Citizen Kane

Great film! Not, perhaps, the best film of all time, as it is frequently voted, but very good indeed. Despite its fame, I knew little about it before watching except the final twist (often-spoiled…but actually, despite its fame, the revelation changes very little about the film and none of its story, which would have been just as powerful without it), so was greatly entertained by this intricate portrait of a flawed but powerful man and his drive to make everything around him perfect. Great performances from various cast members, who I really believed were the various ages they played, and technically, it was superb – some of those shots were so beautiful, you can see how they influenced all that came after them. Bit baffled by that random squawking parrot, though. If there’s a flaw, it’s that the characters are a bit too broad, a bit too obvious and melodramatic for the mood evoked, but otherwise it’s a superb evocation of a time and place, and an excellent film. Peerless, though, is something I cannot possibly call it.