Citizen Kane Analysis

At the end the film we are visually told a strong message that a man isn’t necessarily the sum of his achievements, possessions, or actions, but that something deeper must drive him. Kane was more than his public accomplishments is the last word Kane uttered: “Rosebud.” Kane’s life story unfolds in layers through the reporter Thompson's investigation and is told by a succession of people who were close to him. Kane never gets to tell his own life story, and we must wonder how much his telling of it would differ from the reminiscences of his associates. None of these people ever really knew what drove Kane to do the things he did. Only Thatcher would have had the chance to fully understand Kane, but he was too concerned with making money to have any compassion for a lonely child. He viewed Kane through a distant, mature lens of acquisition and conservatism. The differing perspectives on Kane’s life, especially in the absence of Kane’s own point of view, force us to question what was truly important in the life of Charles Foster Kane as well as to ponder what constitutes a life in general. Judging by Kane's last word, the most important pieces of his life were not the things that made him newsworthy, such as his newspaper successes and political ambitions, nor his friendships and associations. Instead, as Kane's life comes to an end, he grasps at a memory from his

The movie Citizen Kane was ahead of its time and challenged what a classic Hollywood movie was defined as. The film begins with the death of Kane, and his final word ‘rosebud’. A reporter sent to interview various people close to Kane to discover what ‘rosebud’ means. The audience is given various perspectives on the life of Kane through these people and the audience is taken along for the ride. All movies out at the time had similar lighting and narrative because of the quick factory like atmosphere in Hollywood studios at the time.

Bordwell and Thompson shared that the manipulation of story order, time and frequency in the plot illustrate how the audience actively participate in making sense of a narrative film (81). Bordwell and Thompson mentioned that typically, in fictional biographies, life stories are presented chronologically and let their plot present incidents in story order (80). In Citizen Kane, however, Kane’s life is traced through flashbacks by people who knew him, resulting in the creation of an unusual relation of the plot to the story. Furthermore, Citizen Kane presents an

I believe that the author portrays Charles Kane as sort of an evil man through the things he does, but shows that Kane doesn’t realize how he is behaving is wrong. One example of this would be how he ran his newspaper company the New York Inquirer (Citizen Kane). He presented the news in the best way possible to get as many people as he could to read it. Even if he had to lie a little bit in the title or in the actual stories, all he cared about was being everyone’s main source of news. This however was the opposite of what he originally wanted to do which was to present only honest and true news. One time he lied about the news was in relation to his second wife Susan Alexander. She was not a very skilled opera singer as told by the

In his attacks on Hollywood and the Federal Theatre Project, Hearst was driven by selfish and possibly personal ulterior motives. Between the Federal Theatre Project, Hollywood, and William Randolph Hearst exists one very crucial connection, Orson Welles (Allen, Carmichael). The “Boy Wonder” entertainer, who at 21 years old directed the groundbreaking play “The Cradle Will Rock”, which criticized public figures just like Hearst. But it isn’t the production of this play that brought young Welles’ ever promising career to an abrupt halt, to this William Randolph Hearst is responsible.

Film critics, scholars, and organizations all over the world tend to select Citizen Kane as the the greatest film ever made. While some may argue that this claim is utterly subjective, it raises the question of what makes a movie great. It is undeniable that elements such as the plot, cinematography, and acting can make films better than one another but two rather unspoken elements are a film’s influence and implementation of new traits. This is where it ultimately garners its reputation. Citizen Kane is one of the greatest and most influential cinematic films made because of its creative originality, exceptional coherence, underlying message, and innovative camerawork.

Mr. Kane exclaims, “I can fight this all alone…I’m Charles Foster Kane! I’m no cheap crooked politician trying to save himself from the consequences.” (Citizen Kane) Though Mr. Kane was by no means a perfect character, up until this point he could be viewed as the “good”, slightly above average, citizen. But as this scene plays out, he begins to show his darker side to the audience.

