Upon watching Citizen Kane again, I was struck anew by the sheer brilliance of the piece. While some might complain about a lack of emotion and an inability to empathize with the protagonist (Charles Foster Kane), I would note that this is almost entirely the point. It is a rare point in Kane's life where he manages to make any of his close acquaintances (or even those whom he might fancy to call "friend") empathize with him. The simple fact of the matter is, as that the film shows very convincingly, that Kane is an emotional island.
Now, there will be some who will argue that this is not well-done and that given more emotional portrayal, it could be better done. I would point to a scene at the beginning of the movie where Kane is taken from his parents and the sheer look of hateful obstinance on his face and to several other scenes where Kane has been broken and note the raw emotion present. It isn't that Citizen Kane is an emotionally detached movie, it's simply that most of the emotions are that of despair and depression. Further, Welles does such a good job developing the characters that you have a very hard time sympathizing with them because you know how shallow or how thoroughly corrupt they are in that characterization. In total, I would claim that anyone who claims that the film is inferior or lacking due to that emotional element has missed a lot of the pervasive negative spirit of Kane or simply doesn't like a movie so devoid of happiness. And if you want a second shot at watching it, by all means, come by and borrow my copy.
note: interesting discussion on this movie going on at Wheeler's end of the world...
Posted by Vengeful Cynic at January 19, 2004 01:25 PM | TrackBack