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

DVD ~ Orson Welles
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Citizen Kane : Special Edition [DVD] [1942]
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Citizen Kane : Special Edition [DVD] [1942] 4.7 out of 5 stars (14)
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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: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00009B0R9
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,349 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
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:    (0)
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 (2)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 15 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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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Genius on display, 18 Nov 2003
The awful truth is that Citizen Kane is a brilliant movie, no matter what else can be said of it.
The nice thing about this edition is that it comes packed with helpful information about what makes this movie so brilliant, such as the critical appraisal or the commentary soundtrack.
The acting is very interesting as well, as most of the cast are stage actors. This allows for a more relaxed visual experience with long, stable shots and an emphasis on the characters and their surroundings. This was quite refreshing to me in a time when movies quite often detoriate into hyperkinetic camerawork.
I really enjoyed the movie and would therefore recommend it to everyone who thinks watching a movie can be like reading a brilliant book.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Movie of All Time?, 14 Aug 2003
By A Customer
As someone who had never seen "The Greatest Movie of All Time" I was sceptical. Having watched it several times know, it's amazing how the more you watch it, the more you realise where other movies have paid reverence to it. An intriguing story, wonderful camera work and ground breaking effects. The greatest movie tag will always be a personal thing but Citizen Kane has got my vote.

As a DVD the quality of the film is excellent, no dust or scratches and it looks like a film should rather than the almost tv feel that some restorations have. The 2 DVDs are full of great features, with imaginative moving menus throughout. The inclusion of the War of the World's radio broadcast is a bonus,the biographies are thorough and interesting and the documentary by Barry Norman delves deeply into the making of the film. A great package at a very fair price.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

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 20 months ago by Jacques COULARDEAU

5.0 out of 5 stars the best film ever
Not only is this the best film of all time, it is so far in front of every other it will never come off the top spot (unless by some miracle a new film is made which is so... Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2006 by Nr J. Colton

5.0 out of 5 stars Citizen Kane - masterpiece.
Citizen Kane made quantum leaps in the cinematic art when it first came out. first, Welles invented surrealism in film. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2006 by Chris Andronicou

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite films of all time.
This amazing and absolutely outstanding film looks tremendous in this brand new print. In my view, this film set a benchmark that changed and lifted the barriers in film-making... Read more
Published on 31 May 2006 by film fan

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosebud has flowered into a Chelsea Gold Winner
It is difficlt to find anything to say about this brilliant film.
The amazing cinamatography,directing,script,and acting all by Welles at a remarkably young age put this... Read more
Published on 17 April 2006 by Mr. P. J. R. LEWIS

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer genius that can be misunderstood.
I can understand one of the postings here considering this to be worthy of only one star. I too thought it was a load of overrated, boring nonsense that couldn't stand the test of... Read more
Published on 3 April 2006 by M. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Standing the test of time
This movie was released in 1941 and has emphatically lasted the test of time, so much so that many critics still today tout it as the greatest of all time. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2006

3.0 out of 5 stars Far from the greatest movie of all time
I can never decide what my favourite film, book, album etc of all time are, but this definitely isn't a great film. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2005 by A. Houghton

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Movie Ever
Without a doubt Citizen Kane is without a doubt the greatest movie ever, its perfect, it is a hugely memorable classic that is better than any rubbish American Pie of any other... Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2004 by J. Conway

5.0 out of 5 stars A wrong is finally righted!
The orginal UK R2 release of Citizen Kane was a wretched affair. Look out for it in bargain bins now. It's got a yellow cover, in a clear plastic case. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2003 by Michael Brown

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