     Orson Welles’ cinematic classic, Citizen Kane, is a film that centers on a group of reporter’s investigation into the meaning of Charles Foster Kane’s last word, “Rosebud.” Through their investigation of his last words, the team of reporters, is presented with an almost, but not quite, complete picture of “Citizen” Kane’s life. By assuming that the man’s last word was as grandiose as his life, the reporters miss out on the bigger, more holistic picture, which is Charles Foster Kane’s life. The reporters’ emphasis of attention on what turns out to be a small and trivial, although they never find that out, aspect of Kane’s life, make Citizen Kane a perfect example of the pitfalls of over-interpretation.

Nineteen minutes into Orson Welles’s masterpiece Citizen Kane, the audience sees titular character Charles Foster Kane as a boy playing with his sled in the snow. This scene acts as the beginning of the story, while the film’s plot begins with Kane’s death and last words, “Rosebud.” The film follows with flashbacks and journalistic investigations to solve the meaning of “Rosebud,” until one of the last shots of the film reveals the word painted across Kane’s childhood sled as it burns in a furnace. Thompson, a reporter searching for the meaning of Kane’s last words, interviews Kane’s best friend, old business manager, and ex-wife in hopes that their insider knowledge will reveal the true meaning of “Rosebud” and “solve the puzzle.” Thompson’s

There are several themes in Citizen Kane including “the myth of the American Dream.” In the first scene, we see the poor family of the Kane's, and rich Thatcher taking Kane away from his home and give him a rich life, the American Dream. He finds that the luxury and power doesn't make him happy and takes over a struggling newspaper his caregiver owns. All through the movie, we see Kane unhappy with all his money and spending it on things other than his happiness. He buys love from others and other things like the newspaper to make the people he hates miserable.

Two primary themes within the film contribute to the recognition and acclaim generated by Citizen Kane. The themes are buried beneath the visual muddle of the film itself. First, the theme regarding the disparagement of the private disposition of the municipal figure contribute to the esteem of the film. (Carringer) Next, the theme regarding the overwhelming force of materialism may be identified as a defining factor of the film, Citizen Kane. Viewed in unison, the themes encompass the poignant irony of the triumphant success of an American. The tale takes a drastic turn and winds up revealing the demise, lonesomeness,

Provocative films, such as Citizen Kane deal with issues of the time and demand a reaction from the audience. The film, written and directed based on media giant of the time; William Randolph Hearst aims to deal with issues such as relationships, childhood innocence, and privacy.

"In his fine essay for the gorgeous new two-disc reissue of Bicycle Thieves, Godfrey Cheshire claims that Vittorio De Sica’s neo-realist classic and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane are the “twin fountainheads” of modern cinema. From Welles came a cinema of egotism and personal expression; from De Sica, a cinema of collective conscience and social concern. "

“Rosebud...” An iconic one liner that begins the mystery of who Citizen Kane truly was. The scene opens up to eerie music; the camera slowly making its way past a chain-link fence with the sign that says 'No Trespassing'. The camera continues it's journey beyond the fence; showing glimpses of a more elaborate fence with a large 'K', for 'Kane' drawing the eye. Upon the fence sit two small primates - this represents the power, and money he held, but they are also portrayed as rundown, and somewhat decayed – no longer in their former glory. Beyond that though, buried beneath the fog, stands a great castle - one typically representative of a horror film, but it is not – the morbid and eerie feel to the land is similar to what it's master's current

In Roger Erbert's article, "Great Movie Citizen Kane", Erbert argues what the word Rosebud truly means and its significance to Welles' film. Erbert gives some history of how Welles created the film and later on explains how along with a personal story, the film provides a story of a specific period of time. He then goes on to explain how it truly simple it is to understand who Kane is by the way story is told. Erbert explores this through Citizen Kane having a circular structure that allows the audience to receive a more clear understanding every time the film passes over Kane's life. An example Erbert uses is the beginning of the film opens with