Educating Louisa – Part One: Citizen Kane
When the Fellows and Associates team hired Louisa, it was on the basis that she was an intelligent, cultured and interesting individual – qualities that she exuded during her interview. Unfortunately, what they didn’t know is that Louisa’s ‘films viewed’ portfolio was disappointingly unrefined. Pete Fellows has therefore taken on the role of teacher of all things cinema, and will assign a different “must see” film each month for Louisa to watch and review, for both her own education and your reading pleasure.
Citizen Kane – Not even nearly the greatest movie of all time
First, let me confess, old movies of the black and white variety are hardly something that I am well versed in. In fact, this was only the third that I have seen, one being the 1951 rendition of Scrooge, the other being the first few scenes of Wizard of Oz (I’m pretty sure that counts). Of the three, this was the worst. I am a self-proclaimed history buff, yet my film viewing repertoire is pitifully modern. I was excited by the prospect of watching a mid-war “masterpiece”, if not only for the social history. The film’s focus on greed and capitalism, and the loneliness and isolation associated with wealth and success is a premise that, to the modern viewer, could seem somewhat over explored. However, it was released in 1941 during a time of political and ideological uncertainty and unrest. Therefore in a sense, one could argue that it was revolutionary, so I can appreciate the praise it has garnered over the years since release.
The opening scene instilled me with a false sense of optimism. The quirky lighting and interesting camera angles (the redeeming features of the film), coupled with a blanket of mist and a mysterious looking house on top of a hill, screamed Amityville-style horror; which is by far my favourite genre. Unfortunately, it isn’t a horror film; (at least, I don’t think Welles intended it to be). What is terrifying is the hyperactive and shouty dialogue, chaotic scene switches, and the overuse of flash backs/forwards, which made the film frustratingly difficult to follow. It wasn’t that the plot was particularly complex either; it was rather simplistic in fact.
To summarise, a newspaper tycoon named Kane gets rich, has marital problems, and dies with wealth but a distinct lack of fulfilment. On his death bed, he utters the word ‘Rosebud’. The whole film thereafter consists of a number of reporters visiting what seems like every single one of Kane’s associates, friends of associates, and associates of associates, to discover the meaning of the word. Unfortunately, at no point did the storyline allow me to warm to Kane, or at least to identify with him. In fact I nearly disliked him. Consequently, after two long hours, I didn’t really care what it meant. In the interest of cultural education, I stuck with it, with the promise of a fascinating revelation at the end. To suggest that the realisation that Rosebud was the name of his trusty childhood snow sledge was an anti-climax would be a substantial understatement. That is not to say that I don’t recognise what Welles was trying to convey, by having Kane’s last memory be that of a time pre-wealth and success. Unfortunately, it is 2015, and such a message has been explored via film several times since.
What it all boils down to is the fact that no matter how hard I try not to be, I am a product of my generation. As a result, I am multiple decades and similar yet arguably better films too late. I suspect that my relationship with Citizen Kane was fated from the start. Decades of raving reviews, impressive poll ratings, and critical acclaim lead to an over expectation that was never realistically going to be met. I desperately wanted to adore Citizen Kane, and I am genuinely disappointed that I didn’t. I almost wanted to prove that people of my generation can be intelligent and cultured enough to appreciate and enjoy a classic piece of cinematography. Unfortunately, although I do appreciate the film’s achievement for its time, I certainly didn’t enjoy it.
Next time Louisa will be reviewing indie-darling, ‘Short Term 12’. She is checking her employment contract terms in case she doesn’t like it. It’s one of Pete’s favourite films.