Already
acknowledged as the greatest film of all time, there is little I could
say about CITIZEN KANE ($30) that would make any sort of a difference.
This monumental motion picture was the cinematic debut of Orson Welles,
who at the age of 24 had already achieved an amazing level of notoriety
on the stage and in radio. Given unprecedented control over his first
feature, Welles co-wrote, directed and starred in CITIZEN KANE,
a thinly disguised biography of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst,
which did not paint it’s subject in a particularly flattering light.
At
the time of its release, CITIZEN KANE was a controversial film,
which not well received by the film going public. Only over the course
of time did people come to recognize the brilliance of CITIZEN KANE.
Looking at the film now, one can clearly see that CITIZEN KANE
was a stylistically experimental film, which allowed Welles and cinematographer
Gregg Toland to push the envelope of motion picture photography. Like
the cinematography, the plot of CITIZEN KANE unfolds in a stylized
fashion. Utilizing flashbacks, the life of recently deceased newspaper
baron Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) takes shape like a jigsaw puzzle,
from a reporter’s interviews of the people closest to Kane. Supporting
Welles in front of the camera were the talents of Joseph Cotton, Dorothy
Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford,
Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart and George Coulouris.
Warner
Home Video has made CITIZEN KANE available on DVD in its proper
1.37:1 full screen aspect ratio. Warner’s black and white transfer is
the finest that has ever been available on home video. Utilizing a recently
unearthed film element, Warner has worked magic in the digital realm to
make the DVD presentation appear pristine and quite glorious. The image
is very sharp and highly detailed, which allows one to appreciate all
the wonderful textures contained in the costumes and sets. Blacks provide
the kind of pure, glossy appearance one expects from a classic black and
white film. Additionally, whites are completely stable and the contrast
is incredibly smooth. There is a wonderful distinctiveness in all the
shades of gray and the picture provides surprising shadow detail. Finally,
noticeable film grain is virtually absent from the presentation. Clean
dual layer authoring precluding the appearance of digital compression
artifacts.
For
this release, CITIZEN KANE is presented with a restored Dolby Digital
monaural soundtrack. The track is very clean sounding and is totally lacking
in hiss, pops, clicks hum and other forms of audible distortion. Certainly,
there are sonic limitations in audio recording that sixty years old, but
there is present nothing to distract the audience or remind them of the
film’s age. Despite the lessened fidelity inherent in 1940s audio recordings
Bernard Herrmann’s musical score has plenty of presence. Additionally,
dialogue reproduction maintains full intelligibility, plus the actors’
voices have a distinct sense of character to them.
Full
motion video, animation and sound enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as the two-disc set’s fine supplemental features.
To complement the movie itself, CITIZEN KANE includes two running
audio commentaries. The first is by film critic Roger Ebert, who provides
a thoughtful and somewhat entertaining discussion of the film that allows
his admiration for CITIZEN KANE to shine through. Next up is a
commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich, who was a friend to Orson Welles
in the later years of his life. Bogdanovich takes a more scholarly approach
in his discussion of CITIZEN KANE, but does also include personal
recollections of Welles himself in the commentary.
Also
included on disc one is newsreel footage of the New York premiere of CITIZEN
KANE, plus a theatrical trailer. Other supplements are broken down
into three sections The Production, Post Production
and Production Notes. The Production is presented
video fashion and includes storyboards; call sheets
and a still gallery, which features a narration by Roger
Ebert. Post Production is also presented video fashion and
includes deleted scenes, ad campaign, press
book and opening night. It should be noted that
the deleted scenes includes no actual footage, but still
photographs and storyboards of deleted material. Production Notes
is a straightforward text supplement that looks at various aspects of
the production of CITIZEN KANE.
Moving
over to disc two, we find THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE- the set’s
most interesting supplement. THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE is an
almost two hour documentary was originally broadcast on PBS as part of
their The American Experience television series. The film
provides rather extensive biographies of both Orson Welles and William
Randolph Hearts, as well documenting the unpleasantness that occurred
when with the production and release of CITIZEN KANE. THE BATTLE
OVER CITIZEN KANE is an absolute "must see" for any fan
of the film or its director/co-writer/star.
Warner
has done a tremendous job with their DVD edition of CITIZEN KANE.
The presentation is the absolute best that fans will seen in the home
venue, short of a high definition version of the film. The supplements
are truly excellent and will appeal to both film students and ordinary
fans of the greatest motion picture of all time. This DVD is absolutely
recommended.
