Citizen Kane

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I didn't enjoy the film as much the second time , it's got grand cinematography and a very well dissected non-linear story - but Kane himself seemed so hollow , not a very interesting character.
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"A film is a putrified fountain of thought"
That movie's been sitting on top of my tv for like two months and I just can't bring myself to watch it. This thread has inspired me to go do so right now. I'll be back.



A system of cells interlinked
Well, I think Welles wanted it that way - It was a big rivalry back then.
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This is pretty weird that this thread gets created now, because Netflix shipped it to me today. It's the only movie left in AFI's top 10 for me to see, so I thought it was about time. It should arrive for me to watch tomorrow, but I'm not really sure what to expect because a bunch of people call it overrated, and then the rest say it's great.



This is pretty weird that this thread gets created now, because Netflix shipped it to me today. It's the only movie left in AFI's top 10 for me to see, so I thought it was about time. It should arrive for me to watch tomorrow, but I'm not really sure what to expect because a bunch of people call it overrated, and then the rest say it's great.
Don't expect anything.



For some reason, Movieman, even coming from you, something's telling me that you're not going to end up scoring it very high. So I'll second Swan: don't expect anything as spectacular as the stuff you've been watching recently.
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28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Reservoir Dogs had flashbacks and what-not, yet told the story in chronological order. Pulp fiction on the other hand did not. I just find Fiction to be more influential then Reservoir.

As for The Matrix, it doesn't matter if you like it or not, but it did change the way movies are made today.

With the Terminator as an exception, when you think of Sci/Fi films you think space battles and laser guns. The Matrix took this genre and spun it on it's head. Creating a world within a world it was theirs to manipulate.

It re-introduced matrial arts to Hollywood and now how many people seem to know kung-fu when you watch a movie? Let's not forget how influential 'bullet-time' is in cinema now. Sure it wasn't the first time it was done, but they took it to the next level, which earned the film an Oscar for Special Effects, beating out Star Wars.

Watch some of these movies in which they rip-off the Matrix, it's obvious what kind of influence this film has on cinema

Charlie's Angels
Ultra-violet
Underworld
The One
Aliens VS Predator
Wanted

Crappy movies? Yes, but all took notes from The Matrix.

People still talk about the film when speaking about sci/fi action films. "Oh, I loved the Matrix Style fight at the end" I've heard that sentence one too many times in my life. What's worse is when I hear people ell "He just did a Matrix off the wall", et all he does is run up to it and kick off of it.

I'm thinking another 10 or 20 years from now people will still remember The Matrix and see how it has changed the way films in that genre were made. Say what you want about how good or bad the film is, but it did change movies.

Just like Toy Story did....

Pulp fiction....

even The Sixth Sense....

At least in my opinion that is.
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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Swan meant to watch without expectations. Be completely objective. At least I think that's what he meant.
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In an ideal world, that would be a good idea, but I think it's impossible to watch a film without some subjectivity.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
This is pretty weird that this thread gets created now, because Netflix shipped it to me today. It's the only movie left in AFI's top 10 for me to see, so I thought it was about time. It should arrive for me to watch tomorrow, but I'm not really sure what to expect because a bunch of people call it overrated, and then the rest say it's great.
And both sides are telling the truth.



The Elected Movie Eliminator
Reservoir Dogs had flashbacks and what-not, yet told the story in chronological order. Pulp fiction on the other hand did not. I just find Fiction to be more influential then Reservoir.

As for The Matrix, it doesn't matter if you like it or not, but it did change the way movies are made today.

With the Terminator as an exception, when you think of Sci/Fi films you think space battles and laser guns. The Matrix took this genre and spun it on it's head. Creating a world within a world it was theirs to manipulate.

It re-introduced matrial arts to Hollywood and now how many people seem to know kung-fu when you watch a movie? Let's not forget how influential 'bullet-time' is in cinema now. Sure it wasn't the first time it was done, but they took it to the next level, which earned the film an Oscar for Special Effects, beating out Star Wars.

Watch some of these movies in which they rip-off the Matrix, it's obvious what kind of influence this film has on cinema

Charlie's Angels
Ultra-violet
Underworld
The One
Aliens VS Predator
Wanted

Crappy movies? Yes, but all took notes from The Matrix.

