When you have a couple of hours to spare, look at the scene between Bogart and Dorothy Malone in the bookstore in The Big Sleep and then look at the scene where Kirk Douglas directs Lana Turner in the bookstore scene in The Bad and the Beautiful. If you don't think there's a tie-in, I'll be surprised. Minnelli was riffing on Hawks.

Thannks for clarifying the "you" but Kane isn't a whodunnit, so obviously the issue of what is relevent to what genre goes beyond that. The revelation of "Rosebud" is whispered in an empty room, so no one could here it, so the plot couldn't really happen. But no one minds (even people who don't like Kane don't use this as an issue of complaint), because realistic plot is not what Kane is about.

Or another example: the cops in Breathless are really lazy. In real life they'd be fired. In a naturalistic movie, the issue would be addressed by either a hard-working cop or their superiors. There would have to be some sort of explainaiton to make it work. Godard isn't making a realistic movie. He's paying hommage to B movies and those are "going through the motions" B movie cops. We accept that they are always two steps behind Belmondo until the end, and we don't mind because we know that's how the genre worked that Godard is celebraing.

By the way, are we absolutely sure no one hears Kane's dying words? The nurse comes in immediately; she was alert at the door, listening... We don't see anyone else, but that does not mean, say, the butler was not in the room - someone had just turned off and then on the light, if you recall - saw what happened and called for the nurse - we don't hear anything except the music and that word....

It sounds like your saying that there is no room for film criticism. That people who like a movie will forgive its faults, and those who don't won't. Is that what you're saying?

I have always assumed the above scenario. There is nothing to suggest that Kane is completely alone in the room; in fact, the idea that a man so important and powerful would have been left alone is quite hard to believe.

It sounds like your saying that there is no room for film criticism. That people who like a movie will forgive its faults, and those who don't won't. Is that what you're saying?

Agree with Syd that Buena Vista Social Club is somewhat worthwhile but ultimately disappointing. It's okay as far as it goes, but it doesn't go nearly far enough to make a real emotional impact.