8.5 out of 10
Although I will never fully agree with the AFI's claim that Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time, I do agree that this drama, or almost noire film is a work of art, and is no doubt a contender for at least a place in the top thirty. The acting is 100% spot on, Orson Welles direction is at it's finest (comparible only to Touch of Evil), and the writing is very fantastic, producing a very memorable plot. The only reason the score isn't higher, is that, although the film is fantastic, my personal oppinion and liking of it does not grant a 9 or 10.
Citizen Kane is the story of a man who realizes that money cannot buy happiness (though he is tremendously wealthy) only after spending his life trying trying to achieve a wealthy status. It's the story of a man who discovers that money isn't everything and that the last time he was ever truly happy was directly before he was off on his conquest to become "successful". Overall it has a relatively entertaining plot, and I personally was never bored with it.
In general concept, from "Rosebud," to the fires at Xanadu, this film is an over exageration of the American dream. Hence: Citizen Kane. I personally belief that this film is a much see, and is an important piece of American film, and art in general, which is why I am giving this movie a 8.5 out of 10.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Gone with the Wind review
8 out of 10
When I watch movies, I always try to watch from multiple points of view. I try to watch from the perspective of a critic, an artist, a general consumer, and from my own perspective. I try to develope oppinions of films based on these points of view, and then decide whether or not it was "good". In the case of "Gone with the Wind" I did find it exceptional, and in this review I will share with you why.
In this Epic, directed by Victor Flemming, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable play two narcissistic high society Southerners, whose lives are affected by the Civil War. The majority of the film shows Scarlett (Leigh) doing anything and everything in her power to get what she wants, uninterested in how it affects those around her (It's safe to say the Leigh's performance was spot on, because I never had a hard time disliking her). The character works very well and proves effective throughout the film, as does Gable's, whose character I disliked when it was time to dislike, and pitied when it was time to pity. The only problem I found with the character interaction was the lack of Rhett (Gable) in a few decently large chunks of the second act, which looking back on it just feels odd, considering his character is the one whose side you're supposed to be on towards the end of the film.
Despite a few minor descrepencies, from the point of view of a critic there was a lot of greatness in Gone with the Wind, but the problems I had with it are more from the perspective of a member of the general public. I had no problem with the length of the film, and though it was quite long, the plot never really slowed down, and I found myself entertained from the beginning to when Gable utters the famous line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." My problems with the film are more pointed towards some of the choices the director made. For example, there were certain portions of the film that were very strongly anti-war. Normally I would have no problem with that, but in this case the director is more than likely reffering to the U.S.'s entrance into WW II, a war that if we hadn't entered, Europe would now be under the control of a Nazi regime, or at least would have been until the Soviets had managed to do something about it, but who knows how long that would've taken. I know that the director couldn't have known the outcome of the war, but I still couldn't help but have a slight distaste for some of what was done in the film.
In conclusion, Gone with the Wind is an exceptional film with a great cast and a plot that works incredibly well considering the nearly four hour run time. The characters are memorable and well developed and, the film is overall very entertaining. Despite some problems I had with some of the subject matter, I still found it very enjoyable and give it a high score of 8 out of 10.
When I watch movies, I always try to watch from multiple points of view. I try to watch from the perspective of a critic, an artist, a general consumer, and from my own perspective. I try to develope oppinions of films based on these points of view, and then decide whether or not it was "good". In the case of "Gone with the Wind" I did find it exceptional, and in this review I will share with you why.
In this Epic, directed by Victor Flemming, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable play two narcissistic high society Southerners, whose lives are affected by the Civil War. The majority of the film shows Scarlett (Leigh) doing anything and everything in her power to get what she wants, uninterested in how it affects those around her (It's safe to say the Leigh's performance was spot on, because I never had a hard time disliking her). The character works very well and proves effective throughout the film, as does Gable's, whose character I disliked when it was time to dislike, and pitied when it was time to pity. The only problem I found with the character interaction was the lack of Rhett (Gable) in a few decently large chunks of the second act, which looking back on it just feels odd, considering his character is the one whose side you're supposed to be on towards the end of the film.
Despite a few minor descrepencies, from the point of view of a critic there was a lot of greatness in Gone with the Wind, but the problems I had with it are more from the perspective of a member of the general public. I had no problem with the length of the film, and though it was quite long, the plot never really slowed down, and I found myself entertained from the beginning to when Gable utters the famous line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." My problems with the film are more pointed towards some of the choices the director made. For example, there were certain portions of the film that were very strongly anti-war. Normally I would have no problem with that, but in this case the director is more than likely reffering to the U.S.'s entrance into WW II, a war that if we hadn't entered, Europe would now be under the control of a Nazi regime, or at least would have been until the Soviets had managed to do something about it, but who knows how long that would've taken. I know that the director couldn't have known the outcome of the war, but I still couldn't help but have a slight distaste for some of what was done in the film.
In conclusion, Gone with the Wind is an exceptional film with a great cast and a plot that works incredibly well considering the nearly four hour run time. The characters are memorable and well developed and, the film is overall very entertaining. Despite some problems I had with some of the subject matter, I still found it very enjoyable and give it a high score of 8 out of 10.
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