Un mogul media moare singur in resedinta sa super-luxoasa.

Jurnalistii, fostii sai

colegi de breasla, incearca sa afle chintesenta vietii acestuia pornind de la ultimul
cuvant rostit pe patul de moarte "rosebud" (boboc de trandafir). Cum va reusi dl.
Thomson sa se achite de aceasta sarcina depinde de povestile din viata
cetateanului Kane, spuse de cei care au fost o parte importanta sau neglijabila din
magnifica sa viata. Un film vizionar pentru anul 1941, in care Orson Welles isi pune
amprenta atat ca regizor, cat si ca actor.

"Este o transpunere patrunzatoare a lumii moderne, a opticii insolite si a deformarii

istoriei. Acest om nu mai are o viata proprie, viata sa apartine publicului, ziarelor,
fotografiilor, de pe prima pagina, interviurilor. Omul este orgolios, brutal, rigid si
sfidator. Tot acest film este un strigat in care exista multa disperare." - Maurice
Bardeche, Robert Brasillach - 1954 (Histoire du cinema)

Din 1962, sondajele criticiile de specialitate publicate de revista Sight & Sound au
plasat Citizen Kane, remarcabilul film de debut al lui Orson Welles, in varful
topului celor mai bune pelicule realizate vreodata. In 1998, American Film Institute la declarat cel mai bun film al tuturor timpurilor. De asemenea, i-au fost conferite
premii la categoria cel mai bun film de catre New York Film Critics Circle si National
Board of Review si i-a fost decernat un Oscar pentru scenariu. Legenda
Cetateanului Kane a fost in parte alimentata de faptul ca Welles avea doar 24 de
ani in momentul realizarii filmului, precum si de similitudinile evidente dintre
personajul principal si magnatul presei William Randolph Hearst. Acesta s-a luptat
din rasputeri sa opreasca turnarea filmului, iar apoi nereusind sa-i impiedice
difuzarea, a incercat sa-l discrediteze. Din multe puncte de vedere, Cetateanul
Kane ramane o opera de un interes si o importanta majora.

Filmul relateaza o poveste extraordinara: nascut in saracie, Charles Foster Kane

(stralucit interpretat de insusi Welles) se imbogateste subit datorita unei mine de
aur lasate mostenire mamei sale. Inca din tinerete, incepe sa puna bazele unui
imperiu de presa si de radio, casatorindu-se in cele din urma cu nepoata unui
presedinte american si candidand la postul de guvernator. Insa ambitiile sale de
putere nu-I duc nicaieri. Tot mai alienat, Kane devine abuziv cu femeile din viata lui,
intai cu sotia, apoi cu amanta sa. Moare, aproape singur, in castelul sau neterminat,
visand la simplitatea propriei copilarii. Inscriindu-se in traditia populista a New Dealului, Cetateanul Kane face apologia acelei viziuni tipic americane care sustine ca
banii nu aduc fericirea, dar intr-o maniera extrem de prozaica, aproape dickensiana.

In mod semnificativ, filmul incepe cu moartea lui Kane si cu ultimul cuvant

enigmatic rostit de acesta: Rosebud. Un grup de reporteri intreprinzatori incearca
sa descopere intelesul acestui cuvant interogand mai multe cunostinte de-ale lui
Kane. Filmul este povestit in flashbackuri, iar fiecare personaj iI cunoaste pe Kane
doar dintr-o anumita perspectiva. Complexitatea narativa a peliculei, care nu incalca
niciodata regulile hollywoodiene clasice privind continuitatea si cauzalitatea,
reprezinta un remarcabil tur de forta, acesta flind in mare parte si motivul pentru
care criticul Pauline Kael afirma ca adevaratul geniu al filmului nu s-ar datora
copilului-minune Welles, ci scenaristului Herman J. Mankiewicz.

Marea forta a filmului insa rezida in imaginea sa: Gregg Toland a dezvoltat o tehnica
bazata pe adancimea campului vizual, in care prim-planul extrem de apropiat,
planul mediu, dar si fundalul sunt vizibile simultan, permitand astfel privirii sa se
concentreze asupra oricarei parti a imaginii. Tehnica a fost criticata in epoca, pe
motiv ca atragea atentia asupra ei insai, tradand astfel codurile cinematografiei
hollywoodiene clasice, care sustineau ca imaginea buna este cea care nu se
centreaza asupra sa. Oricum, imaginile din Citizen Kane raman surprinzatoare si
memorabile. n centrul peliculei se afl unul dintre actorii i regizorii emblematici ai
cinematografiei americane: Orson Welles. Acesta a devenit faimos pe plan naional
dup emisiunea radio din 30 octombrie 1938, n care a lecturat Rzboiul lumilor al
lui H. G. Wells, provocnd panic printre asculttori. Actorul atrgea atenia n acel
moment asupra impactului pe care mass-media l are asupra publicului larg. De
altfel, n film, Welles (care semneaz i regia, i scenariul) a ntruchipat pe unul
dintre cei mai puternici magnai de pres din Statele Unite ale Americii: Charles
Foster Kane. O vreme s-a considerat c la baza personajului principal ar fi stat viaa
magnatului american William Randolph Hearst; s-a observat apoi c, n construcia
rolului, erau destul de multe elemente din biografia regizorului...

