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Introduction
“‘Citizen Kane’ is more than a great movie; it is a gathering of all the lessons of the emerging era of sound, just as ‘Birth of a Nation’ assembled everything learned at the summit of the silent era, and ‘2001’ pointed the way beyond narrative. ... ” (Ebert, 2003) ‘Citizen Kane’ (1941) by debut Director Orson Welles was bold and innovative. ... As to the controversy – ‘Citizen Kane’ was not just a movie; it was a portrayal of the “press lord” William Randolph Hearst whose newspapers were filled with scandalous and sometimes completely fictional stories. ... "” (The Battle Over Citizen Kane, 1996).
One of the themes that would have appealed to nearly every American was demonstrated by Kane himself – that anybody could become financially successful. ... But in ‘Citizen Kane’ this theme is wonderfully described. ... The film begins with Kane’s remark: “Rosebud”, before he slumps over and dies. This starts the audience wondering from the beginning; what or who is Rosebud that it should be so important to Kane as to be his last word? We soon see Kane as a child being signed away to the banker, Thatcher as part of a deal involving the fortune stumbled upon by his mother by way of mining stock certificates. ... The traumatic separation of Kane from his parents influences the rest of his life as Kane tries to fill the void left within him. ... His last wife is Susan Alexander who Kane tries and tries to promote as an opera singer, despite her lack of singing skill. ...
Characters
The protagonist is Charles Foster Kane. ...
No other characters are developed anywhere nearly as much as Kane. ... Well, he loved Charlie Kane of course, very dearly, and his mother, I guess he always loved her. ...
Themes
The uprooting from his parents Kane experienced as a child created a void within him that he was forever trying to fill. Kane’s utterance of “Rosebud” (the sled he owned as a child) – his last word in his life and the first word in the movie – Is a beautiful display of his final yearning for the security and innocence of childhood, despite his great wealth and influence. ‘Citizen Kane’ is about how money and power can corrupt. ... Near the end of the movie, Thompson makes a profound statement: “Mister Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. ...
Techniques
Deep Focus: In the scene where we meet Kane as a child playing in the snow, the camera slowly zooms out to include his mother who is warning him to keep warm.
Approximate Word count = 2015
Approximate Pages = 8.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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