There is only one “Citizen Kane,” and while the cynical might be tired of having to pay reverence to Orson Welles‘ masterpiece, it can’t be denied that the film’s power hasn’t diminished one iota since it was first released seventy-five years ago. And at this year’s AFI Fest, the film returns to the big screen, once again restored, just as a new edition hits Blu-ray this month. There’s no better time to experience the film all over again, or for the uninitiated to give it a shot, and Welles’ longtime friend and advocate Peter Bogdanovich praises the energy of “Citizen Kane” for keeping it relevant.
“It’s a landmark film, not just Orson Welles’ best film but a masterpiece. It was a masterpiece then in 1941 and still is. It’s a brilliant symphony, and is exciting to watch. Everything about it is dynamic, and that very dynamism is the camouflage for the extremely sad story Welles tells. You’re not moved to tears by ‘Citizen Kane’ really, except as a kind of thrillingly done film,” he told American Film.
As for its reigning influence, Bogdanovich argues “Citizen Kane” is subtle in its tremendous accomplishments.
“It’s funny because it’s not that extraordinary in terms of the technique,” he said. “He used a pretty simple technique in many ways. A lot of long takes. The scene goes on, and you don’t notice how long it goes without a cut. That wasn’t that common, though a lot of filmmakers in that period did do shots like that, but not to the degree that Orson did. Years later, I said to him, ‘What do you think is the difference between doing a scene in one shot or in many cuts?’ He said, ‘Well, we used to say that’s what distinguished the men from the boys.’ The whole thing, the construction of the story, the flashback structure — it wasn’t any one thing that was unusual. It was the whole production. It’s a very depressing story. There’s not a shred of hope at the end. It’s all very downbeat, but the style of the film, the way he made it, the overlapping dialogue, the flashback structure, some surprising camera angles — the whole thing made a tremendous impression if you were sensitive to what he was doing.”
The 75th anniversary edition of “Citizen Kane” arrives in stores on November 15th. Check out the anniversary trailer below.