People still talk about the film when speaking about sci/fi action films. "Oh, I loved the Matrix Style fight at the end" I've heard that sentence one too many times in my life. What's worse is when I hear people ell "He just did a Matrix off the wall", et all he does is run up to it and kick off of it.

I'm thinking another 10 or 20 years from now people will still remember The Matrix and see how it has changed the way films in that genre were made. Say what you want about how good or bad the film is, but it did change movies.

Just like Toy Story did....

Pulp fiction....

even The Sixth Sense....

At least in my opinion that is.
Star Wars was really, the first amazing visual achievement. Before The Matrix we already witnessed The Terminator or Jurassic Park. So, Star Wars changed cinema (first), and considering the era' it was shot in. The 1970s without any CGI, it's pretty good.

Reservoir Dogs came out first by a unknown director, it changed cinema because a nameless director came out of nowhere to shock Hollywood. When Pulp Fiction was released the world knew who Tarantino was and as I said earlier they use the same formula.
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I finally rented it today. It's be on my to-see list for years. What's it like for those who've witnessed it?
What do I think of Citizen Kane? Let me put it this way: I once got on an airliner here in Houston and flew to New York where I immediately boarded another aircraft for a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. That flight was so long that we had to land on a rock jutting out of the Atlantic to refuel before we reached the African coast. The flight was so long that they showed a double feature to passengers. Total time from leaving Houston to landing in Africa was something like 30+ hours, most of it in the air aboard cramped, packed planes. By the time I reached Johannesburg, got through customs, got to a hotel, got to my room about 2:30 a.m. local time, all I wanted was a real meal and 5 hours sleep prior to an early start of scheduled meetings the next morning. So I ordered a beer and small steak from room service and flipped on the TV to see what African television was like. Flipped a channel and there was the opening scene of Citizen Kane, showing uncut with no commercials. And as exhausted as I was, I watched the entire movie for about the 2-dozenth time.

Kane is simply the best movie ever made. I was in my late 20s when I first saw it at a small college theater, and it was like seeing the first real movie ever--everything before and after is only a pale comparision.



Well it's not a professional list, just a made up one.

It's got Reservoir Dogs because of Tarantino's Hollywood impact, Jaws of it's social changes, The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, 2001, etc etc. All movies that changed it's genre and changed cinema.
Jaws? Social changes? I totally missed that. As for films that changed cinema, I have to smile when most folks start naming their favorite films of the last 20 years as great agents of "change." That's too late by several decades--you need to start back with one of the first films to tell a story, The Train Robbery (by Edison?), which was also among the first to use special effects, close-ups, outside locations, and gawd knows what else that we take for granted in movies today. Star Wars simply computerized special effects and make up that were pioneered by Cecil B. DeMille and Lon Chaney. Take a look at Buster Keaton and Tom Mix performing their own stunts. And I really can't take seriously any list of cinema-changing movies that doesn't include at least one of the early talkies. Name me one major change with more impact than the advent of sound.

On the other hand, there is one contribution that had more impact than any movie you name--even Citizen Kane--and it's not even on film. I'm talking about the movie theater. Folks today think Edison invented the movies and then took them down to the local theater for display. But the first "theaters" were hand-cranked machines where only one person at a time could see the film on display. The thing that really got the movie industry started was when someone convinced people to buy tickets, go into a room (or tent) with a bunch of strangers, and sit there in the dark to watch a movie. The first time they tried that, the audience screamed and ran when the lights were turned out, certain they were about to be robbed and likely murdered. There wouldn't be a Hollywood today without the invention of the movie theater. (I would also argue Tarantino--or any other directors you care to name--had less impact on the movie industry than the drive-in theater).



A system of cells interlinked
Ruf sums up the Kane stuff pretty well, I think. Yeah, it's good.

As for this Matrix rhetoric in this thread. Sorry, but this flick is a big collection of ripped off ideas. Nothing new at all, really, except the presentation, which is where The Matrix shines.

Blade Runner is clearly and definitely an influence as far as Art Direction is concerned.

