Why do critics praise Citizen Kane as ‘Being the greatest film ever made?’

Intro:

Citizen Kane features techniques that have been the main influence for mainstream films even today and have had a long-term influence on the way films are produced. Orson Welles discovered new ways of structuring actors and camera angles to add deeper emphasis on the roles and relationships of the characters. Most notable was his use of deep focus that consisted of other techniques with lighting, composition, and type of camera lens.

Techniques such as these were new to the typical 1940s audience and therefore was not as well recognized by critics at the time. To a more modern audience ‘Citizen Kane’ is now being praised as being ‘the greatest movie of all time’ by fans and critics for its storytelling, visual style, and editing style Orson Welles integrated throughout the film (montage, dissolves, etc). Citizen Kane’s influence can be spotted in modern films such as ‘The other side of the wind (2018)’ and ‘There will be blood (2007)’. Orson Welles was just 25 when he produced Citizen Kane and with the cinematographer, Gregg Toland, and the editor, Robert Wise under Welle’s direction the film gained its reputation as groundbreaking and innovative from its time.

Conc.

I believe Citizen Kane’s attention and praise from critics derive from its use of new filming techniques to tell its story. The film introduced new ways of using cinematography and editing to influence the meaning of a storyline and in turn, influenced dozens of other films. After the decades since its release, it received the appraise it never had during its years of release. Welles stained the film industry with his detailed and technical style. Now it’s being referred to as the ‘greatest film of all time’.

Refs:

https://screenrant.com/citizen-kane-best-movie-all-time-why

https://www.sparknotes.com/film/citizenkane/section2

https://screenrant.com/10-films-apart-from-mank-to-watch-if-you-liked-citizen-kane/