Citizen Kane

 I enjoyed Citizen Kane and can see how it is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, even though I don’t particularly agree with that statement. I really liked the cinematography in this film and how unique it was compared to the prior films we watched. For example I really liked how instead of a basic establishing shot at the beginning it had closeups of different obstacles that gradually transitioned all the way up to Kane's mansion and the shots always had the mansion blurred in the background so it still kind of worked as a wide shot as well. I also really liked the deep focus technique where you had everyone and everything in the frame at once like in the beginning scene where you see the mom and Thatcher at the table in the foreground, the dad in the midground, and Kane in the background, all doing their own thing, talking all at once. I also liked how long that shot was because I think it's always impressive when you see actors act for multiple minutes straight without any cuts which makes the performance seem more realistic. I also liked how they utilized a lot of low angle shots especially with Kane to show his power over everyone. Furthermore, it was refreshing to actually see ceilings in the buildings which made the scenes feel more tightly packed and also more realistic. I also enjoyed the non-linear story telling where the very beginning started with the death of Kane and also ended with the death of Kane. I feel like it worked well because the flashbacks followed a flow that the viewers understood and every story mainly went in chronological order of Kane’s life. The mystery of “Rosebud” kept me very attentive throughout the movie because I was constantly trying to figure out the mystery of it before it was revealed. Lastly, I thought it was funny when the random cockatoo appeared on screen and let out a terrifying screech.