Happy to see The Shawshank Redemption on the list if I remember correctly is didn't make it last time. Can someone explain to me why Citizen Kane always tops the Greatest Films list. I saw it a few years back and thought it was good but I didn't see why it was so highly praised.

Now that the bitterness has worn off, I'll say that on the whole I think it's a marked improvement from their first list. Seems to be less "LOOK HOW MONOLITHIC THIS MOVIE IS" you know? And instead they actually ranked movies, you know, according to how good they are. Do The Right Thing, Blade Runner, LOTR:FOTR (and aforementioned Shawshank Redemption) all making the cut adds a lot of variety and wins a lot of points from me. Would still be a lot better with Fantasia really high though

quote:

Originally posted by ryanryanryan102:
Happy to see The Shawshank Redemption on the list if I remember correctly is didn't make it last time. Can someone explain to me why Citizen Kane always tops the Greatest Films list. I saw it a few years back and thought it was good but I didn't see why it was so highly praised.

I think they put it at number one for several reasons. You have to remember their own criteria: besides being good and entertaining, it can (but not necessarily) be historically significant and highly-influential. Those last two are where Citizen Kane shines, especially among some who might not be familiar with pre-Kane movies.

There were other, earlier movies which used a non-linear story arc, fake documentaries, non-affected acting, deep focus cinematography, overlapping dialogue, striking photographic and musical composition, unusual editing techniques, based its story on a real person, etc., but Kane used all of them and used them in almost every scene to build up its rabid cult as a one-film cinema textbook.

The film remains entertaining and striking to this day, but I admit that I don't even think it's the best film of its year. However, when you add in the fact that Orson Welles was 25 when he made it and went up against William Randolph Hearst, one of the most powerful men of the time, who tried to have the film destroyed and never shown to anyone, it becomes an underdog who you want to cheer for. In that way, Kane predates the rock world's story of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by over 60 years.

Wow mark, you are one brilliantly smart guy--and I genuinely mean that.

Thanks.

I wanted to add something in my earlier post, but it didn't fit. Although Welles is revered as a cinematic giant, Citizen Kane was the only film he was allowed to make independently without interference by the studio or the moneymen. In that way, a shallow man like Hearst (whose Hearst Castle is still mind-boggling and definitely worth touring [probably even all four different ways]), did win out. The story of Welles' life and films after Citizen Kane just adds more to the Kane mystique.

yes indeed mark. A very well written pocket review of Kane's wonder.

Thank you for the explanation . I should probably watch it again since my knowledge of film and filmmaking(especially the technical aspects) has grown considerably since I last saw it. On a side note, I recently saw Welle's film version of Kafka's The Trial and thought the cinematography was great and very ahead of its time.

glad to see raging bull take such a drastic jump. Upset, however, to see a great film like on the waterfront take a plummet out of the top ten really troubles me. Glad to see the Godfather gaining steam. Give it till 2017 and the superb mafia tale will end up where it should be: #1. Also happy to see the AFI knows what REALLY was the best film of 1990 =)