Well, isn't anyone here excited about _Citizen Kane_? (1 Viewer)

[Jack Briggs]

Now, this is more like it.
As for the "rain drops" issue, this is the first I've ever heard about it. Since my copy should arrive today, I will check on this apparent anomoly pronto.
There are only a few discs I've looked forward to as much as this one.
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[Rain]

Well, I'm excited. I'm picking up a copy tonite. Supposed to be having a guitar lesson this evening, but I may have to watch Kane instead.
However, this "rain drops" thing troubles me.
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"Imagine all the people, living life in peace..." - Imagine by John Lennon
Anyone in the Vancouver Canada area interested in a meet? Click here
MOVING ON DOES NOT MEAN FORGETTING.

 

[Chad R]

Okay, I'll say it. I'm not excited about it.
I went to film school, and yes I've studied this film very well. I can apprieciate how revolutionary it was. I understand that it essentially gave birth to modern cinema. It does have outstanding production values and innovative (for the time) techniques.
But it never got under my skin. It's a well told story, finely crafted character study; but for some reason this uber-rich curmudgeon robbed of his childhood never made me care. It just doesn't...excite me.

 

[Gruson]

I am right there with you Chad. I also went to film school and was very excited about seeing this movie.
Major dissapointment. I will never watch it again.....
BORING

 

[Brian W]

If you can't appreciate the aesthetics, I guess it could be pretty boring. Anyway, I get IT and can appreciate why that it is still widely the most highly ranked and regarded the best film of all time.
Now if only Gus Van Sant could remake it in color as he did with Psycho, add a few violent scenes, some sex, color up the language as well, add a more MTV style to replace Welle's poetic editing, lighting, compositions -now then maybe we could have a movie less boring and film literate -and more in tune to today's audience.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

 

[Peter Kline]

Jack,
I just finished watching the film. It certainly looks better than any version I've seen before. The 1970s rerelease to theatres pales in comparison. The opening mock newsreel seems to be a little jittery to me. The rest of the film also has some moments of jitter but nothing too bad. One of the things that struck me was the technical artistry of the film. The disolves with the camera moving forward in perfect syncronization into the next scene are marvelous. The sound is the best yet as well. According to my Sony player the bit rate was around 5 to 7 throughout.
P.S. The original camera negs were destroyed in a fire at the WB warehouse in New Jersey. Welles did not have those negs in his possesion.
Peter
[Edited last by Peter Kline on September 25, 2001 at 03:58 PM]

 

[James D S]

I picked it up this morning as promised and the print lives up to the hype. This is by far the best I've seen the movie look. The Criterion LD, while I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon, does not look near as good. This print is truly breathtaking, all things considered.
However, I was lead to believe that the complete broadcast of War of the Worlds was to be included in this set. Did I miss something?

Will take in the commentaries tonight and tomorrow. Can't wait!

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Interesting. As much as I admire the cinematic technique of Citizen Kane, it's the characters (and the brilliant performances that bring them to life) that keep me coming back to it. Boring is the one thing I'd never call CK.

 

[Peter Kline]

James,
The box says "rare footage of the War Of The Worlds" broadcast - not the actual broadcast. I have not run the docu, but I think it is included in that. Since it has nothing really to do with the film no matter in my opinion. It has been on CD before and may still be available. Listening to it now, you wonder how people were fooled. They kept saying it was a "dramatization" during the broadcast.
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[Mark Zimmer]

I'm looking forward to the disc, but I can't say I'm excited. Warner is sitting on too much great material from its own vaults, MGM's and RKO's and refusing to release any of it beyond 2 or 3 catalog titles per year, for me to have much use for Warner Home Video. At this rate, I should have a DVD of White Heat in, oh, the year 2245.

Until that changes, WHV is permanently on my shit list.
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"This movie has warped my fragile little mind."

 

[James D S]

Peter,
Are you sure that is not the re-aired version? I seem to recall that some time after CK, while Welles was back in radio for a time, they reprised War of the Worlds. I don't remember them saying much about it being a dramatization in the version I heard (that was supposedly the original broadcast). In either case, it would have been a nice addition, but you are right - It would have nothing to do with CK. And the set is fine the way it is, anyway.
(Except for the ridiculous anti-theft tag placement. Honestly, whose steals movies like Citizen Kane?! Your typical shoplifter just doesn't strike me as the Kane (or for that matter, all classic movies) sort.)

