In my opinion, which is of paramount importance, Citizen Kane was worthy of all of the praise that it recieved. The key word being was. At the time, Citizen Kane was absolutely worthy of the title. It was revolutionary at the time. Shots were filmed from multiple angles and the camera was moved around in some shots. Citizen Kane was revolutionary in that it changed storytelling conventions. The plot was not linear as many other movies at the time were, it used interviews and flashbacks to break up the story. Some scenes were further in the past than others, breaking chronological conventions.
Many scenes were filmed from different angles. The opening scene, for example, moved in closer and closer. At one point, the scene was inverted, looking through a reflection on water. Still in the film's opening, a scene was filmed through the broken glass of a snowglobe, with a fisheye effect enveloping the shot. There are a number of shots filmed next to mirrors, including a very notable one toward the end of the movie with very large mirrors on either side of Kane as he walks down his hallway. At yet another point, during a flashback to Kane's childhood, actually, the camera is moved back through the set, focusing on different depths simultaneously, moving through a table at the end.
I love that many of its directorial qualities are still employed by directors today. I love that many of its storytelling elements are, too. Without a doubt, Citizen Kane, is a phenomenal film. Mostly because of the era in which it debuted. If Citizen Kane was released today, versus fifty years ago, I don't believe it would still receive the same acclaim. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but I can say without even a sliver of doubt, that it can thank the time period in which it was released for its praise. That said, it definitely has had its influence on film making, and without it, we wouldn't have movies with the same level of ambition and innovation today.
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