Already
acknowledged as the greatest film of all time, there is little I could
say about CITIZEN KANE ($30) that would make any sort of a difference.
This monumental motion picture was the cinematic debut of Orson Welles,
who at the age of 24 had already achieved an amazing level of notoriety
on the stage and in radio. Given unprecedented control over his first
feature, Welles co-wrote, directed and starred in CITIZEN KANE,
a thinly disguised biography of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst,
which did not paint it’s subject in a particularly flattering light.
At
the time of its release, CITIZEN KANE was a controversial film,
which not well received by the film going public. Only over the course
of time did people come to recognize the brilliance of CITIZEN KANE.
Looking at the film now, one can clearly see that CITIZEN KANE
was a stylistically experimental film, which allowed Welles and cinematographer
Gregg Toland to push the envelope of motion picture photography. Like
the cinematography, the plot of CITIZEN KANE unfolds in a stylized
fashion. Utilizing flashbacks, the life of recently deceased newspaper
baron Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) takes shape like a jigsaw puzzle,
from a reporter’s interviews of the people closest to Kane. Supporting
Welles in front of the camera were the talents of Joseph Cotton, Dorothy
Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford,
Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart and George Coulouris.
Warner
Home Video has made CITIZEN KANE available on DVD in its proper
1.37:1 full screen aspect ratio. Warner’s black and white transfer is
the finest that has ever been available on home video. Utilizing a recently
unearthed film element, Warner has worked magic in the digital realm to
make the DVD presentation appear pristine and quite glorious. The image
is very sharp and highly detailed, which allows one to appreciate all
the wonderful textures contained in the costumes and sets. Blacks provide
the kind of pure, glossy appearance one expects from a classic black and
white film. Additionally, whites are completely stable and the contrast
is incredibly smooth. There is a wonderful distinctiveness in all the
shades of gray and the picture provides surprising shadow detail. Finally,
noticeable film grain is virtually absent from the presentation. Clean
dual layer authoring precluding the appearance of digital compression
artifacts.
For
this release, CITIZEN KANE is presented with a restored Dolby Digital
monaural soundtrack. The track is very clean sounding and is totally lacking
in hiss, pops, clicks hum and other forms of audible distortion. Certainly,
there are sonic limitations in audio recording that sixty years old, but
there is present nothing to distract the audience or remind them of the
film’s age. Despite the lessened fidelity inherent in 1940s audio recordings
Bernard Herrmann’s musical score has plenty of presence. Additionally,
dialogue reproduction maintains full intelligibility, plus the actors’
voices have a distinct sense of character to them.
Full
motion video, animation and sound enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as the two-disc set’s fine supplemental features.
To complement the movie itself, CITIZEN KANE includes two running
audio commentaries. The first is by film critic Roger Ebert, who provides
a thoughtful and somewhat entertaining discussion of the film that allows
his admiration for CITIZEN KANE to shine through. Next up is a
commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich, who was a friend to Orson Welles
in the later years of his life. Bogdanovich takes a more scholarly approach
in his discussion of CITIZEN KANE, but does also include personal
recollections of Welles himself in the commentary.
Also
included on disc one is newsreel footage of the New York premiere of CITIZEN
KANE, plus a theatrical trailer. Other supplements are broken down
into three sections The Production, Post Production
and Production Notes. The Production is presented
video fashion and includes storyboards; call sheets
and a still gallery, which features a narration by Roger
Ebert. Post Production is also presented video fashion and
includes deleted scenes, ad campaign, press
book and opening night. It should be noted that
the deleted scenes includes no actual footage, but still
photographs and storyboards of deleted material. Production Notes
is a straightforward text supplement that looks at various aspects of
the production of CITIZEN KANE.
Moving
over to disc two, we find THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE- the set’s
most interesting supplement. THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE is an
almost two hour documentary was originally broadcast on PBS as part of
their The American Experience television series. The film
provides rather extensive biographies of both Orson Welles and William
Randolph Hearts, as well documenting the unpleasantness that occurred
when with the production and release of CITIZEN KANE. THE BATTLE
OVER CITIZEN KANE is an absolute "must see" for any fan
of the film or its director/co-writer/star.
Warner
has done a tremendous job with their DVD edition of CITIZEN KANE.
The presentation is the absolute best that fans will seen in the home
venue, short of a high definition version of the film. The supplements
are truly excellent and will appeal to both film students and ordinary
fans of the greatest motion picture of all time. This DVD is absolutely
recommended.