The Frames are right out of a comic book, as far as the mise-en-scene is concerned.

Slow motion gun battles in long coats? John Woo

Wire-fu? At least 1000 Kung-Fu movies.

The bullet-time effect was actually used in a car commercial years before The Matrix was released. That was old tech at the time.

Also, the following concepts/ideas/people are not original at all:

A future in which artificial intelligence wars against mankind - The Terminator etc, which in turn ripped off Ellison

A society whose inhabitants are unaware of its artificiality? Several films contain this concept, as well as many books.

Physically jacking into computer hardware? Gibson nailed that one decades beforehand.

A prophesied savior? This one is simple.

Shadowy men in black? Dark City, etc, etc.

White rabbits? Cool homage, but not original.

Morpheus? It's been done.

The Black Prison/Artificial Reality/Timetrap is a Gnostic principle Phil Dick wrote about decades before.



Ridley Scott has gone on record stating films like The Matrix, War of the Worlds, and Independence Day signified the death nell for sci-fi films in general.

“There's nothing original,” he said. “We've seen it all before. Been there. Done it.” When asked to pick examples, he said: "All of them. Yes, all of them."

I am off-topic, but I had to reply to the posts in here.



Star Wars was the first visual achievement ? In a Citizen Kane thread ? If we're solely talking about special effects you need only look a few years prior to Star Wars - 2001 : A Space Odyssey was released 1968 and featured lots of amazing effects.



I respect and understand everything that Citizen Kane has accomplished in the world of cinema, but I personally didn't care for it at all. The story and characters completely uninterested me, and I made a genuine attempt to get into the movie but couldn't. Perhaps, a couple years down the road, a rewatch is in order to re-evaluate those feelings, but as of right now, that's where I stand with Citizen Kane.
I'm about the biggest fan of Kane around, but if it doesn't grab you, that's OK. I like not only how the film was made (like using dialogue to show the passage of years and pioneering camera focus and angles), but all the aspects of the story. The dialogue is witty, the lighting is a work of art, the sets are breathtaking, the scenes ring true to the time and conditions they portray, the writer has a good grasp of politics, communications, and most of all human nature, and it introduces a cast of newcomers who prove to be among the best actors and actresses in the industry. It's a damn good tale about a man's rise and fall, that that's basically what all books, stories and films are about.

If you had someone who knows and appreciates the film walk you through it, you'd be amazed at what's going on right before your eyes. But some folks don't want to put that much effort into a film.

Besides, people have different tastes, which is why I don't care for most of the other films that have been mentioned in this thread.



Well it came in the mail tonight for me, so I'll probably get to watching it tonight.



I'm about the biggest fan of Kane around, but if it doesn't grab you, that's OK. I like not only how the film was made (like using dialogue to show the passage of years and pioneering camera focus and angles), but all the aspects of the story. The dialogue is witty, the lighting is a work of art, the sets are breathtaking, the scenes ring true to the time and conditions they portray, the writer has a good grasp of politics, communications, and most of all human nature, and it introduces a cast of newcomers who prove to be among the best actors and actresses in the industry. It's a damn good tale about a man's rise and fall, that that's basically what all books, stories and films are about.

If you had someone who knows and appreciates the film walk you through it, you'd be amazed at what's going on right before your eyes. But some folks don't want to put that much effort into a film.

Besides, people have different tastes, which is why I don't care for most of the other films that have been mentioned in this thread.
Mark f suggested I do it a while back when I first posted my feelings about Kane, but I still haven't gotten around to doing what he suggested, so I'll ask you for your input since now seems to be a good time: do you think watching any/all of the special features that came with the DVD (at least the version I got) will enhance my viewing experience? Will watching the special features possibly make me like the movie more, or enhance my viewing experience if I watch them directly before (or after) my first rewatch at all?

I'll do everything I can to enjoy Citizen Kane, and watching the special features might be my salvation for doing so.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
I have no idea what the special features are. Pretend the movie came out last year and was just released on DVD. Then watch it. You may not like it more, but you won't have some strange idea that the movie is somehow "older" than current movies. However, I still think you should wait awhile.