Citizen Kane review

In the first feature film that Orson Wells directed, Citizen Kane has been viewed as one of the most influential film in the history of the movie industry.  Some would even say it's the greatest movie of all time, not mainly for the acting or story line, but in the way Oreson Wells created it, and through new age cinematography
Citizen Kane begins with Kane dieing in his bed and we hear him only say one word, Rosebud.  A writer is then set off to find out what Rosebud meant to Kane.  So he investegates and inteviews people who knew him.  We then follow Kanes life of a famouse as rich newspaper editor and chief.  We first see him fas a young boy, who is taken away from his poor parents and brought into a life where he can sucecced, then through his mid-20s and tells how he became a legand in the news paper buisness and met his first love.  He then, as an older man who is so corrupt by his own fame, and a wife who leaves him, runs and loses the govenner election, and falls in love with another woman who has dreams of becoming a great oprea singer.  We see his life go down hill as he gets older and older.  He ends up losing everyone who loved him, and is left at the end in a large mansion alone in his bed.
Citzen Kane is mainly known for its use of photography.  Cinematographer Gregg Toland was hired for the job, but director Oreson Wells had his own views on what he wanted the movie to look like.  He believed that the director was responsible for lighting and how the set may look.  So both Toland and Wells worked together, and created a film that looked very different then most films of its time.  Throughout the film, Wells uses moderate high key, and tends to get darker and darker as Kane gets older and older.  Spot lights were also used for close of shots of the characters to show importance, as does almost all contrast of lighting in the film. (understanding movies)
These new methods of filmmaking became the new norm in many different films throughout the time after Citizen Kane.  Citizen Kane went on the win almost seven different Academy Awards, such as cinematography, film editing, music and sound.  Citizen Kane may not have grossed the highest amount of money in the box office, but still attchieved popularity throughout many different critiques, mainly raving about the way the movie was made.

Works Cited
1. understanding movies
2. IMBD