Ahead of its time: ‘Citizen Kane’

Today, suffering from a bit of cabin fever, I went out to the supermarket. Thankfully the sidewalks had been cleared, and the sun was out, so the short walk was actually kind of pleasant. I came back, ate my chicken salad and foccacia, and watched Citizen Kane on DVD. Great movie. I can see why it holds such an important place in movie history. Released in 1941, it was innovative for its day, and was the forerunner of emergent film noir. As director, Orson Welles had unprecedented control over every production detail–today we take a director’s authoritative role for granted, but back then, the idea of director as auteur was only starting to take hold. (Can you tell I’ve listened to the audio commentary?) I wasn’t taken so much by the plot, as the look. It’s beautiful. Every shot seems meticulously composed, as if each frame could be a finished photograph in its own right. Definitely one to watch again and study.