Film Club: Simon Callow on Citizen Kane

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Image courtesy of How To Academy.

The reputation of Citizen Kane dwarfs every other classic of world cinema.

Tokyo Story, Vertigo, The Godfather: other films may appear on occasion at the top of the critical listings, but they are only pretenders to Kane’s crown. Even those of us who have never seen the film know of its ingenious, time-bending structure, revolutionary deep-focus photography, and legendary twist ending.

David Fincher’s Mank offers a scintillating account of the Kane’s creation, mining the rich psychological and political tensions of golden age Hollywood, and transporting us inside the mansions of media magnates and into the minds of maverick, alcoholic screenwriter Herman Mankowitz and wunderkind Orson Welles.

But what was the true story of how Kane came to be made, and how did this commercial failure come to be regarded as the most critically acclaimed Hollywood movie ever made? What does Kane’s legacy mean for cinema today? And what are we to make of the reputations of its creators?

In this livestream talk, award-winning actor and biographer of Welles, Simon Callow, will tell the story of the making of Citizen Kane employing both his insight’s as an insider to the movie business and the scrutiny of an accomplished cultural historian. It’s an unmissable treat for cinephiles everywhere.

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