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Citizen Kane

directed by Orson Welles

This unit was prepared by Judith Rix, Pendle Hill High School

Critical review of the film
Studying the issues

Critical review of the film

“(Students) research others’ perspectives of the text and test these against their own understanding and interpretations of the text.” English Stage 6 Syllabus p 52

Locate and read three critical reviews of Citizen Kane. Answer the following questions:

What are the opinions expressed by each reviewer.
Do you agree or disagree with these opinions? Explain your answer.
Does their analysis shed new light on the film for you? How?
Note a key quote from each review, which you could use as a quotation in an essay. How could you use it?

Examples of reviews available on the Internet include the following. Many other Internet sites can be found by using a search engine like Google

and typing: citizen+kane.

Citizen Kane (1941) by Tim Dirks
Reviews by Brian Koller and Steve Rhodes

Studying the issues

“(Students) extrapolate from this study of a particular text to explore questions of textual integrity and significance.” English Stage 6 Syllabus p 52

Think about the themes, issues or concerns dealt with in each of the following headings. What might each review discuss about the film?

Choose a particular heading from the following list and write your own review to match it:

Citizen Kane: A study of human weakness
Can’t buy me love: failed relationships in Citizen Kane
Money is the root of all evil: corruption in Citizen Kane
Great man, lousy human being: the trouble with Kane.

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