Citizen Kane (1941)
(Orson Welles, US 1941, 119 min., 35mm)
“I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I couldn’t stop watching. I submit that that’s one definition of an essential film.” Jack Garner would often cite Citizen Kane as his favorite film—he taught it in classes and brought it up in conversation. His advocacy of even such a lauded and rote cinematic selection was infectious, and he included an article on the film in his book From My Seat on the Aisle: “Citizen Kane remains the ultimate cinematic masterpiece. Don’t let all that intellectual prestige scare you, because Citizen Kane is also a fascinating and wonderfully entertaining movie. Even at 70 years old or more, it remains modern and relevant, and always will. It is, in fact, ageless.” With Mank, which tells the story behind the writing of Citizen Kane, leading the pack with ten Academy Award nominations this year, come see the original on the big screen and celebrate Jack’s life and legacy along with us.