[Review] CITIZEN KANE: 70th Anniversary Edition
© 2012 Warner Home Video
CITIZEN KANE (Blu-Ray Book)
Orson Welles’ timeless masterwork is more than a groundbreaking film. Presented here in a magnificent 70th anniversary digital transfer with revitalized digital audio from the highest quality surviving elements, it is also grand entertainment, sharply acted and superbly directed with inspired visual flair.
A review by Marie Albert
This Orson Welles classic is also known as the “Greatest Film of All Time”. Enormous controversy surrounded almost every aspect of this film: from its rookie director and lead actor, to its closed-set production, to the criticism that followed its release in 1941. The character of Charles Foster Kane is said to be based on wealthy newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst. The comparison was another controversy that threatened the release.
Citizen Kane is the story of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) who started from simple beginnings and grew to inherit a large fortune. The film opens with his death and the uttering of his last word, “Rosebud,” what follows is an attempt by journalists to piece together his life to find out what “Rosebud” meant to Kane. A portrait of the man is formed solely through the description of others. It is a jigsaw puzzle that is missing one piece, “Rosebud”. The narrative jumps through the past as more characters describe Kane. He was a man who lived extravagantly but was never able to be completely satisfied with his possessions. Similarly, as journalists strive to discover more about Kane, they are never able to get a complete picture of the man. Continue reading “[Review] CITIZEN KANE: 70th Anniversary Edition” »
