where does one begin with orson welles' debut/magnum opus?
often voted "the greatest film of all time" by publications as far and varied as sight and sound magazine, the american film institute and cahiers du cinema, citizen kane is not only an outstandingly produced piece of cinema, but its incredibly likeable and accessible too. having seen the film countless times over the past decade or so i am constantly surprised by the sheer number of things that i manage to pick up on each fresh viewing. its a pleasure to watch, and so devoid of pretension and the associated fears that i can actually see why such presumptions are made by those who havent actually seen it. at the end of the day the genius of orson welles' film comes down to one unmistakable fact; prior to citizen kane the modern feature film didnt exist.
