What is your favorite movie?

I couldn´t realize the magnitude of this movie when I seen it for the first time, but my childish mind got all excited by the perspective of solving the puzzle and finding the real meaning of Rosebud.
Soon enough I watched it again and I got amazed by the way Welles contructs Kane´s personality in front of our eyes. By the flashbacks it´s possible to see how Kane had the world at his feet but couldn´t have one thing back: his childhood.
It´s a very touching story especially when Kane locks himself from the exterior world in Xanadu. I think it teaches a great moral lesson of how money can´t bring hapiness. A must see, the classic of the classics.

It tells us, reminds us of what we lost in our childhood and which will never be recovered back. It represents to me the innocence in our young lives.

Well, no, but I do consider Citizen Kane to be the greatest film ever made. As for the rest of the top 100, we have room to disagree. I think another Welles movie should be on that list: The Magnificent Ambersons. Incredible work!

Its the best movie ever.

See it once a month for at least three months, and then no explanation from me or anyone else should be necessary why it the truly great Hollywood film.

I have to agree with the list and say that Citizen Kane is the best film of all time. However I have a top 40 list and a few of my favorite films don’t appear on the AFI list and they are,
AMADEUS
THE RIGHT STUFF
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
AVALON
SHAKESPERE IN LOVE
THE PLAYER
JFK
THE MATRIX

Maybe these films will get there next time.

Citizen Kane will always be in the number one spot, the concept and presentation are without equal. You fail to mention other great Welles films on your list such as “Touch of Evil” and “The Third Man”. tHe following films I disagree and feel they are on your list to placate the masses, many great films are missing such as “The English Patient”, “Barton Fink”, “Pitch Black” , “The Good , The Bad and the Ugly” ( it’s really an American film, not Italian per se )to name a few. The trash on your list include “Tootsie” ( any actor could have pulled this off, “Victor Victoria ” was better ), “Saving Private Ryan” ( a grandiose film knock-off of the “Four Sullivans” very Hollywoodish. I would raise “Shawshank Redemption” and “Unforgven” much higher. I would have included “Swingblade”.Why “Titanic” is on there is purely box office success,very little thought went into that film. “Ben Hur” needs to be higher, “Khartoum” needs to be there. Where is “Lion in Winter”? Where finally is any horror represented like Jack Nicholson’s “The Shining” or Jamie Lee Curtis’s first “Halloween”. I do appreciate your effort and thought…….Aragorn

iT CONTINUES TO BE NUMBER ONE FOR LOTS OF REASONS - BUT NO ONE BUT ORSON WELLES HAS EVER SHOWN A MARRIAGE FROM ITS START TO ITS END LIKE HIS 3 MIN. SCENE AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE. IT IS PURE GENIUS. HIS FOLLOWUP FILM THE AMBERSONS IS ALSO A VERY UNDER RATED FILM. EVEN THE MOVIE CRITIC BOSWELL CROWTHERS OF THE NY TIMES IN HIS 1941 REVIEW OF THE FILM WAS OVERWHELMED BY ITS GENIUS AND MAYBE THE ONLY FILM HE HAD EVER REVIEWED WHERE HE SAID EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT.

It is one of the millions I love but this one is enough to grab the attention of anyone. The movie proves greatness and Orson Welles is superb. One of the greatest to display such explicitary.

How can Citizen Kane be rated the best movie when it did NOT win the Academy Award for best film?

Well, I would tell you my favorite movie but, you did it for me!!!
GOOD choice…My 2nd best is Gone With The Wind
Linsueman@aol.com

Citizen Kane is not only a movie. It is also an EVENT movie. In a class by itself, it redefined what the art of movie making was all about. It’s hard to find any flaws with it, being in it’s acting, producing, directing, or any other aspect. It is a movie that broke all the rules and created some of it’s own. The only movie ever made that must be seen by anyone who is even remotely interested in watching movies.

This is the greatest most spectacular film of all time. The director is a genius. I mean honestly who else can tell the story of a sled so ravishingly. I was absolutley on the edge of my seat. I kept guessing was it a dog, a cat, perhaps a childhood friend, but when the truth was revealed i jumped out of my seat. There is really only one thing to say about this masterpiece and it was said best when at the end of the film the person next to me turned and said, “so what, this was about a sled?”

