For me, a movie does not need ambiguity throughout or hidden meanings or to teach me something to be good. I just want to be amused and enjoy myself. I can't say I felt this way while watching Citizen Kane. I just wasn't immersed in the experience. Maybe it had to do with the black and white film (definitely an acquired taste) as a constant reminder that it was only a movie. It could have been the fact that I wasn't emotionally (love or hate) attached to any of the characters. During the whole movie, I found myself just waiting for it to end, so I could finally find out what Rosebud was, only to see it was a simple sled. This revelation can be interpreted in a infinite number of ways, which does make the film a finely made piece of cinema, but it does not really appeal to me. I don't want to finish a movie and immediately be in deep thought. I believe books far better serve that purpose. I want to recall all of the funny and entertaining scenes from a film, not try to figure out what message the film was trying to get across.
Does this opinion make me less sophisticated than the next guy? I don't know and I also don't care because I know what I like to see in a film (I do like some serious films). I do agree that this is a fantastic (not amusing, just fantastic) piece of cinema (not experience, just piece of cinema) and is a great film to dissect in a film class because there is so much going on from the transitions (someone face appearing on top of another face), to the background, to the subtle yet all important dialogue, to the position of the characters, to the camera placement, and the list goes on. It is quite amazing how much work must have gone into the creation of this film. It's just that too much ambiguity can confuse me, which is not what I want from a film. While I am quite sure this film stimulates my mind far more than any comedy or action film there is, I would still rather view the latter for pure entertainment any day of the week. Perhaps with age, this preference will begin to change. Who knows what the future has in store? Well, I do, but I ain't saying.
Once again, my title is a question, which means I have forced myself to answer a question (Damn me!). I asked if this film is a timeless classic. At this stage in my life, I am tending to lean towards no solely because I am not interested in the plot. If a different film used similar filming techniques, with a better plot, I would most likely love that film. If people want to know about the strange life of Charles Foster Kane, then I can definitely see how this film can receive the acclaim that it does.
