The movie Citizen Kane is a movie about a newspaper reporter Jerry Thompson, played by William Alland, trying to figure out why the owner of the New York Daily Inquirer Charles Foster Kane said “Rosebud” as he breathed his last breath. At first, Jerry is tasked with the reason behind it, so he goes to different people who were influential in Charles Kane’s life. He visits friends, past wives and the butler to Kane while on the hunt for the truth.
In theaters and in movie award ceremonies, the movie was an absolute hit. The movie was nominated for over 10 awards including Best Picture (1942 Academy Awards), Best Director (1942 Academy Awards) and won the Best Original Screenplay (1942 Academy Awards).
All the nominations were well deserved as the film was a classic. The filming techniques were groundbreaking, the music was extraordinary and the actors were top-notch.
The filming techniques used when portraying the house Kane died in and of all the crates of statues Kane bought were monumental pieces of the movie. The techniques used here have been used time and time again, so they may look familiar. Just remember this movie was the first to do this; every other movie copied it.
The musical score of the movie is also excellent as it made music a mainstay of movies. It makes the audience sense tension and emotion.
The basic plot is this: The life of Charles Kane began in a poor family, but when the family discovers that their house is on a large oil reserve, they are given tens of millions of dollars. Charles lives with his new guardian and owner of the New York Daily Inquirer Mr. Thatcher for many years.
Charles Kane is about to inherit the New York Daily Inquirer, but Thatcher is not too happy about how the newspaper is doing. Thatcher warns Kane about his actions, telling him that they are going to lose a million dollars a year. Kane replies, saying if we lose a million dollars a year, then we’ll still have 60 years left.
Kane was so corrupt and guilty that he was never able to actually love his wife, ending relationships tore him down even further. He even forced his second wife to continue singing even when she didn’t want to. His crumbling life impacted his mind and thought process when publishing the news.
In some ways, the movie shows how there should not be emotion in the news. Sure when talking about tragedies, the news anchor can show emotions, but emotions cannot cover up the truth.
Eventually, when Kane’s estate is being cleared out, the audience sees a small toboggan with the word “rosebud” on the topside being thrown into a fire. Thus going back to Jerry Thompson saying that the mystery will always be open
The acting is superb. Charles Foster Kane was played by the illustrious Orson Welles, a pioneer in theatre. Dorothy Comingore (Suan Alexander Kane) showed so much emotion when singing that it was unforgettable. I sensed it was hard also for her to act so well when she was moving out of Kane’s house as Charles tried to beg her to stay with him.
My grade for the movie is four stars out of five. The movie ended in a dramatic ironic cliffhanger, but I am not a fan of it personally. I really did not like the fact that the movie ended; I felt like it had no resolution. Until the ending, I also found it disrupting to see how Kane forced his second wife to do what she clearly did not want to do.
If you want to see a classic movie, which has drama, romance, and some comedy, though, then this movie is a perfect fit.