Somewhat overrated - Is NOT the best movie ever made. Theree are better films in the top ten.

I have to say while the list is not perfect, that at least it will generate some interesting conversations. My quibbles are that it does not include any of David Lynch’s films, no John Sayles and is not representative of women or minorities who have been influential on the American film scene. That being said, I have to agree that Citizen Kane is by far the most important American film ever made. From its use of technique a’ la the deep focus cinematography of Gregg Toland to its biting political edge, it is easily one of the “great” films ever made globally.
The really impressive thing about this film is that it allows the viewer to have a new experience and interpretation with each viewing and not all films are crafted for such a purpose. In addition it could be argued that the film was responsible for everything that follows in American cinema: film noir, the political films of the 1970s, the belief that the director can in fact have vision and craft art. It is the film that has inspired countless directors and lead many scholars to want to write and think about film in a serious fashion and for these and many more reasons, it is one of America’s most important films.

I just have to agree with the experts that Welles’ masterpiece remains one of the most influential and innovative cinema works ever.
But I have a question about the makeup of the list, described as the 100 Greatest. The TV special made it clear they are the top 100 American films…i.e. Hollywood. Which means foreign classics like METROPOLIS and BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN don’t qualify. But what about great films like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and THE THIRD MAN (now deleted regrettably)? Are they not British? So is the list the greatest English-language films, or do titles like this qualify because there was U.S investment money involved?

After watching last night’s show, !00 Greatest American Films (10th Anniversary 2007), I really understand why Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made, because without it we would never have any of the other great films on this list. It is the ultimate film in American Film History, and I was glad to see movies like The Shawshank Redemption make it on and great films like Vertigo move up, and overrated films like Forrest Gump move down, but i was ultimately happy that Citizen Kane remained the king on the list, it truly is a landmark film and we would nto be where we are without it, the only thing that made me very unhappy was to see that The Lord Of The Rings made it on the list of the 100 Greatest films, it was bad enough that the Academy gave them a nomination, never mind, Best Picture of ‘03 over Mystic River, but to put it on the list when I could think of at least 100 other movies that could take that spot, but I’m just glad that Citizen Kane help his ground as the best film ever, and it should always keep it’s place at the top of every move list especially AFI’s. I mean, there literally isn’t anything that this movie doesn’t have besides violence, so besides that there is nothing missing but it doesn’t need it because it is not that kind of movie, but honestly this move is so great and those of you that have not seen it and those that bash it, and have not seen it, see it. Because this move is the “GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME!!!!”

So many layers of meaning.
So many astounding techniques.
So many great performances

It has to be Kane. There are other movies that I love, but none which I think about so often. It’s not just that Kane changed film forever, it’s not just the undeniable magnetism of Welles’ filmmaking and personality, it’s so much more. I genuinely love this movie. The story, the performances, everything. There’s simply nothing else like it.

Citizen Kane is definitely the greatest, no one so far can pass over its height. I think the best film in recent years is United 93, and I also love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) very much. This is my list:

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. Casablanca (1943)
4. Chinatown (1974)
5. Gone With the Wind (1939)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
8. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
9. Psycho (1960)
10. Sing’in in the Rain (1952)
11. Raging Bull (1980)
12. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
13. Some Like It Hot (1959)
14. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
15. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
16. On the Waterfront (1954)
17. All About Eve (1950)
18. Star Wars (1977)
19. Grapes of Wrath (1940)
20. United 93 (2006)
21. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
22. Vertigo (1958)
23. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
24. Wizard of Oz (1939)
25. Double Indemnity (1944)

This is the greatest movie ever made. The one that changed it all. What can you say about Orson Welles that hasn’t been said? Kudos to AFI for naming it the greatest film of all time. I can’t see anything overtaking it for number one on June 20 due to the simple fact that this is the greatest film ever made. Here’s what I think the greatest American movies of all time are:

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
3. CASABLANCA (1942)
4. THE GODFATHER (1972)
5. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
6. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
7. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
8. TITANIC (1997)
9. STAR WARS (1977)
10. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. VERTIGO (1958)
12. RAGING BULL (1980)
13. CHINATOWN (1974)
14. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
15. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
16. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
17. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
18. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
19. THE GRADUATE (1967)
20. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
21. SUNRISE (1927)
22. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
23. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
24. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
25. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)

Best movie ever made.

