I have very little to say about this film that hasn't already been said, other than to reiterate that it really is as good as everyone says it is.
I think I was in high school the first time I saw it, and I liked it well enough, but it wasn't until I became a film student and somewhat versed in film history that I learned exactly how far forward Welles managed to push the cinematic form. The movie was released in 1941, and Welles was doing things with the structure and cinematography that American filmmakers frankly didn't start doing again until the 1970s. I can't think of another movie that was so far ahead of its time.
It's also just a damn good story. Charles Foster Kane is a fascinating character — arrogant, wounded, lonely, tyranical, tempestuous — and Welles challenges our empathy for him at every turn. He almost dares us to like him. And yet, the long, sad arc of Kane's life remains utterly heartbreaking. That's a testament to the power of the near-perfect screenplay and Welles's own showstopping performance.
The whole "Rosebud" thing has become one of those unfortunate iconic moments in film history that has devolved over the years into a sad cliché and parody of itself (not unlike Brando's "I could have been a contender" speech in "On the Waterfront"). But watch it in context — and think about Welles himself and where he ended up — and tell me it doesn't bring a tear to your eye.
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