The Science of Sleep (French: La Science des rves, literally The Science of Dreams)
is a 2006 surrealistic science fantasy comedy film written and directed by Michel
Gondry. The film stars Gael Garca Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou, and
Alain Chabat. The film stems from a bed-time story that was written by Sam
Mounier,[3][4] then-10-year-old. Stphane Miroux is a man whose vivid dreams and
imagination often interfere with his ability to interact with reality. He is coaxed back
to his childhood home after his divorced father passes away and his mother,
Christine, finds him a job in a calendar printing company in France. His mother
implies the position is a creative role, and he prepares colourful drawings, each
showing a disaster, for his "disasterology" calendar. However, nobody appreciates
his talents and it transpires that his mother had led him on - the real vacancy is for
nothing more than mundane typesetting work. While leaving his apartment to go to
work one day, Stphane injures his hand helping his new neighbor move a piano

into her apartment. The new neighbor, Stphanie, invites Stphane into her
apartment (unaware that he lives next door) where her friend Zo tends to his
wound. Stphane initially forms an attraction to Zo, though he suspects it is
instead Stphanie who likes him.

Stphane realizes that Stphanie, like him, is creative and artistic. They plan a
project for use in a short animated film. Following the advice of Guy, Stphane's
sex-obsessed co-worker, Stphane pretends that he isn't Stphanie's neighbor,
pretending to leave the building when he leaves her apartment. That night, when he
is sleepwalking he writes a confusing note to Stphanie that asks for Zo's phone
number. Stphane realizes his mistake upon waking and retrieves the letter with a
coat hanger, unaware that Stphanie has already read it.

Surrealistic and naturalistic elements begin to overlap, and the viewer is often
uncertain of which portions constitute reality and which are merely dreams. One
such sequence, in which Stphane dreams his hands become absurdly giant, was
inspired by a recurring nightmare director Michel Gondry had as a child.[5] As this
line gradually becomes more blurred, Stphane becomes more enamoured with
Stphanie the more he spends time with her and shares his many inventions with
her, such as the "one-second time machine," a device that can go either forward or
backward in time by only one second. Stphane's dreams encroach on his waking
life as he tries to win Stphanie's heart and misses time at work. He breaks into her
apartment, taking her stuffed toy horse, and implants a mechanism inside of it that
will make it gallop. While putting it back into her apartment, Stphanie arrives and
catches him, demanding he leaves and becoming more upset with him.
Embarrassed and heartbroken, Stphane retreats to his own apartment where he
receives a call from Stphanie, who apologizes and thanks him for the gift she
discovers: a galloping version of "Golden the Pony Boy," who she reveals was
named after Stphane.

As the months go by, waking and dreaming become even more intermixed. To
Stphane's surprise, the calendar manufacturer accepts his "Disastrology" idea and
it becomes a great success. A party is thrown in his honour, but he becomes
depressed and begins drinking excessively after he witnesses Stphanie dancing
flirtatiously with another man. The next day, Stphane and Stphanie have a
confrontation in their hallway when Stphane announces that he doesn't want to be
Stphanie's friend any longer. Stphanie becomes very upset, offering Zo's phone
number and reciting Stphane's note. Stphane, still unaware that Stphanie has
read the note, assumes that they are connected through "Parallel Synchronized
Randomness", a rare phenomenon he has examined in his dreams. Stphanie offers

that they discuss their issues on a date, but on Stphane's walk to the caf to meet
her, he has a frightful vision that she isn't there and she doesn't love him after all.
He runs back to her apartment and bangs on her door, demanding that she stop
torturing him; in actuality, she is indeed waiting for him at the caf. Stphane runs
at her door, attempting to break it down, but winds up bashing his head and
collapsing in the hall, where his mother eventually finds him bleeding. Tired of
waiting, Stphanie returns home while Stphane, coaxed by his mother and her
friend, decides to move back to Mexico.

Before leaving, Stphane's mother insists that he say goodbye to Stphanie. In his
attempt to do so, he becomes extremely crass, making sexual and offensive jokes
to her, and accusing her of never being able to finish something she starts.
However, he reveals that he is truly interested in her because she's different from
other people. As his antagonistic behavior pushes her to her breaking point,
Stphanie asks Stphane to leave but he instead climbs into her bed and yells at
her, before spotting two items on her bedside: his one-second time machine, and
the finished boat they had planned to use in their animated film. Stphane falls
asleep in Stphanie's bed. As she checks on him to see why he has become so
quiet, she gently strokes his hair. The film closes with Stphane and Stphanie
riding Golden the Pony Boy across a field before sailing off into the ocean's horizon
in her white boat.