ORSON WELLES CINEMA: UNDERRATED TURN AS CITIZEN KANE

1941 rating: *****

If you hear something, anything, is the best ever made enough times you're gonna fight it. Even the most initially uncelebrated, despised, forgotten, and almost-literally-destroyed film can seem, after so many years and so much hype, mainstream and run-of-the-mill...

But this controversial early-forties gem has not only stood the test of time but has yet to be equaled, at least not in acting, directing, and storytelling. But let's focus on one aspect, Orson Welles the actor, as the title character Charles Foster Kane, born into wealth and who makes more mistakes than money. That is, he already has the money so the mistakes come easy... and often.

In portraying a twenty-five year old (amazingly, his age at the time) and then other stages: from forty to sixty to a dying codger, Welles continuously pulls of the miraculous, and with somewhat realistic looking makeup. In one particular scene, a fifty-something Kane is watching his trophy girlfriend (Dorothy Comingore) playing the piano: his eyes both leering, like a dirty old man in lust... And at the same time, adoring... like a dirty old man in love!

Not much more needs to be said Kane reviews are as abundant as feathers on a duck, and so many are tired of that duck, but if you haven't seen KANE, or if you're avoiding the experience because everyone else has, just remember: some things are considered classic and timeless for a reason!