Citizen Kane (1941)

I have had and am greatly thankful for having an extremely film-rich childhood. At an age so young I don’t even know the number, my friends from the neighborhood would come over and we’d watch 101 Dalmatians. I sat close to the screen, filled with awe. Around six or seven I watched the Star Wars original trilogy. My attention span a little smaller, but me still being entranced. At nine at sat in my bed, portable DVD player next to me, playing Forrest Gump. And now, at the age of thirteen, I am pleased to say that I have seen Citizen Kane. It seems that I have waited too long for this moment. This moment has finally come, and I love every second of it. After watching a movie as great as Citizen Kane, you have a moment. This moment is just a feeling of greatness. Well, at least, that was happens for me. And few films have done this. The Social Network, Forrest Gump, King Kong, Persepolis, and now, Citizen Kane. As you can probably tell, I really like this movie. Few movies have been universally acclaimed as one of the single greatest films of all time-The Godfather, Toy Story, Die Hard, Toy Story 2, Some Like it Hot, Toy Story 3, The Dark Knight, Ratatouille, The Silence of the Lambs, ect. The list goes on for a little bit longer. And while this list seems kind of long, especially if you see the full list on Wikipedia (I don’t do my research in a library…who do you think I am? I’m a young internet-loving hipster, where else?). But if you think about the list in comparison to all of the movies out there, there’s not a lot. And topping this rare list is none other than Citizen Kane. This movie is so universally acclaimed that it has lead the great Roger Ebert to proclaim: “So it’s settled-Citizen Kane is the official greatest film of all time.” And the film deserves it. This is possibly the best-made movie I have ever seen in my entire thirteen years of watching movies. This little slice of brilliance stars, is directed, and co-written by Orson Welles, as Charles Foster Kane, as we look back through his life as told by his many acquaintances, at the request of a reporter trying to find the meaning of the last word Kane said before he dies-Rosebud. Well, the cat’s probably out of the bag, and you most likely know what Rosebud means. I did. I’ve known for about six months. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it. You definitely should. The movie is rated PG (for what I can only assume is for extremely mild sexual content/thematic elements), so get the whole family in on it. The movie is long, black-and-white, and is the greatest movie ever made. The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, but did not win. This and The Dark Knight are the two worst decisions the Academy has ever made. Because this is the greatest movie ever made. I don’t think this is my favorite movie-I almost feel like the movie doesn’t deserve to be on my list. It seems like it’s too good for my list. So when you ask me what my favorite movie is, I’ll still say Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. But if you ask me what the greatest movie ever made is, I will say with full confidence-Citizen Kane. And in my last moment, the last breath I take on this earth, you know what I’m gonna say? “Rosebud.” I love being a movie nerd.
10/10