Citizen Kane [1942] | ![Citizen Kane [1942]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YpoZUqWOL._SL75_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Orson Welles
Actors: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris
Studio: Universal Pictures UK
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £3.98
You Save: £16.01 (80%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 480
Format: Black & White, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 136
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5050582197051
ASIN: B0001E5TSS
Theatrical Release Date: May 1, 1941
Release Date: January 5, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW SEALED 2 DISC VERSION WILL SHIP WITHIN 2 WORKING DAYS IN PADDED ENVELOPE.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The most acclaimed film in cinema history, Citizen Kane receives extra bolstering each time it tops a "greatest films ever" list. As a piece of filmmaking it ticks all the right boxes: a precociously talented director and lead actor in Orson Welles, Gregg Toland's innovative cinematography, a strong screenplay by Welles and Herman J Mankiewicz, rich scoring from Bernard Herrmann, and so on. For its time, it was technically groundbreaking, and laid out a blueprint for Hollywood filmmaking that's still influential. But, most importantly, as a viewing experience it's still one of the most mesmerising and beautiful films in existence. From its opening scenes--Kane's eerie Gothic mansion, his lone figure muttering the word "Rosebud" as he dies, journalists discussing the newsreel footage of his obituary--Kane lays out an enigma: who exactly was this man? Looping flashbacks build up a portrait of a contradictory figure who, despite living in the public eye, remained a mystery at heart. A testament to the corrupting influence of money, fame and the media and at its centre the tale of a man in search of love, Citizen Kane is a personal tragedy on an epic scale. Technically, it's a lesson in filmmaking in itself whose daring aesthetics nonetheless remain unobtrusive. It's doubtful that a debut director will ever be given such free reign by a studio again and even if this happened, it's doubtful that such a masterpiece would be created. On the DVD: Citizen Kane in this DVD special edition is beautifully remastered and comes with a feature illustrating the before and after of the restoration process. A 50-minute documentary, "Anatomy of a Classic", hosted by Barry Norman, delves into the making of the film as well as trying to deal with some of the myths that surround it, like the (untrue) rumour that Welles ran over both time and budget. Film historian Ken Barnes takes over for a commentary and Welles himself is featured in his controversial 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds and 1945 broadcast of The Happy Prince. A photo gallery, extensive cast and crew profiles, breakdown of all the films expenses and trailer round off this admirable package.--Laura Bushell
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 The most influential movie ever made May 3, 2008
Last year, the American Film Institue released their second poll declaring the 100 Greatest Films ever made. Citizen Kane, for the second time around, came in at number 1. After watching, one doesn't have any trouble seeing why it was voted as the greatest film of all time. The acting, particularly from Orson Welles, who at 27 did a performance which spanned six decades, is remarkable. The cinematography, editing and music too are astonshing. However, it is the way that through it you can see a wide range of techniques used in lots of films following it that makes watching it an experience, not a way of passing the time.
Beyond the cult, the myth March 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The natural question ,we have to wonder about when watching this film, in its new splendor after restoration, is whether Orson Welles did not try to make a movie about himself. He sure did. I would even say it is a posthumous autobiography in prospective expectation. It is an American film about America and the Americans. The grandiose grandeur of those who are dreaming America into being and the petty narrow-mindedness of those who are only defending their own interests. Which tribe is most important? No one can know. The dreamers get isolated and lonely, at times in the golden heart of wealth and money. The self-centered ones just cut the cake and are very careful to give a very thin slice to others and an enormous slice to themselves. Then they all die sooner or later and only the dreamers survive. The others disappear in the darkness of hell, the underworld of forgotten anti-history. But this film reveals, and at the time it was probably scandalous, the power of the press as for building public opinion and the absurdity of the Americans as for forbidding politicians to have a normal private life, I mean the right to have a private life of their own and only their own. The tragic dimension of this character is that he is trapped by the very first, the power of the press he had used tremendously and had even boosted up in incredible proportions, with his very private life. Then the rest is only vanity and vain pretence: he tried to prove what he did not have to prove and he used other people to do so, particularly his second wife, which led to the end of the dream that had turned into a nightmare with a brain stroke and death. One can only prove what is really real and not what is virtually eventually maybe possible. Then of course we have to admire the technique of this film and the marvelous black and white finish and gloss. We also have to point out the film is renewing the genre of the biography of a great man by creating some mystery around one word, "rosebud", which probably has no value at all and is there to make us look at the pictures and images with a more attentive eye, as if we were supposed to be private eyed sleuths. Some say this film is a masterpiece and they must be nearly right. They would be totally right if they said it is one of the few masterpieces of the war years, the years that needed some boosting of the Americans and America. Orson Welles did it with a big tongue in his vast cheek, but probably had more positive effect than all the propaganda films that were filmed by second grade "directors", if they can be at times called directors at all.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! February 28, 2008
where to begin???? many people get to caught up with "greatest film made" tag which of course is personal choice but what i would say is that any one who would see this film will not forget it!!!!! the tale of some1 having evrything but realy having nothing is as true today (even more so in todays fame obsessed society) as it was 50 years ago. if only his mum had kept him eh? this film is an education and people should be urged to watch it, im so glad i did!!! im 25 and wonder why this is never on tv but every other film is,strange!!! to sum up its to cinema what the beatles were to music!!!
p.s one thing i did notice when watching is that the white stripes song "the union forever" all they lyrics are from the film!!! check it out!!!!
 a loser with much money February 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's said this is the best film ever made. I don't discuss his objective quality, but life of Charles Foster Kane never interested me although yes, this a good movie, and one can understand that one can know all things and facts about a person without knowing absolutely nothing about who was that person.
The origins of such a personage seems real. Kane is based in a real figure of a big millionaire and owner of several newspapers in the USA at the turn of XIX- XX centuries. It's mentioned the war of the USA with Spain for the colonies of Cuba and Philippines, and in the movie, Kane has "to put the war".
And well, this is the case that behind this powerful man, a big disgrace exists, that justify, in a psychoanalitic way, his life, his successes and must of all, his enormous downfall. Of course you can believe in psychoanalisis or not. It seems Orson Welles was a true believer in this technique.
Kane starts well his business, as he has been educated in the best colleges of the world, Switerland, USA... but his soul is broken from almost the beginning of his life, as he's more or less betrayed by his fathers, and losses the only thing he really loves: Rosebud, a small sledge for snow.
So is as Orson Welles presents to us the motor of Kane to become so wealthy. His adult life is a prosecution to recover Rosebud, and he dies pronouncing that enigmatic word.
Life of Kane, however, apparently is brilliant, but effectively he has inside some sense of autodestruction, and he fails in his marriages and from there, in his political aspirations, a power that he's unable to reach. His late marriage with a vulgar singer he wants to force to become a star of the opera, is the beginning of his decline and final death in Xanadu, his palace, surrounded by a enormous amount of expensive pieces of art. Well, fathers use frequently the phrase: "We think the best for my sons". The problem is the sons frequently doesn't want the best. They only want that they want, as simple as that. Rest in peace citizen Kane with Rosebud. Actors and photography are excellent.
THE BEST FILM EVER MADE? Quite Possibly. January 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Despite the poor transfer etc it still blows me away to think this was made so long ago. This is how to make a film.
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