Ahh, Citizen Kane. I don't believe in picking favourites, but this is one of the finest and most influential films to come out of American cinema. It's one of my personal favourites. So what makes it so good? Orson Welles: Welles was at the peak of his creativity when this film was made. He was never allowed the freedom he had with Kane that he had in any other film. The studios kept a tight leash on him. Welles had proven himself to be a dynamic actor with superior acting capabilities. He had also demonstrated great skill in directing and producing radio and theatre works. Most of his stage and radio work is rarely seen today, with the exception of the classic 'War of the Worlds' broadcast, and this is a shame. It is well worth the effort to examine his earlier productions. Mercury Players: The supporting cast came from Welles' Mercury Players, a highly skilled and imaginative group of performers. They knew Welles and they knew how to work creatively as a team. This combination rarely happens in film production. A very talented group of people who complemented Welles. The story: A classic story of the poor boy who reaches the top, but finds nothing there to satisfy him. The man who fights for the little guy against injustice, only to create injustices of his own. It included elements of the biblical observation that money is the root of all evil and the colloquialism that money cannot buy everything. A man who was undone partly because he abused his own great wealth and the people around him. A dramatic storyline: power, corruption, and vanity. The situation: Citizen Kane was a thinly-veiled stab at one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the US: William Randolph Hearst. Hearst was the man who helped invent 'yellow journalism' and used his media empire to his own advantage. Kane's fantasy home Xanadu was modelled after Hearst's San Simeon in California. In a way, Citizen Kane was almost a documentary of Hearst. Some elements were changed, such as the portrayal of Hearst's mistress. The very unflattering portrayal of her in the film is one of the reasons why Hearst went after Welles as aggressively as he did. A powerful dose of current events. The real drama: Hearst retaliated savagely against Welles and Welles never recovered professionally. The film had a very limited original release because of the power that Hearst used to keep it from being played. It was not until after Hearst's death that Citizen Kane got a proper screening. It did manage to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1941. It really should have swept the show, but for Hearst's influence. The mechanics of the film: Citizen Kane is beatifully photographed, with marvellous lighting and visual effects and dramatic camera work. Visually it was one of the best films of its era. It was photographed by Gregg Toland and edited by Robert Wise, two very talented professionals. The film was loaded with special effects, many of them done for the first time in film, and they were skillfully blended together. It simply looked great. Not many films are this inspired and this good.

saw it... hated it..

I don't see why it is. Citizen Kane sounds very boring. What really bugs me is that most IMDB reviews that I read online about it said that they watched it for the art and not entertainment. That is very weird.

already answered well, but it's also interesting because, as noted, it's a roman a clef--story with a "key", that is, loosely based on real people, often derogatorily. wow, I worked in the word derogatorily. anyhow, Postcards From the Edge (by Carrie Fisher) is a modern roman a clef.

I have often wondered this myself. I had to watch it twice in college and both times it bored the snot out of me.