Citizen Kane (1941) - Springtime for Classics

“I don’t know how to run a newspaper, Mr. Thatcher. I just try everything I can think of.”

Director

Orson Welles

Cast

Orson Welles - Charles Foster Kane
Joseph Cotten - Jedediah Leland

Ruth Warrick - Emily Monroe Norton Kane

Dorothy Comingore - Susan Alexander Kane

William Alland - Jerry Thompson
Erskine Sanford - Herbert Carter

Ray Collins - Jim W. Gettys

George Coulouris - Walter Parks Thatcher

I feel presumptuous and bold to pass judgement, good or bad, on a film of this caliber. 
Orson Welles's famous drama "Citizen Kane" has been discussed by probably thousands of more well-rounded writers and critics long before me. 

One of my "mortal sins" of being a movie aficionado, and one I am publicly confessing here for all to see, is that this is the first time I have watched it. 

It wasn't because of any lack of interest in the film. I simply never watched it until now. Still, it's only a movie. 

I call my lack of viewing this film a cinematic "mortal sin" because "Citizen Kane" is often referred to as "the greatest movie ever made" by different publications from around the world, film enthusiasts, critics, and such. It's certainly sitting high up among the loftiest of cinematic pedestals with other titles such as "Gone with the Wind" and "The Godfather." But "Citizen Kane" seems to have achieved some sort of accomplishment of being the movie of all movies, even greater than those I've mentioned. In other words, it holds the highest standard of films untouched by another other movie ever made before or since. Some have come close though, but I can't think of any other title that may have surpassed "Citizen Kane" as far as production and storytelling perfection go. 

Ever since diving into movie viewing for the sake of this blog, "Citizen Kane" has been a title I felt I needed to see. So, better late than never.

Orson Welles plays media giant, Charles Foster Kane, whose life is portrayed in a series of flashbacks. 

The film begins at the last moment of his life, secluded in his palatial Florida home called Xanadu. The first word we hear him say is his last - "Rosebud." After whispering his final word, he drops a snow globe which shatters on the floor. 

A news reel then broadcasts the life and death of Kane, which reaches eyes and ears around the world. 

While his life is a sensational story, his last word is a sensational mystery. What did he mean? What or who is "Rosebud?" 

Reporter Jerry Thompson (William Alland) investigates its meaning by interviewing those who knew Kane. Friends. Wives. Colleagues. Associates. 

Throughout the film, we see Kane's life told through stories and flashbacks as Thompson investigates what kind of person Kane was, and who or what "Rosebud" is. 

The most notable part of his humble beginning occurs in the 1870s when gold is discovered in a mine that belongs to Kane's mother, Mary (Agnes Moorehead).

She hires banker Walter Parks Thatcher (George Coulouris) to establish a trust providing an education for young Charlie Kane, and to become his legal guardian. 

Kane doesn't initially take to Thatcher and hits him with his sled. 

Years later, Kane eventually gains control of his trust along with the mine's productivity and his legal guardian's investments. This makes him incredibly wealthy.

Immediately, I was completely invested in Charles Foster Kane. A person's life can be interesting for any number of reasons, whether they were the worst of people, the most influential of people, the saintliest of people, or seemingly the most ordinary of people.  

Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane.

A "No Trespassing" sign opens the film, hanging outside Kane's estate. But the camera passes it to gsin in-depth insight into his public and private life. 

The approach and method in telling this dramatic story is novel for its time. Only the important aspects of his life are played out. Nothing seems superfluous or showy. Though the story spans a lifetime, every part melds into each other all for one purpose. In the end, only the audience is given closure. 

I probably have to watch this movie again as I have a feeling that there's a lot I missed. If only I had watched "Citizen Kane" years before. 

Still, after this initial viewing I can see why it's called the greatest film ever made.

There's so much depth and a fair share of mystery when it comes to the story. It seems that mystery still lingers. 

Its depth comes across strongly through the great composition and juxtaposition of various shots, and the way Kane's life, starting as a sort of eulogy depicted through news reels, is told in flash backs. There's a lot to take in. Something tells me it'll take a while to really grasp the purpose this film as it's intended to be understood. 

Kane is certainly a mysterious character that has been the topic of speculation and intrigue all these years. Perhaps, that's what has kept audiences fixated on "Citizen Kane." 

The story takes inspiration from media giant William Randolph Hearst who owned the largest newspaper chain in America and has had a lasting footprint in American journalism.

Kane is the semi-rare but quintessential rise of personality. And this mark of Kane is permanently burnt into American pop culture. 

So much has been said about this one movie that it's just as overwhelming as writing about it. The movie has been dissected, analyzed. parodied, mocked, and quoted so many times on so many platforms. In fact, I was rather surprised a few months ago when I mentioned the title to someone, and they had never heard of it.

Thanks to its mainstream place in pop culture, I already knew what "rosebud" refers to long before seeing "Citizen Kane."

"Rosebud" is the innocence and safety of this powerful man's life. It's a gem among the corruption wrought by fame and wealth. It's the part of his life he yearns for most despite the wealth and publicity that followed him even after his death. He used it to attack Thatcher when they first met. Since then, it remained his true source of comfort. 

It's Kane's by-gone days that he'll never get back. There are hints dropped along the way as to the significance of "Rosebud," most of which indicate Kane's dislike of wealth.

In one scene, he tells Thatcher, "You know, Mr. Thatcher, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man."

Later, Kane states, "I always gagged on that silver spoon."

Some of these comments are a bit tongue-in-cheek, but there's still truth to them.

And in the last scene, as all of Kane's priceless valuables are cataloged and crated up while workers incinerate his excess belongings, the last line spoken is "Throw that junk in." All Kane's grandeur boils down to junk that feeds the flames, only to become ash. 

Yet, at the same time, Kane knows the extent of his influence and power as great as it is.
Things are tumultuous between Kane and his first wife, Emily Monroe Norton Kane (Ruth Warrick).
As she says to him "Really Charles, people will think...," he cuts her off and says, "...what I tell them to think."
Even though I had only just seen it for the first time, in my head it was among the top films every person should see in their lifetime. 

I've been thinking about it since watching it last week. I'm probably the millionth viewer wondering what it's really about. Or, maybe, I'm reading too much into it.

There's a mystery about it all, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm positive I need to watch "Citizen Kane" again, which I will definitely do.