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Technical Information
Studio: Warner
Brothers Home Video
Year of Theatrical Release: 1941
Disc Format: 1
single-sided, Dual Layer and one single-sided, single layer
Image Format: Standard
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Region Encoding: 1
Sound Format: Dolby
Digital 2.0 (mono)
Running Time: 119
minutes
Director: Orson
Welles
Stars: Orson
Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead
MPAA Rating: PG
Disc Supplements:
- Audio Commentary by director and Orson Welles
biographer Peter Bogdanovich.
- Audio Commentary by film critic Roger Ebert.
- 1941 theatrical premier newsreel.
- Image gallery of storyboards, deleted scenes ad
campaigns and rare photos.
- Easter egg: Interview with actress Ruth Warrick.
- The Battle For Citizen Kane documentary.
- Orson Welles filmography.
- Production notes.
- Theatrical trailer.
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Here it is at last. There are many films that
are highly coveted on DVD, high profile films such as Star Wars
and Raiders of the Lost Ark. For many, however, Citizen Kane
is the film, the Holy Grail of DVD and now it's finally
available.
This is widely considered to be the greatest
film ever made. Whether you care to agree with this opinion
or not, there is no denying that Citizen Kane pioneered and
set the standards by which films are still made today.
Volumes have been written, dissecting every
frame of footage of Kane, so I'm not certain that I could contribute
anything meaningful. Still, the point of all of this is to give
you my opinions and to that end, I'll do my best.
If you've been reading my column since my
days at Newsguy, then you should know by now that I'm a huge
special effects junkie. I love that film can be used to visually
trick us into seeing something that doesn't really exist. Many
refer to Kane as a great film and much is said about the innovations
in the camera work and lighting. The film is also recognized
for its importance in the world of visual effects.
Upon casual viewing, most of the special effects
blend seamlessly into the shots. Certainly, you'll be able to
spot some of the matte paintings and other tricks without too
much trouble, but for every effect you can easily see, there
are a handful that you can't. And this is all even more amazing
in today's digital age, when even now films struggle for convincing
visual effects. Given the film's low budget, what is acheived
in the realm of visual effects is astonishing. In short, Kane
is an excellent example of visual trickery.
If, perhaps, there are a few of you reading
this who have not yet seen Citizen Kane, then let me encourage
you to fix this problem as soon as possible. You may not fall
in love with it and you may not revere it as the greatest movie
ever made, but if you are a lover of film at all then I'm certain
you will appreciate seeing where many film conventions originated.
The story begins with the death of Charles
Foster Kane, a widely known and infamous publishing tycoon.
Following his death, we are given a newsreel film that informs
us of the life and times of Kane. This is important because
the rest of the story is told through out-of-sequence flashbacks.
This newsreel sets the timeline for us so that nothing that
follows is confusing.
What drives the story is the mystery surrounding
the last word Kane spoke before he died. That word, perhaps
the most famous single word spoken in film, was "rosebud.".
The bulk of the film consists of a series of interviews with
important people in Kane's life as a reporter probes the meaning
of that enigmatic final word. During the course of his investigation,
the reporter learns details of Kane's life from the perspective
of people who loved him and from those who seem to wish they
didn't.
We do eventually learn what Rosebud is (though
our reporter doesn't), but the film wisely never specifically
spells out what it represents, instead leaving it to audience
interpretation.
One of the things I love about Kane is that
I can find something new in it every time I watch it. The film
is filled with eye candy so that each viewing is never boring.
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top |
The big question is now that Citizen
Kane is on DVD, how does it look? The answer is that it looks absolutely
fantastic. Warner has done a fantastic job in restoring a film that
is this old. The chances are pretty good that you've never seen
Kane look as good as it does here. At first you might be put off
by the newsreel scene, as it's filled with scratches, dust and grain,
but rest assured that this is intentional. The rest of the film
is simply stunning. Since this is a black and white film, contrasts
and black levels will be the things to watch and they are nearly
perfect. Some scenes show a few signs of wavering in the blacks,
but this is almost certainly related to the age of the source material.
Overall, however, the blacks are very solid and maintain a richness
of detail that is astonishing. I couldn't find any digital artifacting
and edge enhancement problems are minor.
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If you are used to seeing every
new film released feature a remixed 5.1 sound track, you may be
surprised by the mono track on this disc. I'm sure there was a temptation
to modernize the sound and add direction effects to compliment the
onscreen action. I'm glad, however, that if such temptation existed
that it was not carried out. Instead, obvious effort has been made
to clean up the mono track to remove any hissing or other distortions
and the result is remarkably clean. Naturally, dynamic range won't
be the greatest, but everything still sounds very good. The most
important aspect, the dialogue, is very clear and easily understood.
Frankly, you can't ask for a better non-stereo sound experience.
:::back to top |
Citizen Kane is presented on two discs to make
a true special edition. In addition to the film on the first disc
are two commentary tracks, one featuring director Peter Bogdanovich
and the other with film critic Roger Ebert. Bogdanovich's track
is very technical and does a decent job of explaining not only how
the various shots were created, but also of pointing out the many
photographic techniques that have since been copied. Ebert's track
is far more lively and manages to offer up some technical details
not covered by Bogdanovich. Ebert explains some of the many interpretations
of the film, but does so in a manner accessible to both those thoroughly
studied on the subject of film and those who are not. Still, while
a good track, I don't think it's quite as good as Ebert's commentary
for Dark City.
On disc one you'll also find an RKO newsreel featuring
the film's original theatrical premier and an extensive gallery
of still images. Unfortunately, the images galleries run like a
high speed slide show -- if you want to examine any images more
closely, you'll have to have your finger ready on the pause button.
For the longest gallery, Roger Ebert offers up narration. Rounding
things out on disc one are the original theatrical trailer, production
notes and a "hidden" interview with actress Ruth Warrick.
Disc two is an extremely interesting extra in
that it contains the documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane. It's
widely rumored (though Orson Welles denies it) that Citizen Kane
is an interpretation of the life of media mogul William Randolph
Hearst. Welles admits that some elements may have been inspired
by Hearst's life, but he insisted that Kane is a conglomeration
of many different lives as well as an original narrative. That didn't
stop Hearst from wielding all of his power in an attempt to destroy
this movie. He even reportedly offered the studio the full production
cost of the film if they would agree never to release it. The Battle
Over Citizen Kane documents the conflict between Welles and Hearst.
It even pulls no punches in looking at the careers of both Welles
and Hearst.
:::back to top |
Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie ever made?
Many people seem to think so. For myself, I can't honestly call
it my favorite film (which would seem to be a criteria for classifying
as the "greatest"), but I can call it a great film, an
important film, an entertaining film and a film worth seeing and
owning. You won't find a better presentation of Kane than on this
DVD and the supplemental material are very nearly a film school
in and of themselves.
:::back to top |
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| There is really very little
in this film that would be inappropriate, espeically by today's standards.
The only question is whether or not the film will hold the interest
of the younger viewers. To that, I say it depends on the kid. |
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| -- By Robert Wurth. Copyright
© 2003. |
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