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Citizen Kane : Special Edition [DVD] [1942]
 
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Citizen Kane : Special Edition [DVD] [1942]

DVD ~ Orson Welles
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

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Citizen Kane : Special Edition [DVD] [1942]
87% buy the item featured on this page:
Citizen Kane : Special Edition [DVD] [1942] 4.4 out of 5 stars (38)
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Product details

  • Actors: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick
  • Directors: Orson Welles
  • Writers: Orson Welles, Herman J. Mankiewicz
  • Producers: Orson Welles, George Schaefer
  • Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL, Special Edition
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Classification: U
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 21 Jul 2003
  • Run Time: 115 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00009B0R9
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,929 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The most acclaimed film in cinema history, Citizen Kane receives extra bolstering each time it tops a "greatest films ever" list. As a piece of filmmaking it ticks all the right boxes: a precociously talented director and lead actor in Orson Welles, Gregg Toland's innovative cinematography, a strong screenplay by Welles and Herman J Mankiewicz, rich scoring from Bernard Herrmann, and so on. For its time, it was technically groundbreaking, and laid out a blueprint for Hollywood filmmaking that's still influential. But, most importantly, as a viewing experience it's still one of the most mesmerising and beautiful films in existence. From its opening scenes--Kane's eerie Gothic mansion, his lone figure muttering the word "Rosebud" as he dies, journalists discussing the newsreel footage of his obituary--Kane lays out an enigma: who exactly was this man? Looping flashbacks build up a portrait of a contradictory figure who, despite living in the public eye, remained a mystery at heart.

A testament to the corrupting influence of money, fame and the media and at its centre the tale of a man in search of love, Citizen Kane is a personal tragedy on an epic scale. Technically, it's a lesson in filmmaking in itself whose daring aesthetics nonetheless remain unobtrusive. It's doubtful that a debut director will ever be given such free reign by a studio again and even if this happened, it's doubtful that such a masterpiece would be created.

On the DVD: Citizen Kane in this DVD special edition is beautifully remastered and comes with a feature illustrating the before and after of the restoration process. A 50-minute documentary, "Anatomy of a Classic", hosted by Barry Norman, delves into the making of the film as well as trying to deal with some of the myths that surround it, like the (untrue) rumour that Welles ran over both time and budget. Film historian Ken Barnes takes over for a commentary and Welles himself is featured in his controversial 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds and 1945 broadcast of The Happy Prince. A photo gallery, extensive cast and crew profiles, breakdown of all the films expenses and trailer round off this admirable package.--Laura Bushell

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:
Disc One

  • Remastered feature
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Moving menus
  • Animated chapters

Disc Two

  • Anatomy of a Classic presented by Barry Norman
  • Heart of Ages
  • 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast
  • The Happy Prince
  • 12 cast and crew profiles
  • The original production budget
  • Photo Gallery


See all Reviews

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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews
5 star:
 (26)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (1)
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 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars 'I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since I haven't thought of that girl', 2 Aug 2006
By Mr. A. E. Hall "brother_of_sadako" (Liverpool, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Citizen Kane has been considered the greatest film ever made on many an occasion. Is it worthy of such high esteem? Certainly! Is it the best movie ever made? No, but it is certainly not far off.

Let us for a second forget its influence on future cinema (which was considerable, with only Birth of a Nation even coming close) and look at it as just a film.

Orson Wells is unforgettable as Charles Foster Kane. He matures through the film from the infectious and enthusiastic editor of a struggling newspaper with his ill-fated 'declaration of principles' to the bombastic, fist-thumping political hopeful and then finally, the man in inexorable decline with a world that had ceased to listen. The other actors (many of whom were new to the screen) are also very good.

The directing is captivating (I use that word only because there exists no word in the English language to describe how good it really is) with the use of strong lighting on shadow hooking your eyes onto the screen, meaning you cannot turn away, 'Ludivgo Treatment' style. The script is also a dream (despite the fact that Orson Welles was not as big an influence as the crediting suggests).

I will also give a mention to a line that is very personal to me, which I mentioned in the title for good reason: 'One day in 1896 I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since I haven't thought of that girl'. There are many other wonderful lines, but I love this one because I bet there isn't a man alive who hasn't had that experience of that beautiful girl they only saw briefly, never spoke to but always remember.