I was introduced to Orson’s albatross in a high school film class & I’ve continued to enjoy it ever since. Sometimes, it is a simple viewing, & other times it is a continuing film class, as something catches my attention I hadn’t noticed before.

The crowning achievement of what can be accomplished when Hollywood pulls its vast resources together.

Citizen Kane bears the mark of true greatness: everything that came before was made obsolete and everything that came after bears its mark. Without Citizen Kane and the landmark achievements in filmmaking that it represents there would be no Star Wars or The Godfather or Lord of the Rings.

The film which all other films are measured by.

Being a movie buff from age 1, I grew up loving movies. all kinds from any age or decade. In the years of growing up, movies i liked i always thought were good, unil my early college years I discovered Citizen Kane. This film is all about the wonderful tricks of the trade a director can use, and all in the context of the story.

Welles uses deep focus shots, faked news reel footage, perspective shots, make-up, and let us not forget the wonderful performances that tie Kane all up in the proud, truest film of the American cinema.

Newer film makers should watch and rewatch Citizen Kane to understand that special effects don’t over shadow the story or technique gets lost, everything works because it was designed to. If anything, Citizen Kane is a model for how studios should treat real directors-alone, and what becomes of constant prefectionism.

AFI’s number 1 movie of American cinema is mine as well as it should remain.
By: Jon Peters

I didn’t actually bother to see this movie until about six months ago, thinking it would be great for its time but also very dated. I also heard it was hard to watch. Boy, was I wrong.

“Citizen Kane” is the great achievement of a generation, and it moved film leaps and bounds ahead of what it was previously. Never before has a single movie moved the industry forward so much.

Plus, it is just flat out entertaining. It’s emotionally wretching to watch, which is good, a story about a man with a flaw that not only makes him great but also makes him poor. It shows how you can achieve everything in this world and still achieve nothing.

How I discovered the best film of all time.

When AFI announced the first 100 greatest movies I had never seen Citizen Kane. It looked boring to me. Then I rented it at Blockbuster and thought it was pretty good. Then I watched it again and again and now I think it is great even though all black and white movies look the same to me.
By: Joe Philips

Changed the way movies where made and opened a new horizon for film.

Until this movie was made, movies where told from start to finish. They also where very bland and shot with very few camera angles. This film dared to go beyond just making a good old American film. It took film to the next level, with there intricate camera arrangements to its risky take on a very influential news paper mogal.

Orson Wells was a master of theater and brought a bright new light to film. His ability to fool the viewers into thinking that the camera did not exist was amazing. I am refering to such shots as the scene before meeting susan Alexander Kane in the night club and the opening scene when the light from the castle is always in the same spot. These where among many of him and Greg Tolands masterful ideas. The movie has one of the best beginnings among all films and sets the mood for the rest of the film. After hearing one of the most memoriable lines in a movie “Rosebud”, you are taken on a journey through memories of past mixed with present day. Through these array of stories you are trying to find the meaning of this word “Rosebud”. Through ups and downs the reporter on the task of finding this meaning of the word, seems to have found out nothing of it, but almost everything else of Charles Foster Kane. The ending is great it finally reveals the meaning of “Rosebud” as a sled Charles Foster Kane owned as a kid. Showing that of all the things he owned he missed his childhood the most.

This move went through many battles with William Randolph Hearst. Hearst tried his best to bash this movie in every movie review his papers wrote. It seemed to work for the time. The movie was never really accliamed that high until years after. The struggle behind this movie and the great ideas that Orson Wells, Herman J. Mankiewicz and Greg Toland put to the screen shaped the way movies where made from then on. There are many movies now that jump from past and present quiet frequently. Thank you Orson Wells for always testing the American public to take on the biggest of tasks.
By: Johnny Rogers

The lighting and shadows make this epic film a masterpiece for all times.

The lighting and shadows make this epic film a masterpiece for all times.
By: Paul Nezzio