pippin06
Posts 463
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3/18/2006 11:29 AM
posted awhile ago
Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
The American Film Institute thought so in its "100 Greatest Films" compiled in 1998.
When I learned that, I disagreed. I felt that the film at No. 2, Casablanca, was more deserving. While Citizen Kane was a groundbreaking film in many respects, it was also pedantic and pretentious in many ways. I also don't find it entertaining and engrossing...I was a little bored waiting for the "Rosebud" payoff.
Casablanca, however, is perhaps the greatest romantic film ever created. It is one of the most quote-worthy films ever produced. It has wonderful performances by Bogie and Ingrid Bergman. It has everything a movie should be - it can't even be classified as a "chick flick" because it's vastly popular among men, thanks to its not-corny or predictable ending. It's a tragic love story in a way but also a story of hope and redemption and closure.
What do you think? Or, do you think the other top 10 entries were better yet: The Godfather (3), Gone with the Wind (4), Lawrence of Arabia (5), The Wizard of Oz (6), The Graduate (7), On the Waterfront (8), Schindler's List (9), and Singin' in the Rain (10).
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Risselada
Posts 1532
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9/7/2007 2:02 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
 pippin06:I was a little bored waiting for the "Rosebud" payoff.
Would you really call that a payoff?
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pippin06
Posts 463
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9/7/2007 4:00 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
Well, no. That was me being a little sarcastic, I think, again, because of course I'd always heard the reference to Rosebud, and then realizing what it referred to (at least the image that was associated with it....not spoiling for those who haven't seen it) was anticlimactic to me on so many levels. Even if it was all a visual metaphor. Yeah, see, the more I reflect on it, the more I'm convinced about my feelings about this movie. Sigh.
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Risselada
Posts 1532
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9/7/2007 5:06 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
pippin06: (at least the image that was associated with it....not spoiling for those who haven't seen it) was anticlimactic to me on so many levels.
I thought it was supposed to be
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joem18b
Posts 597
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9/7/2007 5:48 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
Casablanca was knocked off on the lot with no particular cinematic values and no ending in mind until the last minute. Perhaps its popularity is of the "Shawshank" type. Whereas Citizen Kane is fraught with cinematic stuff that the average viewer can know nothing of , similar to "Transformers."
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pippin06
Posts 463
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9/7/2007 5:54 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
Really? Hm. Well, I suppose that would make sense in a way, if it's all meant to be some sort of caricature of certain historical figures and subversively tongue-in-cheek. It doesn't help me like the movie any better, though, because the rest of it was so boring. Still, maybe I should watch it again. It's been probably about 10 years since I saw it last. Maybe my opinion would change with a second viewing now that I'm (theoretically) more mature in my movie-viewing tastes....though I remember it pretty clearly. Hm.
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pippin06
Posts 463
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9/7/2007 5:58 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
joem18b: Casablanca was knocked off on the lot with no particular cinematic values and no ending in mind until the last minute. Perhaps its popularity is of the "Shawshank" type. Whereas Citizen Kane is fraught with cinematic stuff that the average viewer can know nothing of , similar to "Transformers."
Phfffft. I'm not an average viewer, so it would be interesting if I can "grasp" the cinematic stuff in Transformers if and when I decide to see that flick. ;-) As for Casablanca and Shawshank, I love em both. What can I say?
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joem18b
Posts 597
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9/7/2007 10:18 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
Just to expand on my point, it's hard for me to figure out how to judge the relative values of two movies so dissimilar as Citizen Kane and Casablanca. One is designed as pure entertainment and obviously is totally successful as such. The other is meant to be "art."
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pippin06
Posts 463
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9/8/2007 9:04 AM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
Perhaps. The initial post in this thread, though, is whether you think Kane is the greatest movie of all time. The AFI has said so, twice now. I judge Casablanca to be a better movie,but that was only my example. While it may have been intended for pure entertainment, I'd say it still qualifies as art, so I can look at it on that level. Really, I'm more impressed with Casablanca's story and performances, but that's just me. However, you don't have to pick that one. Maybe there's another movie you find to be intended as "art" that you'd like to compare. Or, maybe you think any other movie qualifies, such as one of the other listed movies. Or, maybe you agree with the AFI and seemingly several other people (I know I'm in a minority here), that Kane is the greatest. That was the intention of this post. Casablanca was just my greatest movie. Or, The Empire Strikes Back, which never makes any greatest list. <shrug>
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joem18b
Posts 597
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9/8/2007 1:11 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Is Citizen Kane the greatest movie of all time?
Sorry. I was just surfing and didn't read the thread from the beginning. I printed out the AFI ballot the other day but I can't remember its format. To rank movies, I'd need some sort of scoring matrix to fill out; otherwise, I wouldn't know where to begin. Since a movie's primary task is to entertain, you might expect that the most entertaining movies would rank highest. I don't hear many claiming that Citizen Kane is the most entertaining movie ever made, though.
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