Citizen Kane: Why Is It the Best Film in Cinema History

Citizen Kane: Why Is It the Best Film in Cinema History

The film “Citizen Kane” (1941), directed by and starring Orson Welles, was not just a film but a revolution in cinema. Often recognized as “the greatest film in cinema history,” it combined a complex, multilayered story with stunning technical innovations

Plot Summary: The Mystery of Rosebud

The story begins with the death of Charles Foster Kane, a media mogul and the wealthiest man in America. The last word he utters is “Rosebud.” A curious reporter named Jerry Thompson is tasked with finding the meaning of this word. He interviews people who were close to Kane throughout his life. Each interview, from his second wife to his best friend, reveals a different part of Kane’s life, but none fully explain his personality. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, presenting a fragmented image of a complex, ambitious, and lonely man instead of a simple answer

Key Themes and Messages: Power, Wealth, and Loneliness

• The Collapsing American Dream: The film critically shows that wealth and power cannot guarantee happiness and peace, even at the height of success. Kane dies alone in his immense mansion (Xanadu) despite his wealth and fame
• The Elusive Nature of Truth: “Citizen Kane” teaches us that the truth about a person is never absolute. Each person only sees and understands a small part of the reality
• The Symbol of “Rosebud”: “Rosebud” is a symbol of lost innocence and a simple past that Kane sought throughout his tumultuous life but was never able to regain

Cinematic Innovations and Filmmaking Style

“Citizen Kane” is a technical masterpiece that introduced new techniques to cinema

• Deep Focus: Using special lenses, all details of a scene, from the subject in the foreground to the distant background, are equally clear and sharp
• Expressionistic Lighting: The use of sharp contrast between light and shadow helps create a dramatic atmosphere and express the characters’ psychological states
• Non-linear Narrative: The story’s puzzle-like structure, which jumps from past to present, was completely revolutionary at the time

• Advanced Sound and Editing: The creative use of sound and overlapping dialogue adds more dynamism to the narrative

Awards and Notable Achievements

Although “Citizen Kane” is recognized as one of the greatest films in history today, it received a less enthusiastic reception at the Academy Awards at the time, but it did win important awards

• Academy Awards: Out of a total of 9 Oscar nominations, it received only one award
  • Best Original Screenplay (for Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz)
• New York Film Critics Circle: It won the Best Film award from this prestigious circle

• National Board of Review: It won the Best Film award from the National Board of Review

Critical Reception and Lasting Legacy

When the film was released in 1941, critics highly praised it, calling it an innovative and revolutionary work. However, due to the story’s similarity to the life of the media mogul William Randolph Hearst, the film faced a major controversy. Hearst used his media empire to damage and boycott the film, which led to its failure at the box office

But as years passed and the controversies subsided, critics re-evaluated “Citizen Kane.” In the 1950s and 60s, the film gained attention as a masterpiece among European filmmakers and critics and gradually solidified its place as “the greatest film of all time.” Today, this film is at the top of various critics’ lists and is considered an unquestionable classic that has had an undeniable impact on all subsequent generations of cinema

To read more analyses about movies and series, visit the website www.iimdb.ir