1 definition by RDV333

A brilliant motion picture that is widely praised by critics and moviemakers alike (in particular the european 60's generation) as greatly revolutionary for the very language of cinema as an art form. By creating basic structures upon which the narrative dwells itself,the movie takes a self-referential dimension and,by linking itself to a certain barroque/modern aesthetic, creates the paradox of art as a means of dialetic approach from the creator to the audience and the audience to the creator. Was Rosebud really the sled? If so, what have we,as an audience,learnt about kane? Is kane even a character or just a disparate fragmentation of various claims of the people he never knew or let be known by?In the end,when the camera paves the labyrinth of crude materials that we attribute to Kane (as a character),which one defines him? What is the movie more than a puzzle?

In the end,a masterpiece about identity,perhaps of a character,perhaps of movies as an art form (what should we watch? What does it mean to be a watcher in a movie? Should it be a passive,artificial purpose?) and perhaps even of America in the first half of the XXth century.

While some like to negate its merits by it being "overrated",said people just can't surpass the veil of simplicity the movie creates for itself,so the notion of mistery is reinforced.
by RDV333 December 30, 2011
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