http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/?ref_=sr_1
From 1941 comes a film that many consider the best picture ever made. Orson Welles was a visionary. He directed, helped write the screenplay and starred in it (can anyone today do that, and it not become a rank vanity project?).
I'll gladly admit many scholars have de-constructed this film, reviewers with better credentials than mine. I resisted watching it for years because I tend to do that when mass amounts of people say "this is the best ever" or "you gotta see this, 'cause everybody else has". I finally started it, and it is impressive.
Welles is so versatile and confident on-screen (can you believe he was what, 25 or 26 years old when the movie was released?). You can almost see the glee on his face as he dove into this role. He's not quite "chewing the scenery", but he's larger than life in his every scene.
When the cast includes Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Everett Sloane and Ray Collins, they made the script come to life. Speaking of script, Welles and Herman Mankiewicz shared the Academy Award for Best Writing for their efforts in this movie.
There is some sadness in the movie. There is some arch humor. There are unique camera angles that must have been mind-blowing in '41. The dialogue is crisp and smart. You even see Welles dance. I enjoyed this film, and will watch it again and again.
"Casablanca" is still my all-time favorite film, but "Citizen Kane" is a triumph of movie-making.
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