Why do people love Citizen Kane?

[slackboy72]

That said, when a movie adds something for seemingly no reason, it can be a bit disconcerting, but I try to give it a chance, even then. (Clockwork Orange does this apparently, although I've never read the book.)

Clockwork Orange misses something vital out though. Alex repents in the end. He rejoins society.

The film makes him succumb to his darker desires. That totally alters the entire story.

Fight Club also makes Tyler accept his alter-ego rather than struggle with it.

Eyes Wide Shut? Acceptance rather than struggle. That's indicative of the film audience rather than the basis of the books.

Citizen Kane? Struggle right to the end.

It's a better film, imho, because it doesn't take the comforting "heroic" way out. Charles Kane suffers due to his excesses, rather than revels in them - like Alex, Tyler or Bill Harford.

The Picture of Dorian Gray wouldn't be the masterpiece it is without Dorian's decline into madness. Same with Frankenstein, Gone with the Wind, Bladerunner, 2001,Dr Jekkyl and Mr Hyde...

Actually, the narrator in Fight Club suffers because of excesses. At first he was a slave of consumerism, and then he was a slave of anti-establishment.

to clear up the Clockwork Orange argument. The movie was based on the version of the book published in America which for whatever reason did not include the last chapter that was included in the British publication. Kubric read the American book and based the movie on that

Even though I would imagine Kubrick not using the last scene nevertheless.

And the new testament is a little different if Jesus isn't nailed to the cross.

The fact is Kubrick knew of the final chapter and chose to ignore it.

 

[bootz]

I really like the movie.
The story and they way of telling it was so original.
Kane was so human, I dont think your suppose to like him just pity him.
His rise and fall, how he lost everything he cared for.

"It's easy to make money if all you want to do is make money"
He let it blind him.

 

[mjc0961]

Long story short, is this an attempt at trolling?

Of course. Anyone disagreeing with a popular opinion is always trolling. There's no way someone could actually dislike a movie, after all.

It's akin to growing up with a PS2 and wondering why everyone gives DOOM so much credit, its graphics are shit, the music is bland and its not scary in the least, but when it came out it was groundbreaking, scary and controversially gory.

Really? I think Doom is a bad example; it's still fun to play today (and that's without nostalgia goggles). The same can't really be said of Wolfenstein 3D however.

I recently picked up Duke 3d from GOG and the controls are fucking awful. I get that it came out ages ago and stuff but, if you use the mouse, you have to use the D buttons. If you use the D-buttons to aim then it is hard as hell to look up, and changing weapons is like pulling teeth...

This just in, Duke 3D =/= Doom.

 

[Jimber_Jam]

You know what was arguably more innovative than Citizen Kane? This:

Yeah.

Also: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/birth_of_a_nation/

 

[chach_face]

You guessed the plot twist? That doesn't really make any sense.

As regards your other suggestions for best movie, they seem flawed. I can't testify to Fight Club, having not seen it, but Eyes Wide Shut and A Clockwork Orange are regarded as Kubrick's worst works...

Long story short, is this an attempt at trolling? I found the movie fresh and original even though I watched it 60-odd years after it was filmed...

Edit: apparently A Clockwork Orange is considered on a par with the rest of Kubrick's good works. Who knew?

In regards to your edit, what list are you going by?
Really it doesn't matter what some list online says, it's what you think when you watch the films.

 

[Swifteye]

When something is ground breaking and does things no one else has ever seen before at the time it gains much popularity and respect. But it also makes it a precedent which means eventually they won't be everlastingly unique or interesting. A film buff would usually keep this in mind but a regular person. Well plant a 10 year old kid infront of an early 3d game and you'll see what I mean.

 

[CthulhuRlyeh]

You know what was arguably more innovative than Citizen Kane? This:

Yeah.

Also: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/birth_of_a_nation/

Nobody is denying its innovation.

And the new testament is a little different if Jesus isn't nailed to the cross.

The fact is Kubrick knew of the final chapter and chose to ignore it.

So? He felt that it wasnt organic to the plot. Kubrick wasnt some studio director, he was an auteur. If he didnt feel that the scene would work, then why should he have used it?
Complaining that Kubrick wasnt 100 % faithful means nothing, considering he made The Shining. Is The Shining faithful? No. Is it one of the best horror films? Undoubtedly.

 

[floppylobster]

It's one of those films that gets better with age. (Yours and the film's). You need to watch it again when you're older (with a lot more life experience) and it will start to resonant more with you. Probably on your third viewing 12 years from now you'll realise how good it is and finally understand the love.

Spoiler

Also the 'plot twist', as you call it, is not a plot twist, it's a revelation. A profound truth. And guessing it - though I don't know how you would as there is no clue given that there is a sled named Rosebud (of you did guess that it is only from watching countless films that followed that used this device) - is not important to the overall effect of the film. If anything knowing that fact, then watching it again, makes many scenes work on a deeper level. So perhaps watch it again in a week or two, then once more in 12 years. Then you'll 'get it'.