 

[Jeff Swindoll]

I WAS looking forward to Kane but was planning to stop by my B&M for instant gratification instead of preordering. Here's the score:
Walmart : $24.96 seemed too much to me
Sams : None, but French Connection for $17.99 & Simpsons for $27.99.
Cir.Shitty: Drone: we have one copy and it's $24.95. One Copy

BB : I think that it's $24.95 there too.
I was hoping for $19.99. Anybody find it at that price or closer? Guess I gotta get it online--any deals out there for Kane??
Cheers

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I didnt play Dungeons and Dragons all those years and not learn something about courage.
--Bernie Faulkner

 

[David Lambert]

Sam's Club has it through their website for $21.49. BUT, I will get it at CostCo for $21.99 this weekend. And FYE had The Simpsons for $22.99!! $2 less than CostCo and $7 less than everyone else!! I snagged their next-to-last copy!
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DAVE/Memphis

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/...ocs/000565.htm

[Edited last by David Lambert on September 25, 2001 at 07:44 PM]

 

[Stu Rosen]

I'm thrilled to have this in my collection.
I'm not saying that it's impossible to hate this film. But I will say that in decades of reading about this classic, I've never, ever seen anyone make any intelligent argument about why it's anything less than phenomenal.
If you love great performance, or great writing, or beautiful and innovative cinematography, or breathtaking editing and direction, you simply can't go wrong with Citizen Kane. To criticize the film, you almost have to intentionally ignore its charms and assets.

 

[Rain]

I checked out the raindrops scene. It does look pretty odd.
This probably warrants a correction, though I'm doubtful that will happen.
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"Imagine all the people, living life in peace..." - Imagine by John Lennon
Anyone in the Vancouver Canada area interested in a meet? Click here
MOVING ON DOES NOT MEAN FORGETTING.

 

[Scott Shanks]

I preordered mine at Deepdiscountdvd.com for 21.48 with free shipping and no tax. I got it in the mail the Friday before the street date. I was very pleasantly surprised.

 

[Dick]

It's amazing how spoiled we've become. An inferior laser disc containing all of the features available on the new DVD would cost well over a hundred bucks, and here we are whining that we can't find this masterpiece for less than $25...? I just paid exactly that, and it will take me a good ten hours to go through all the material on this set. What a deal! I'm essentially getting an Academy-Award-nominated documentary, nearly two hours long, for free!

 

[Seth Paxton]

I am pleased, but not excited. I have long owned the kick-ass Criterion LD of it, and ironically I just had to watch it for film class tonight. (incidentally, I asked if the prof. would like me to bring the DVD in but he said they would have it...so I was a tad disappointed to arrive and find only the LD there)
The film is pure genius and I am thrilled for all the non-LD people who will finally get a decent version of one of the finest films ever made, and some of the best cinematography ever done by Gregg Toland (Wuthering Heights, Best Years of Our Lives, Grapes of Wrath, Song of the South)
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Greetings from the Humungus! The Lord Humungus!
The Warrior of the Wasteland!
The Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah!

 

[SteveGon]

I just picked CK up today and watched it with the Ebert commentary on. This is one terrific set! I've never seen the movie look so good. I also found Ebert's commentary to be fairly enlightening as I hadn't seen CK in years - I wish he'd do more of them. I paid $25 for this and don't regret it. Well, time to pop the doc in the player...
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He thought on homeland, the big timber, the air thin and chill all the year long. Tulip poplars so big through the trunk they put you in mind of locomotives set on end. He thought of getting home and building him a cabin on Cold Mountain so high that not a soul but the nighthawks passing across the clouds in autumn could hear his sad cry. Of living a life so quiet he would not need ears. And if Ada would go with him, there might be the hope, so far off in the distance he did not even really see it, that in time his despair might be honed off to a point so fine and thin that it would be nearly the same as vanishing.
-- Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

 

[Jeff Swindoll]

Dick,
I'm not whining too loudly

, just was hoping it would be cheaper at B&M. I cant help but wonder if it was a 2001 movie SE instead of Kane that Walmart (ad nauseum) would've given a greater discount. Also, Circuit Shitty might've also gotten more than one copy

. I dislike that since I'm a fan of classic films that I can get charged a few bucks more.

For example, take French Connection which has the same MSRP ($29.99). I can get it at Sam's for $17.99. They DONT even have any Kanes

.
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I didnt play Dungeons and Dragons all those years and not learn something about courage.
--Bernie Faulkner
[Edited last by Jeff Swindoll on September 26, 2001 at 08:49 AM]