I noticed many similarities between Citizen Kane and current events. Kane reminded me of a certain president that is also a billionaire and has used yellow journalism, or fake news, to his advantage and also has had multiple wives and ran for public office. I think Kane’s frequent utterances of “Rosebud” was a way to control his massive ego by trying to connect to much simpler times with this biological parents given that the sled he was using while at home had Rosebud engraved at the bottom. I have heard many people say this is one of the best movies of all time, but I honestly had a really hard time seeing why.
Rose Scholars Fall 2017
Endless possibilities
Interesting analysis of the film and interpretation of rosebud!
The first time I saw Citizen Kane, I too did not understand why the movie has been consistently ranked as the greatest film of all time. Viewing it a second time made me appreciate it much more. I think its ranked so highly by critics because, in terms of narrative-telling, organization, and filmmaking, it was a masterpiece. Its telling in flashbacks and the obituary montage at the beginning were very well-executed. The film was able to create a multitude of different atmospheres with varying moods, including the active and busy New York Inquirer headquarters, Kane’s poverty-ridden childhood home in a snowy Colorado, and the lonely, eery mansion called Xanadu. The director infused into the middle of these diverse settings a complex and intriguing main character whom we hated but also with whom we sympathized. Overall, I think Citizen Kane is so well-ranked because its narrative was both intriguing and relatable whilst being told so well.