Citizen Kane may or may not be the greatest film ever. One thing is for sure: There are only a handful of films that even come close.
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71 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed DVD publication, 6 Nov 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Citizen Kane [DVD] [1942] (DVD)
It goes without saying that this movie is a 20th century masterpiece from a cinematic and dramatic genius. Being a film that undoubtedly gains through repeated viewing it would seem a natural for the new digital medium. However this DVD release is marred by the quality of the print which looks like it could do with some serious restoration but more importantly by the abysmal quality of the DVD digitisation. It appears suspiciously as though this disc was produced from a 30 fps NTSC video master and standards converted to 25 fps PAL frame rates, badly. Consequently the viewer is almost constantly aware throughout the movie of the 'jaggies' caused by the TV interlace which is very prominent on edges, excessively so during movement. Frankly this not good enough for a 35mm movie of this importance and particularly so on a high priced DVD. It's release in this condition would seem at best cynical and at worst insulting to both the audience and the work of a great filmic artist. As if to underline the cheapskate nature of this release the disc lacks any additional supporting material in the form of interviews and documentary footage. This is all the more bizarre given this was such a controversial movie and one which led to the dramatic and untimely end of the directors Hollywood career. If you're a fan or even an ordinary movie goer and think you're going to enjoy the benefits of digital quality with this magnificent film you'll probably be disappointed. If it wasn't for the power of the movie story telling this disc would be practically unwatchable. Looks like the money grubbing bean counters have won out once again. Disgraceful.
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53 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Great film, abysmal DVD, 16 Sep 2002
By Michael Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Citizen Kane [DVD] [1942] (DVD)
The R2 version of Citizen Kane - the one with the yellow cover - has to be one of the worst DVDs ever. There's no extras, aside from the (rather good) trailer, and the picture and sound quality is truly awful.

For example, there's a scene near the end, where Kane as an old man is walking down a long flight of stairs. I swear, he appears to jump a dozen stairs in one go. That's how bad the picture quality has been mangled.

If you've got a multi-region player, go for the R1 Special Edition instead. Picture and sound have been massively cleaned up (Kane now walks down ALL of those stairs!), plus there's some cracking extras too.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pinnacle.
The most influential film of the twentieth century.Orson Welles directed with a style and innovation that set a benchmark for film makers throughout the 20th. Century. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Michael T. Lawlor

2.0 out of 5 stars Best or Bore?
Best movie ever made? It's an extravagant claim but people seem quite sure of making it. It's a claim made so often these days that it's almost come to be regarded as a fact... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Halcro Johnston

1.0 out of 5 stars Warning! Go for the right edition!

Watch out!

I bought this edition after reading the "Amazon.co.uk Review" above, where it says "On the DVD: Citizen Kane in this DVD special edition is... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Antonius Block

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 2-disc set
A couple of the negative reviews on this page are actually referring to a very poor earlier DVD; yet Amazon (in their wisdom) have posted them on this page! Read more
Published 10 months ago by N. C. Bateman

5.0 out of 5 stars The most influential movie ever made
Last year, the American Film Institue released their second poll declaring the 100 Greatest Films ever made. Citizen Kane, for the second time around, came in at number 1. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Vote for Pedro

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the cult, the myth
The natural question ,we have to wonder about when watching this film, in its new splendor after restoration, is whether Orson Welles did not try to make a movie about himself... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jacques COULARDEAU

5.0 out of 5 stars great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
where to begin???? many people get to caught up with "greatest film made" tag which of course is personal choice but what i would say is that any one who would see this film will... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Niall Macaulay

4.0 out of 5 stars a loser with much money
It's said this is the best film ever made. I don't discuss his objective quality, but life of Charles Foster Kane never interested me although yes, this a good movie, and one can... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Carlos Vazquez Quintana

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST FILM EVER MADE? Quite Possibly.
Despite the poor transfer etc it still blows me away to think this was made so long ago. This is how to make a film.
Published 17 months ago by AA

5.0 out of 5 stars THEY DON'T MAKE FILMS LIKE THIS ANYMORE
More movie review lists have awarded "Citizen Kane" the honor of being the best film ever made than any other film whatsoever..Deservedly so!! Why?... Read more
Published 19 months ago by stuart

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