The film Citizen Kane (1941) is regarded as the best movie of our times. The creators of this movie used very innovative techniques for that time.
First of all, the narrative technique of the film was very innovative: the whole film is made by a number of flashbacks as if it was made by the short newsreels. The movie begins with the death of the main character, and then the audience is shown the retrospective of his life, from his childhood up to his last days. This not-linear structure makes the audience more attentive and interested in events because it is like a puzzle, which is gathered together in a single and complex picture. The audience is not just listening or watching a life story. They are getting to know interesting and the most memorable moments of the main hero’s life. One of the interesting techniques here is that in the very beginning of the movie, the reporter has an aim: to find out what the last word of this man means. And at the end of the film, we understand the meaning and guess a riddle. Speaking about the filmmaking techniques, there are two of them, the most impressive. First of all, it is the use of the so-called low-angle shots when the ceiling appears in the shot. It was quite unexpected for me because I can’t remember a lot of examples of such a thing. The other technique that impressed me is the use of so-called “deep focus,” when everything, the foreground, and background, is equally seen, i.e., in a sharp focus. I didn’t notice it at once; I can’t actually remember the precise episode when I became aware of the fact that everything is seen untypically well. And it is very interesting, for we are used to the foreground in the sharp focus and background is uncertain, or vice versa; and in this film, we see all the details distinctly. Another interesting move of the film creators is the last scene: when the stuff of Kane is burnt down, among which we find the clue to the riddle – “Rosebud,” Kane’s sled. And the film ends with the same vision it was started the plate “NO TRESPASSING.” To my mind, this ending shows us that most human life can be unnoticeable in terms of the whole of humanity: we see nothing changes before and after the death of Kane – there is that plate on the gate. That great mention was still there with that plate, even without its inhabitant. But another message of this film is people choose their destiny, and they must live their lives carefully: having simple happy moments instead of making a lot of money, which are not even used properly, for that luxury which surrounded Kane was unnecessary even for him because he didn’t have someone to share his fortune with.
This film can be called old, but it can never be regarded as outdated. First of all, the idea of the film (to reach the real values of life, and not to chase for money, losing one’s heart and soul) remains very important nowadays, because the problems revealed in this movie are eternal. And as for the filmmaking techniques, it is necessary to say that a lot of modern filmmakers can and even should learn from Citizen Kane how to create a really good movie.