...Citizen Kane is not my favourite film. In fact, it's my 5th favourite film. I love it. Anyone with a yearning for the simplicity of childhood should watch this film. After all, everyone has a rosebud; a symbol of innocence. For Charles Foster Kane it is his beloved sled. Was he ever happier in life than when playing with his sled in the snow as a child? Anyway, the film has a universal meaning, one we should all be able to relate to in some way or other. I can understand why many don't like it. The style won't be to everyone's tastes. But even though it's not my favourite film, I love it so, and I'm still perfectly happy for it to be considered "greatest film of all time," after all, it is perhaps the closest the movies have come to perfection...
Which brings me to question the effect of these "greatest films lists" on the average movie-lover. I am sure that the the pedestal this film has been placed upon has stopped people from actually seeing the film. For a while, it stopped me. I saw it countless times on the shelf, but always the thought ran through my head -
"It'll never live up to the hype. And besides, that film will always be around for me to buy any time, I'm sure there are other, more obscure films that are truly worth hunting for."
But, sooner or later I decided -
"Oh what the hell! It's only £3 now, might as well get it."
And I'm glad I did. It's truly a powerful film, and it touched me deeply. The destruction of the sled at the end is truly heartbreaking. I don't care about spoilers here, because it's the experience that counts. It's a film to be seen more than anything. But the "greatest films lists" have caused people who haven't actually seen the film to denounce it as "overrated," and the like. Which is, quite frankly, ridiculous. One of my classmates actually openly declared that he hadn't seen the film, before going on to say that it was overrated and didn't belong at the no. 1 spot, and that The Godfather should have that place. The Godfather? I mean, really? The Godfather is great and all, but it's not flawless cinema! Yes, it's also technically great, acting, directing, cinematography all top-notch, but it doesn't have the expressive force or the humour, sense of fun, or youthful energy of Citizen Kane. In fact I think The Godfather Part II greatly exceeds the original in terms of depth and expressive power. Even then, as much as I absolutely love the film, it would still barely make it into my top 30. Of course, my favourite film, David Lynch's Mulholland Dr., while considered great by many, I doubt would make it into one of these lists. It would be considered too experimental and unconventional. These lists are usually comprised of popular films that don't divide critics...
Critics. They are responsible for these lists, no doubt about it. And there is something almost ritualistic about the way they dance around their favourite films and those which they consider the greatest; uttering praise unto them, not allowing anyone else to join the circle. Quite simply, it is elitism; they want to keep these "great films" and "masterpieces" for themselves. It's just a game designed to keep the average movie-goer watching average movies and the film snobs and intellectuals watching the great ones. Of course, that's just a generalization, it's not always the case. Plenty of casual movie-goers have no doubt had the pleasure of experiencing Citizen Kane, and some critics have even acknowledged the fraudulence of the "greatest films lists," like Pauline Kael and David Thomson...
So what it comes down to is this - don't take heed of these lists. They're really meaningless. Decide for yourself what to watch when you scan the shelves at Borders or HMV. And give Kane a try...
Which brings me to question the effect of these "greatest films lists" on the average movie-lover. I am sure that the the pedestal this film has been placed upon has stopped people from actually seeing the film. For a while, it stopped me. I saw it countless times on the shelf, but always the thought ran through my head -
"It'll never live up to the hype. And besides, that film will always be around for me to buy any time, I'm sure there are other, more obscure films that are truly worth hunting for."
But, sooner or later I decided -
"Oh what the hell! It's only £3 now, might as well get it."
And I'm glad I did. It's truly a powerful film, and it touched me deeply. The destruction of the sled at the end is truly heartbreaking. I don't care about spoilers here, because it's the experience that counts. It's a film to be seen more than anything. But the "greatest films lists" have caused people who haven't actually seen the film to denounce it as "overrated," and the like. Which is, quite frankly, ridiculous. One of my classmates actually openly declared that he hadn't seen the film, before going on to say that it was overrated and didn't belong at the no. 1 spot, and that The Godfather should have that place. The Godfather? I mean, really? The Godfather is great and all, but it's not flawless cinema! Yes, it's also technically great, acting, directing, cinematography all top-notch, but it doesn't have the expressive force or the humour, sense of fun, or youthful energy of Citizen Kane. In fact I think The Godfather Part II greatly exceeds the original in terms of depth and expressive power. Even then, as much as I absolutely love the film, it would still barely make it into my top 30. Of course, my favourite film, David Lynch's Mulholland Dr., while considered great by many, I doubt would make it into one of these lists. It would be considered too experimental and unconventional. These lists are usually comprised of popular films that don't divide critics...
Critics. They are responsible for these lists, no doubt about it. And there is something almost ritualistic about the way they dance around their favourite films and those which they consider the greatest; uttering praise unto them, not allowing anyone else to join the circle. Quite simply, it is elitism; they want to keep these "great films" and "masterpieces" for themselves. It's just a game designed to keep the average movie-goer watching average movies and the film snobs and intellectuals watching the great ones. Of course, that's just a generalization, it's not always the case. Plenty of casual movie-goers have no doubt had the pleasure of experiencing Citizen Kane, and some critics have even acknowledged the fraudulence of the "greatest films lists," like Pauline Kael and David Thomson...
So what it comes down to is this - don't take heed of these lists. They're really meaningless. Decide for yourself what to watch when you scan the shelves at Borders or HMV. And give Kane a try...
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