Seldom seen on the big screen in recent years, Welles’ witty, gripping film famously views the controversial life of the late Charles Foster Kane (Welles) – a media tycoon partly inspired by William Randolph Hearst – from the sometimes contradictory perspectives of his friends, employees and mistress. It’s an extraordinary work, not just technically (Gregg Toland's cinematography, Bernard Herrmann's score, the editing, design and quietly bravura direction are all superb); but in its dramatic sophistication and thematic richness. An affecting meditation on memory, self-knowledge, solitude and mortality; a wry reflection on fame, fortune and the spirit of America; an exhilarating exploration of the artistic possibilities of the film medium - Citizen Kane is all this… and so very much more.
via www.bfi.org.uk
This is Welles' original trailer for the movie, which the BFI is putting on cinema release on 30th October 09. Somewhat off-piste for this blog of course, but watch the trailer and you'll be - in terms of the dreary fodder we are often obliged to call entertainment - immediately refreshed.
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