 

[SuperVegas]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny

See this page, I think it explains things rather well.

Again, its been said before but it bares repeating.
The movie is well regarded because it was one of the first movies to use camera work as artistic expression, and to enhance the story.

Before that, movies had never really seen that kind of work before, most people thought of movies as a quicker way to tell stories already written and the medium wasn't as well respected.
So this was one of those films that solidified the medium as an art form.

 

[tonguetied]

It was years ahead of its time [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_kane#Filmmaking_innovations]. It really is quite hard to believe such a technically proficient film was made in 1941.

I've only seen it once, but I really liked it. It's quite obvious to me why it's considered a masterpiece. It's just superbly written, directed, shot, and acted.

 

[Bakuryukun]

If you watched the movie "to see what the big deal was" then I think you made a grave mistake. Looking at a movie like that is a sure way to have it not meet the expectations that the people around you have set for it.

I haven't seen Kane yet, but I plan to, and when I do I'm going to keep the era it was made in mind. I'm also not worry about who thought it was awesome or overrated or other such opinions pretending to be facts. That's pretty much how I recommend all movies be watched actually.

 

[KezzieZ]

To be perfectly honest, I think most people that like it tend to respect it because it was innovative cinematography at the time it was made.

Also, just about everybody knows the "it was his sled" thing these days even if they've never seen Citizen Kane (I certainly knew about it before I watched the movie because it's been spoofed dozens of times).

I think it's a decent movie myself, but not "the best." It's not my favorite and "best" is a really subjective term for just about anything.

 

[Jegsimmons]

2 kubrick films followed by fight club?

i'll give you kubrick who was an artist in his purist form, but whats with the love for fight club?
THAT'S the overrated movie here (not bad but not great),
but i digress, Citizen Kane is one hell of a good movie.
(my personal favorite movie is to Kill A Mocking Bird, if anyone cares.)

Not trying to be "that guy", but how many times have you seen Fight Club? I shared the same opinion about it the first time I watched it, but fell in love with it the second time. It is currently in my Top 5. Danny Boyle and David Fincher are truly modern masters of film.

a few times, its not bad, like I said, but it's not great.

 

[Jegsimmons]

2 kubrick films followed by fight club?

i'll give you kubrick who was an artist in his purist form, but whats with the love for fight club?
THAT'S the overrated movie here (not bad but not great),
but i digress, Citizen Kane is one hell of a good movie.
(my personal favorite movie is to Kill A Mocking Bird, if anyone cares.)

Is it as good as the book?

OOOOOOOooooohhhh yes... it has two of the greatest actors ever in it, Robert Duvall as Boo and Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

and that speech at the end....just gives you chills.

 

[CthulhuRlyeh]

2 kubrick films followed by fight club?

i'll give you kubrick who was an artist in his purist form, but whats with the love for fight club?
THAT'S the overrated movie here (not bad but not great),
but i digress, Citizen Kane is one hell of a good movie.
(my personal favorite movie is to Kill A Mocking Bird, if anyone cares.)

Not trying to be "that guy", but how many times have you seen Fight Club? I shared the same opinion about it the first time I watched it, but fell in love with it the second time. It is currently in my Top 5. Danny Boyle and David Fincher are truly modern masters of film.

a few times, its not bad, like I said, but it's not great.

OK, just checking.
What are your thoughts on Danny Boyle?
Also, since you like Robert Duvall, check out the Twilight Zone episode with him. It is probably the best acting in the whole series.

 

[KAPTAINmORGANnWo4life]

I don't think giving any work of consumer art a 100% grade is appropriate. Reviewers aren't doing their jobs if they don't find a few holes to poke into something, and if there's even one flaw, mathematically speaking, it shouldn't get 100%.

I think that Citizen Kane was groundbreaking for its technical achievements, but if I were to watch a 1940's vintage film, I'd go for The Great Dictator or The Wizard of Oz. I appreciate the overall package of those films more than Kane, and that's really saying something about The Great Dictator, since it was glorified WWII propaganda.

 

[Tyzamar]

This is merely a guess. But I think it might be because it managed to showcase exactly what cinematography can do. Kind of set the bar for future productions.

 

[lettucethesallad]

I'm not big on Citizen Kane either, and I'm a big movie nut with a passion for old movies. Tried to watch it, got bored and moved on. People always give me this look like I'm insane when I talk about it.

 

[Feste the Jester]

I actually just like it not as a technical masterpiece, but as an honestly entertaining film with an interesting plot twist and some good dialogue.

 

[teebeeohh]

well you know there are very few books that are older than 100 years that people still read? Not because they were really good and/or successful at the time but because they did something new or game changing or just do something with a perfection that will never again be attained. We keep reading those things because they give us an idea of how a medium develops and because at a certain age it's enough to just look at the peaks of something, the same way studying ancient leaders is way more interesting than studying ancient daily life.

Citizen Kane is one of those timeless classics, and i don't mean timeless as in "will still be watched when i am old" but will be watched as long as people watch movies because for someone from the 31. century this is really all they need to see to know something about 20. century films.