I thought the film was a masterpiece. Amazing, revolutionary "Deep focus" cinematography that kept everything on screen in focus, this allows you to be completely immersed in the film because just like the real world you can focus on whatever the hell you want to.

It was a film that worked on so many levels. The opening sequence had some kind of creepy, twisted nature to it, and the way the cinematography and soundtrack was used in this scene had me convinced I had picked up a horror movie by mistake. By the end of the film though it fit in with the tone, as the horror was there in Kanes loneliness.
It worked as a thriller for the central Rosebud mystery, as a drama in the film style, but mostly as a fascinating character study into the effects of money. Seeing how Kane had everything materially and wanted more, highlighted perfectly with the way he tries to find some meaning in his life by trying to force his wife to be a successful singer, and also how she reacts to that pressure. It was ultimately this angle that tied the other angles together, as we find out what Rosebud is, and how it showed that even with all his success, he was never happy after he gave up his childhood innocence. Perfectly spoofed by The Simpsons, with Mr. Burns I might add.

I also liked how the film was ambiguous and left some factors unanswered. Why did his parents give him up, why was it Rosebud that he chose to symbolize his lost childhood ect... These and many other things are left unanswered, forcing the viewer to make up their own mind, but then wondering what it all really meant. This is exactly what real life is like, and perfectly fit in with the comment
"I don't think any word can explain a man's life."
that a character makes about the investigation.
A masterpiece. :!: