act3 is a communication strategy and design firm that specializes in telling stories.

This blog is our story laboratory, a way to poke, prod, and take a closer look at the stories we see, the stories we tell, and our own assumptions and knowledge about why stories work (or don't). The goal is to better understand what makes a story connect with people, and how to tell better stories.

Like any blog, it's an evolving concept. We hope you'll follow along.

August 13

The downside of mythology: trying to live up to your own hype

Does Citizen Kane suck? That’s the question my old friend Chad Schneider at movingstillpix asked, prompted by friends of his who had been telling him lately that the film classic was boring.

After watching it again for the first time in a decade, Chad concluded it definitely did not suck. In fact, he says …

Citizen KaneIT’S TERRIFIC!  It even says so on the movie poster.

So, what’s the deal?  Why do some of my friends who ordinarily can tell good from bad have little love for Kane?  Is it the occasionally over-stylized acting?  Maybe.  Black and White?  No way, they’re better than that. Unattainably high expectations created by lists like the AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies along with an incredible mythology/history rooted in outrageous facts and fictions?  Bingo!

In the case of Citizen Kane, which came out in 1941, the mythology is the reason most people under the age of 50 even know about it at all. But that mythology is almost impossible to live up to, and unless you’re able to block it out, there’s a pretty good chance it will impact your experience of actually watching the movie.

:: Posted by Eric Ratinoff ::