I recently watched Citizen Kane on the big screen and it really hit home for me then why this film is so revered. I’d seen it, God knows how many times, on a TV and thought it was alright. But when projected up on the large screen, you fully understand the awesomeness of the craft (the makeup, the cinematography, the sfx - there are a lot more than you’d think), the details on the sets, the acting… Everything just made sense. It’s a very “cinematic” film that uses the unique aspects of the medium to convey meaning and emotion.

That said, I think Magnificent Ambersons is a much more emotional story and if it wasn’t for the studio messing it up, it could have dethroned CK as his masterpiece.