31 Movies of May, Day 28: Citizen Kane

May 28th viewing: Citizen Kane, chosen by Chicago Cinema Workers donor and my grandmother-in-law, Judy Goldstein. Judy was also kind enough to pay the extra donation fee to get me to drink a shot of Malört, which tasted like Charles Foster Kane’s growing realization of the endlessness of his loneliness.

Year of Release: 1941

Directed by: Orson Welles

Written by: Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles

Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Dorothy Comingore, William Alland, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane

Accompanying Beverage of Choice: Le Tub (Farmhouse Ale, 6.4% ABV), Whiner Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois)
(Support Independent Breweries - buy local when getting buzzed during quarantine)

So, um, Citizen Kane is good. There, that’s all, folks!

(Credits roll)

(Theater lights turn on)

(You leave, because there is nothing left to see)

Kidding aside, there’s not really much that I have to say about this film, chiefly because there’s not really much that’s possible to say about this film that hasn’t already been covered ad nauseum. From an academic standpoint, there’s probably never been another film that’s been analyzed and picked apart more than Citizen Kane. It’s like critiquing the Mona Lisa, there’s not really much new to say, all we can do is repeat that her smile is pretty mysterious.

I imagine this is one of the reasons why the movie tends to be considered intimidating, even though upon viewing it’s incredibly watchable. Citizen Kane tends to be treated like homework, a box to check on a list of important movies you should see, something that doesn’t often befall a lot of films with similar reputations like Casablanca or The Godfather. Those latter two options have the benefit of being genre flicks at their core though, which gives audiences a more accessible hook. In contrast, Citizen Kane’s hook is it changed filmmaking forever, which is a more nebulous sell than “doomed WWII romance” or “violent gangster epic.”

With this standing, it feels like Citizen Kane has taken on the perception of being the Generic Classic Movie, which is a shame. It’s every bit as idiosyncratic as some of the most beloved cult films, and every bit as well executed as pretty much any film. It’s almost like physical exercise, in a way - maybe you dread it before you do it, but I swear you’ll feel great after you do it.

Oh, and if somehow this is actually the first thing you’ve ever read about Citizen Kane: Rosebud is the sled.