How Did Citizen Kane Influence The Film Industry

On both the first AFI top 100 films list from 1998, and the most recent list released, the film Citizen Kane is ranked at number one. Containing innovations in camera movement, utilizing shot types that were either obscure or non-existent before filming, and having an incredibly different plot structure that adds complexity to a film in a time where many features were told in a linear and chronological way, the film brought many new things to the industry. Although these traits are what sets it apart and earns it a spot in the top 100, its influence on the film industry and the public is not as deserving of the first place position as some other films that have been more influential. Released in 1941, Citizen Kane was not a largely popular

1, the movie did not perform as well when it came to box office revenue. Just because it did not make a large amount of money does not mean it was a bad movie, but typically the movies that are liked make large amounts of money, and the films that do not gross nearly as much are not seen as good in the eyes of the consumer. Although there might be a discrepancy with advertising and the use of famous actors, the income a movie generates is usually directly proportional to its popularity among the people. What truly makes Citizen Kane different from these two influential movies is the appeal of the story. Citizen Kane had trouble catching the interest of the public because of its largely uneventful story. People have always seemed to be willing to spend money on movies that take them on a journey and keep them in suspense like what was seen in Interstellar when it was released in 2014, or with the film Casablanca which was released only a year after Citizen Kane. Even compared to a film from the same time period Citizen Kane still heavily underperforms financially. As seen in fig. 1, even after everything is adjusted for inflation, all of the other films make Citizen Kane look like a passion project instead of a

A recent movie like Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is not just seen as good because people appreciate it, but they also like it because it is new and modern. Over time however, the opinion surrounding the movie will probably change. When asked about old movies people have seen, common responses range from The Wizard of Oz, to The Godfather, to Gone with the Wind, but very rarely are people going to remember Citizen Kane. When it comes to maintaining popularity and also influencing modern pictures, The Wizard of Oz almost seems to be the obvious candidate compared to Citizen Kane. Not only was The Wizard of Oz released just over a decade after the addition of sound to films, but it was also innovative in its use of color. Colored movies were not around long so an incredibly colorful film with a plot driven by the colors and setting was perfect to test the limits of the new technology. It was also one of the first films to have a musical driven theme, making it one of the major films that kicked off the musical genre. It also displayed the ability to tell a story using personifications as characters instead of people. Although it had a rocky start, the Library of Congress says that The Wizard of Oz is the most watched movie of all time.(Parade.com citation) Films such as Psycho and The Godfather are iconic because they leave an impact on the viewer.