Citizen Kane: The Human Condition

Citizen Kane was our first film in the project.  We actually ended up watching it in two installments because we're so tired we can't seem to finish a movie in one sitting (since we've had the twins).

We liked it.  We found it humorous, at times, but more so, we were drawn in by the cinematography.  I've done minimal research because I didn't want to skew my perspective of the film as it stands on its own (and because I don't have that kind of time).  However, our Netflix movie sleeve did tell us that the film was based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper tycoon and mogul from the late 19th century and early 20th century.  We read up on him a bit, and though Orson Welles (the director and principle actor) denied the film was about Hearst, you can't deny that it is when you read about Hearst's life.  The similarities are numerous: his education, his work, his marriages, his politics, his art collection, and his CASTLE.  Yes, he built a castle.

Citizen Kane begins with the death of Charles Foster Kane, his last words on his lips, "Rosebud."  The plot follows an investigator who is trying to figure out what "Rosebud," meant.  He interviews people who were important in Kane's life and learns the story of this powerful and sad figure.

As a boy, Kane was sent away from his parents with a fat pile of money (from success in gold mines, I believe) to be well-educated.  He was kicked out of many schools and ultimately decided he wanted to run a newspaper.  He ended up owning newspapers all over the country and running for political office.  His life ends in his castle, Xanadu, fashioned after the one described in Coleridge's "Kubla Khan."  The film chronicles his life and his search for love and acceptance along the way.

While the film was a parody on Hearst's life, we didn't feel that was the supreme reason why Roger Ebert declared Citizen Kane the greatest film of all time.  It was many other things, in our oh-so-humble opinions.

The cinematography in this film is amazing for 1941.  The fades, the lighting, the camera angles, the zooms through glass, and so much more!, really gave the film an artistic appeal that is often lacking in the stationary camera films of the mid-20th century.  Dave typically hates to watch old movies because they are visually boring and feel like plays to him.  I think (though I didn't ask) that he actually enjoyed this film because it was unique in how it was shot.  He remarked on different camera effects throughout the film.

The makeup was also great--people were aged in such a way that it didn't appear cheesy or unrealistic.  We were surprised at their techniques.  Many of the characters were aged as they related the events to the investigative reporter.  Yet, they were still recognizable as their younger counterparts in the flashbacks.

Sound and music were impressive as well.  We appreciated the use of sound to convey moods--there were a lot of echos, both at the library and at Xanadu.  They contributed to the distant feeling everyone had about Kane and his illusive persona. Dave also commented on the music overlaps from scene to scene (I didn't notice, but that isn't surprising.).

The obvious allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "Kubla Khan" gives a bit of insight into what Kane's motives in life were.  In the poem, there is an Abyssinian maid who sings for Khan (the very opera that Susan, Kane's second wife, performs).  It gives him a bit of power.  In the same way, Kane's pressures for Susan Anderson to continue singing despite the public's rejection of her were merely a power play on his part.  He could and would show the masses that he would not be rejected any further.  Susan gave him power, and he took his power to the press.

Kane's misuse of his newspaper by printing news that wasn't quite true also empowered him.  He printed things the way he wanted them to be to save face--especially concerning Susan's career in opera.  It was his way to one-up everyone else by giving himself good press.  This also preaches a message about the power of the news media--this film came out in the middle of World War 2.  News was full of stories--some substantiated and some not so much.  Perhaps Orson Welles was drawing attention to the half-truths and poor publishing?

Truly, the most compelling part of the film for me was the ways in which Kane tried to earn love and acceptance.  His first wife found him lacking as he immersed himself in work, and then his affair with Susan Anderson ended their marriage.  His marriage to Susan wasn't much better as she grew tired of bowing to his demands for her singing career.  She too left him.

In summary, his mother had sent him away, his wives deserted him, and the American public wouldn't elect him into office.  He ended up isolating himself at Xanadu, and he died alone.  It is really sad and pathetic, but it does show that the ultimate desire of the human heart is to be loved and accepted. Kane never found it.

I hope you were able to watch and enjoy the film as well.  Feel free to provide your own commentary; just be nice if we're way off on our synopsis!

Next up:  Spellbound with a review by Dave (Casablanca had a long wait on Netflix, so we will have to get back to it later)

Ze Projekt: Die List

As righteous people who claim to love movies, we realized a sad truth about our lives. We are missing out on a quarry of film art. We have often made statements that we need to watch this film or that one, but we haven't made many moves toward that goal, until now.

My wife and I have compiled a list classic movies that one or both of us have not seen but know we need to. This list is primarily derived from Academy Award Best Picture winners or nominees. However, we snuck in a few important cultural movies that maybe weren't filmy enough for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Any astute searcher of the interwebs will quickly realize that we did not include every year's Best Picture winner, as we did choose based on the film's popularity (hopefully a surrogate indicator of its bodacity), and it had to be a film at least one of us hasn't seen. We skipped many very early talkies because, in our eyes, they don't fit the first criterion. We skipped many modern winners because they don't fit our second criterion. Our project plan is to watch one movie a week and write a post about our observations of the film. We have included our list so that you may follow along if desired. These are in chronological order beginning with 1941's Citizen Kane.


1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. Spellbound
4. The Bishop’s Wife
5. A Streetcar Named Desire
6. From Here to Eternity
7. Ben Hur
8. Lawrence of Arabia
9. The Sound of Music (that's right, I've never seen it)
10. Dr. Zhivago
11. In the Heat of the Night
12. Oliver!
13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
14. Patton
15. Love Story
16. The French Connection
17. The Godfather
18. The Sting
19. American Graffiti
20. The Godfather II
21. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
22. Rocky
23. Star Wars
24. Kramer vs. Kramer
25. Ordinary People
26. The Empire Strikes Back
27. Raging Bull
28. Gandhi
29. Terms of Endearment
30. Return of the Jedi
31. Amadeus
32. Out of Africa
33. The Last Emperor
34. Dirty Dancing
35. Rain Man
36. Mississippi Burning
37. Driving Miss Daisy
38. Glory
39. Pretty Woman
40. Good Fellas
41. Unforgiven
42. A Few Good Men
43. The Remains of the Day
44. Legends of the Fall
45. Sense and Sensibility
46. Fargo
47. Elizabeth
48. No Country for Old Men
49. The Hurt Locker
50. The King’s Speech