The movie that defined Orson Wells: Citizen Kane

"Citizen Kane" has often been lauded as the best film ever. With the brilliant directing many find it hard to argue that the genius of Orson Welles in his first movie left the rest of his career as a mere shadow despite the fact that he directed movies for a few more decades beyond the making of this movie.

As you step into this movie through the fog, and look upon the castle on the hill you are immediately struck by the influence that Citizen Kane has in film making; this Gothic setting that oozes atmosphere and sets the stage for the main plot has been repeated over and over again and is even entering the genre of Video Games.

Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper mogul, lives in the castle known as Xanadu - the reference to Kubla Khan is obvious and subtly infiltrates the plot as it moves along. We are introduced to Kane as he utters his last word "Rosebud", and immediately are captured by the intrigue of the movie, and the mystery surrounding the strange word.

Orson Wells finest directing achievement uses methods that are now commonplace in cinema; as we 'flash back' through Kane's life we again see the influence of Wells in modern movies like Sam Mendes's superlative "American Beauty" that uses exactly the same type of mechanism to build the suspense.

You find yourself questioning whether another affair has ruined Kane's life, as it did his aspirations to become president. Or perhaps there are more serious undertones that we haven't seen? As we watch a reporter from the New York inquirer dig into Kane's life with the use of flash backs, we immerse ourselves in the creation of an empire, and the rise of one of America's most powerful public figures.

Kane's affair comes to light when he is running for governor, and this is the turning point for Kane as he moves from mogul to hermit, living in self-hatred and bitterness his life torn apart from within. The demise of this great man is tangible, sad and yet strangely gratifying as you somehow feel both love and hatred for the enigmatic figure.

The movie is essentially a semi-fictional movie that many attest is based on the life of William Randolph Hearts, but if you analyze the plot and feel of the movie you can also see a lot of Orson Welles in Kane; while Welles didn't know it at this time, his life would be similar to Kane's in many ways - so perhaps there was a little premonition involved in the making of the movie.

Citizen Kane is perhaps the highlight of Welles's career; it is one of the most powerful movies from the black and white era, and still holds up well against some of the modern day thriller; it speaks of wealth, power, corruption and ruin, and is intensely personal. The commentary on life is very profound and leads us to realize that happiness cannot always be bought, but often solitary stolen moments can be the downfall of us.

Much of the success of the movie is down to Welles, but you have to mention the mood and settings; it's one of the most spectacular movies to watch, and you can see flashes of the brilliance of these visuals in all of Welles's movies. The depth and quality combined with some amazing angular shots make it stunning to view.

Citizen Kane stands tall as one of the best movies to come out in the early days of Hollywood and still is relevant today. Is it the best movie ever made? That's a subjective question, and the likes of "The Godfather", "Gone with the Wind" and the more recent "Titanic" all have their own claims to the title, but at the very least it is one of the most influential movies of all time and stands the test of time well.