When I watched Citizen Kane, I could not help but compare it to the other older movies we have watched in class. The ways in which this week’s feature is both similar and different from Rear Window, All That Heaven Allows, and Singin’ in the Rain provide insight into why Welles’ film has been regarded as one of the greatest of all time, as well as information about overall trends from the time period. 

I would like to preface this discussion by acknowledging that Citizen Kane is slightly older than the other aforementioned films, predating them by ten or more years. However, all can be grouped together when considering the remainder of the films we have screened, which are much more contemporary and premiered within the last ten years. 

One similarity I noticed is the style of comedy. All four films discuss social issues prevalent in the period in which they were created, with the exception of Singin’ in the Rain, which focuses more on the problems of the time period in which the film is based. In Citizen Kane, for example, provides commentary on the problems that arise within a capitalist society, warning about the isolating dangers of extreme wealth. This is not conveyed through an emotional manner, though, but rather through moments of comedy that poke fun at Kane’s reality. This reminded me of All That Heaven Allows, which features a protagonist who is similarly lonely and struggles with love, none of which is portrayed in a dark or severe way. I think this speaks in a larger sense about a trend in film to shock audiences with satire rather than fear or extreme sadness, which is seen in the dramas of today. 

One way in which Citizen Kane is unlike the other older films we have screened is its storytelling. Aside from a brief flashback to provide exposition in Singin’ in the Rain, all of the other older films narrowly follow classical narrative filmmaking, unfolding the story in a chronological matter through a linear plot. Citizen Kane, on the other hand, chooses to reveal parts of the story in an unconventional order, resulting in a more thought-provoking film that keeps viewers on their toes. Unlike in the other older movies, where I could tell pretty early on how the film would go, the flashback format of Citizen Kane left me wondering what aspects of Kane’s life would be uncovered next. 
All in all, I found Citizen Kane to be an interesting watch, but I feel as though I would need to rewatch it with the knowledge I now have at the film’s conclusion to form a more fair judgment about the film’s quality, as during my initial watch, I was primarily focused on ensuring I was correctly interpreting aspects of the plot.