Brother Emsworth Tue Jan 29 00:28:19 2002
"You know his name, it's Charlie Kane!"
While not one of my very personal favorites, certainly a classic, as well as one which requires more than one viewing to fully understand and appreciate. Never thought too much about the "aging make-up" myself, which I suppose is a sure indicator that it was done effectively yet unobtrusively. Fine soundtrack, of course, and the opening "News on the March" sequence is an enjoyable paraody of the then contemporary "March of Time" newsreels, which themselves were derived from the "March of Time" news/drama broadcasts, in which noted figures and events were recreated by New York radio actors, including at certain times, Mercury cast members Everett Sloane, Agnes Moorehead (often playing Eleanor Roosevelt), Ray Collins, and even Orson Welles himself. Though the Hearst influence is unmistakebale, a fine commentary on corrupted idealism and on American business and politics (as particularly exemplified by Ray Collins' fine performance as "Boss" Geddes.)
Recently been reading an article of Pauline Kael's regarding the film, which criticizes Erskine Sanford's blustering Carter (confess that's one thing that caught me quite by surprise the first time I saw the film as well. Still, fine supporting cast over all (particularly Paul Stewart as the butler, in addition to the others mentioned.) Though Chris once suggested the possibility of Charlie Chan acting as the reporter, in which case Kane would probably have been revealed to have actually expired by a poisoned gas which was released through tiny holes beneath the snow globe, and Jed Leland (Joseph Cotten) would have turned out to be Mrs. Kane (Agnes Moorehead) in disguise.
"Humble self like near-sighted gardener... continually unable to find Rosebud."
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