold Fowler McCormick) was assumed by most moviegoers to be an [[Expy]] of Davies. No matter the reason, though, Hearst used his influence to kill any chance the film (and even some later Welles-directed films) had for commercial success.

Due to [[Small Reference Pools]], ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently used as a shorthand for "really great movie", especially by film critics. For example, a movie review might read "''Bad Movie'' is ''Citizen Kane'' compared to ''Awful Movie''." ''[[The Wicker Man]]'' ~~<ref>~~(the original version)~~</ref>~~, for example, has been called "The ''Citizen Kane'' of horror movies", while ''[[The Social Network]]'' has been called "The ''Citizen Kane'' of the 21st century."<ref>This comparison is actually rather justified, however, as both films center on the rise of an [[Anti-Hero]] media mogul.</ref>

Due to [[Small Reference Pools]], ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently used as a shorthand for "really great movie", especially by film critics. For example, a movie review might read "''Bad Movie'' is ''Citizen Kane'' compared to ''Awful Movie''." ''[[The Wicker Man]]'' (the original version), for example, has been called "The ''Citizen Kane'' of horror movies", while ''[[The Social Network]]'' has been called "The ''Citizen Kane'' of the 21st century."<ref>This comparison is actually rather justified, however, as both films center on the rise of an [[Anti-Hero]] media mogul.</ref>

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[[Trope Codifier]] and [[Family Guy|indirect]] [[Trope Namer]] for [[It Was His Sled]].

Contrast ''[[Plan 9 from Outer Space]]'' or ''[[The Room]]''.

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[[Trope Codifier]] and [[Family Guy|indirect]] [[Trope Namer]] for [[It Was His Sled]].

* [[Academy Award]]: Famous for the awards it lost to ''[[How Green Was My Valley]]'' and others, but it did win Best Original Screenplay, shared by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Welles.

* [[Achievements in Ignorance]]: Many of the innovative visuals and special effects in this film are the result of [[Orson Welles]] simply refusing to believe that certain things couldn't be done.

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[[Category:The Criterion Collection]]

[[Category:Roger Ebert Great Movies List]]

[[Category:National Film Registry]]

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[[Category:Citizen Kane]]

[[Category:Film]]

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[[Category:The Criterion Collection (LaserDisc)]]