The question isn't whether Citizen Kane is one of the greatest films ever made; that's a given.

The
question is whether it's the greatest. The American Film Institute thinks it is, voting it to their number-
one spot. Not bad for a movie that failed when it first hit the screen. In any case, it's a self-
recommending film, and I'm not here to tell you to buy it. Let me just say I can't imagine anyone even
remotely interested in cinematography not buying it. Warner Brothers give their new DVD edition every
advantage a classic movie of this stature should get: newly remastered picture and sound, two full audio
commentaries, a documentary as long as the film, and a ton of peripheral material all contained in a
two-disc package.

As everyone probably knows, co-writer, producer, and director Orson Welles based his story on the real
publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, his fictional character of Charles Foster Kane closely
imitating the personal and professional life of the famous newspaperman in not altogether flattering
terms. The resemblance was so startling, in fact, that Hearst, who controlled a good number of the
country's media outlets in 1941, tried everything he could to stop the movie from ever being seen. The
disc's accompanying documentary. "The Battle Over Citizen Kane," does a good job detailing the
controversy surrounding Hearst's attempts to suppress the film, which was made on a modest budget at
RKO. Hearst even tried to buy the negatives (with the help of his pal, MGM's Louis B. Mayer), and when
that failed he refused to allow any of his newspapers or radio stations to run ads for it. By the time the
film opened the general public were either brainwashed into believing it was a loser or didn't get a
chance to see it at all thanks to its limited distribution. It wouldn't be for another decade or two before
the movie was re-evaluated and began appearing in art houses and college classrooms as a true classic
of the silver screen.

Obviously, books have been written on the merits of Citizen Kane. Let me just mention in passing that,
while it breaks little new ground, it does bring together a number of film-making techniques that had
been in various stages of development previously. For example, the movie refines the use of narrative
point of view and flashback storytelling: emphasizes psychological lighting, light and shade (chiaroscuro),
and deep- focus photography; embraces a soundtrack of amazingly wide dynamics for its time; provides
frequent instances of overlapping and interruptive dialogue; employs complex and elaborate camera
work, unique camera angles, abrupt cuts, multiple exposures, special effects, and agonizing dissolves;
uses mirrors, mirroring, and mirrored scenes and imagery extensively; and incorporates numerous other
examples of modern cinematography and storytelling in general. The result is a cinematic masterpiece
that's just as dazzling to watch today as it was over six decades ago. That it has influenced almost every
film-maker since is hard to dispute.

Warners' special two-disc set (which does not advertise itself as a "special edition" but most definitely is
one, a nice touch of modesty for a big studio) includes a multitude of valuable bonus features. Disc one
contains the feature film, accompanied by the choices of two audio commentaries. The first is with film
director and Welles biographer Peter Bogdanovich, who has spoken lovingly before on the subject of his
hero and sometime mentor. The second commentary is with film critic Roger Ebert, who spares us no
apologies in his unabashed affection for the movie. Both men supply knowledgeable insights, behind-
the-scenes anecdotes, and revealing observations on the film-making process. In addition to the
commentaries there's a 1941 movie premiere newsreel, a gallery of storyboards, rare photos, alternate
ad campaigns. studio correspondence, call sheets, and other memorabilia; thirty-one scene selections;
and a theatrical trailer.

Disc two contains the wonderful 1995 PBS documentary, "The Battle Over Citizen Kane," which is almost
as long at 113 minutes as the two-hour feature film itself. The documentary, of course, chronicles the
struggles between Hearst and Welles over the film and its content, two titans of their time in a clash of
super-egos. Today, Hearst is a footnote, Welles a curiosity, and Citizen Kane a monument. The movie
outlives them both.

It's been written that the 1941 Academy Awards audience hissed and booed the film's nine Oscar
nominations-for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Writing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing,
Scoring, and Sound Recording. It managed only to win for its screenplay, mainly, it's surmised. because it
was co-written by Mankiewicz. The movie made Orson Welles forever a living legend, yet because of the
movie's unwarranted notoriety he was also forever an outcast in Hollywood. As an aside, William
Randolph Hearst III, the old man's grandson, said in 1985 that he had always enjoyed Citizen Kane and
that Welles was invited to visit the Hearst Castle, San Simeon, anytime he pleased "on my tab." I
suppose time heals all wounds. In the case of Citizen Kane, time and technology have also helped
improve upon a good thing.