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Rosebud

Today's movie was #1 on the AFI list, Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. According to Netflix:

Orson Welles reinvented movies at the age of 26 with this audacious biography of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane (in essence, a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst), who rises from poverty to become one of America's most influential men. A complex and technically stunning film, Citizen Kane is considered one of the best movies ever made.

I'm going to be completely honest here and say that I didn't really pay attention to the movie. I was reading articles for another class assignment, so I didn't get the full Citizen Kane experience.

And I think that that is why I didn't quite get it. Not the film. I understand the film. The satire, the story about journalism from 1890 to 1940, the sense of loss. I understand why the movie is considered one of the greatest of all time. The cinematography is amazing, the writing is good, the acting is great. But I don't think I'd put it at the top of my own list. I've heard that some people need to watch this movie 2 or 3 times before they can truly appreciate this film. Guess I'll have to watch it again, when I can offer it all my attention.

Oh, some random information regarding this movie: "Rosebud" was William Randolph Hearst's nickname for his wife genitalia.
Also, in the 1930s and 40s, film directors didn't get full say in their movies. They were basically just figureheads, and the studios got final say. However, RKO offered Orson Welles final cut, for his first movie. And they hated it. Welles was never offered final cut again...

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