Movie Minx

Starring: Orson Welles
Directed by: Orson Welles

Plot: Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

But is it any good?

This remains my favourite movie. Out of context it is a powerful biopic-style film of a media baron. In context it is a powerful biopic-style film of a media baron, based around the life of William Randolf Hearst who condemned the film, written and directed by, and starring, a mid-20s Orson Welles. The movie was hardly a roaring success when released. Welles himself went on to become much like Kane himself – a lonely old recluse.

So who is Kane? In the first scene we (from the camera’s perspective) travel past the forbidding fences into his opulent Xanadu palace and see a withered old man whisper “Rosebud” just before he dies, dropping a clutched snowglobe which shatters on the ground. The media then flocks around trying to uncover the secret of this final utterance and one reporter begins to sift through Kane’s past via a series of interviews. We learn of a small boy given by his mother to a rich guardian; an idealistic young journalist who changes the face of daily news; a wannabe politician who loses passion for his first wife and shows a soft side for a young singer; a pushy media baron who must have everything his own way, driving away those around him.

What makes this film so special in my eyes is the intimate journey through someone’s life, a journey back in time to find out who he really was and his biggest regret. His life is narrated by those who knew him, mostly in flashback mode, revealing him tale by tale through different eyes and explaining how his character was shaped by life events. The poignant story, plus the cinematic techniques that were new at the time (eg. the deep-focus) and Welles’ powerful direction and acting, make this a movie I think is worth watching again and again.

IMDb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 10/10