Orson Welles in "Citizen Kane"
Credit:The Kobal Collection/ RKO/ Alex Kahle
“Citizen Kane” is about a misguided man’s life story, from youth to death, and in Welles’ heartbreaking depiction of the flawed Charles Foster Kane, we see a man in search of power, at the expense of everything else. In Kane’s early days, as a newsman, Welles projects an aura of enthusiasm and idealism. In the story’s final movements, Welles the director does his best to deliberately minimize Welles the actor, depicting Kane as a man isolated, lonely and broken in his sprawling Xanadu—his charisma fizzling into mean-spirited contemptuousness, his smiles veering into sneers. Any similarities between this film and “The Aviator” are no doubt entirely intentional.
Most viewed Movie items in the last 24 hours
- 'The Blind Side' review
- 'Up in the Air' review
- Quick movie reviews
- 'The Road' review
- 'Old Dogs' review
More on Metromix.com



