Evergreen trinity

Citizen Kane was named the greatest American film of all time in a high-profile poll conducted recently, followed by The Godfather and Casablanca. The order might be debatable, but the choice of the Big Three is certainly not, writes Vikramdeep Johal

Now here’s a movie poll that can be taken seriously. It was conducted by the venerable American Film Institute, not by any newspaper or magazine; the voters were film historians, critics and other experts, not common moviegoers. The list of top-100 American films of all time is headed—for the second time in a decade—by the late actor-director Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941).

Is the choice beyond debate? No, it isn’t. Undoubtedly, very few classics of world cinema can match its imaginative use of the medium—deep-focus camerawork, multi-perspective narrative, smart editing. Made by a 25-year-old debutant, who regarded cinema as "the biggest toy train set any boy ever had", this masterwork about the American dream-turned-nightmare was way ahead of its times. However, despite its lofty merits, Citizen Kane remains a flawed epic. The acting—except that of Welles in the title role—is mediocre, the characterisation is sketchy, and, above all, the Freudian conclusion looks contrived and simplistic. The fact that the first-time director was given carte blanche by the studio bosses—a rarity in Hollywood then as well as now— accounts for virtually everything that’s great and not-so-great about the film.

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca

That brings us to the next two movies on the list, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972) and Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942). There’s nothing revolutionary about the techniques employed—these classics are perfect examples of getting the basics right without breaking rules.

Both are genuine entertainers, featuring fascinating performances, dream casts and brilliant scenes. Who can forget Marlon Brando as Mafia boss Don Vito Corleone and Al Pacino as his son Michael? Or Humphrey Bogart as the world-weary caf`E9 owner Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as his angelic beloved Ilse?

A major strength of the threesome is their script. There is never a dull moment, not even in The Godfather, which is close to three hours long (the other two are an hour or so shorter). Mario Puzo adapted his novel for the screen along with Coppola, who was better known as a screenwriter than a director prior to this film. Citizen Kane’s screenplay, structured like a jigsaw puzzle, was written by Herman Mankiewicz, ostensibly in collaboration with Welles (the controversy over the latter’s claim of being a co-writer hasn’t died down yet). Casablanca’s script was penned by the Epstein twins (Julius and Philip) and Howard Koch, based on an unproduced play, Everybody Comes to Rick’s, by Joan Alison and Murray Bennett.

Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall in The Godfather

Citizen Kane was Welles’ first and greatest film. It was all downhill for him after that (a fate similar to that suffered by Sholay creator Ramesh Sippy). Hungarian-born Curtiz, famous for his bad English, had already given hits like The Adventures of Robin Hood and Yankee Doodle Dandy before he made Casablanca. The latter was the pinnacle of his career, even though he kept making films till his death in 1962.

Coppola, then 32, was not the first choice as the director of The Godfather. He got the job after it had been turned down by Richard Brooks, Peter Yates and Costa-Gavras. He did become more ambitious with The Godfather Part II (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979), with mixed results, but his first major success is still the most likeable of the lot.

Believe it or not, the Big Three together won only seven Oscars, a fact which shows that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is not always the best judge of outstanding American cinema. The Academy’s prejudice against enfant terrible Welles limited Citizen Kane to just one award—for best screenplay. Casablanca won three (best picture, director and screenplay), but none for its actors. The Godfather got three as well (best picture, actor and screenplay), even as Bob Fosse’s Cabaret was showered with eight awards.

The trinity has no doubt stood the test of time. Like old wine, these influential films have got better over the years. Opinion might be divided over which of them is the greatest ever, but collectively they represent the best that American cinema has produced in a century, powerfully portraying the good, the bad and the ugly sides of American society.

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