Citizen Kane was the first black and white movie I had ever watched. In all honesty, I was most impressed by the film angles of the movie than the actual plot itself. One particular scene that really caught my eye was when the reporter was first visiting Kane’s ex-wife. The camera went through the roof of the club to the table that Kane’s ex-wife was sitting at. It was truly a revolutionary film angle idea – in fact, some recent movies I have seen, including Thor: Ragnarok, dabbled with this film angle approach, but it was not executed as smoothly as in Citizen Kane.

Another scene that caught my attention was the scene where Kane’s lips whispered “Rosebud”. I was taken aback that the film was released in 1941 with such modern film ideals.

The Friday Film was Citizen Kane, a discovery of Charles Foster Kane’s life by a reporter determined to find the meaning behind the rich newspaperman’s last word: “rosebud”. Following many leads, he uncovers elements of Kane’s private life, but nothing about the word, “rosebud”. Unfortunately, the reporter never discovers the meaning, the last link was destroyed eventually unnoticed. At the end, the viewers learn that the words implied that despite his success, he still thought about the moment he was taken away from his home as a young child.

This film was set up in an interesting way. It starts with his death, and the viewer is able to learn about Kane’s life as the reporter also learns about his life. This is interesting because the impression that we are left with is similar to the reporter’s, who asks the questions the audience is also wondering about.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting film that, while it built up slowly, went into Kane’s life so throughly. While in the beginning, we see some rosy exterior about some aspect of his life, as the reporters asks questions and follows recommendations to others who know more, he, and the audience, discover that Kane’s life is not at all perfect as it seems. Rather, it contains extra worries people not in Kane’s position would have to consider.

Mark Twain once said something along the lines of a classic being something people praise but don’t read.  I sort of had this idea about Citizen Kane going into the movie.  I thought it would be filled by a lot of dialogue that would slowly lull an audience desensitized by the more action-packed films of the 21st century.  While the movie consists of the dialogue between a reporter and the people he interviews who knew Mr. Kane, vivid flashbacks accompany each conversation.  The character of Charles Kane himself is filled with the ambition of finding approval that’s difficult to look away from.  The film is consistently regarded as one of the best of all time, due to its experimental shots, nonlinear storytelling, and other features less common in Hollywood at the time.

While Kane does have charisma and is able to convince people to do risky things, like having an affair with him, his energy and persuasive power seem to stem from the lack of compassion and care he faced as a child.  Early on, the movie shows him being removed from his family at a very young age.  The film did a good job of showing the audience Kane’s interactions with others and why he was liked, but I think it also did a good job of garnering the audience’s pity for the man.  Persistence is an honorable trait and the audience is able to see the dedication Charles Kane invests in his media endeavors, along with the fame those endeavors bring.  The camera also shows a behind the scenes look at how stubborn and controlling Kane is and the price he pays for his success.  Overall, I liked it.

“Citizen Kane” investigates an irony that has existed since the beginning of economy: to be happy is not necessarily to have a bunch of money and power. At heart, Charles Foster Kane is a small-town country boy whose world consists of Mom, Dad, and his sled Rosebud. But his parents send him off to the city with a rich man in order to live a different life. From education to business advisors, everything is provided for Kane in this new life. He runs a newspaper, runs for public office, and pretty much everyone across the globe knows and loves the man. Kane seems to draw a massive circle of happy-go-luckiness wherever he goes. However, Kane himself always seems out of place. It’s as if no matter how much attention he gets, it’s not enough. The rich man who gives him this new life tries to advise him, but Kane shoos him away every time. Instead, Kane begins a materialistic search for happiness. The man of the people who wanted his newspaper to tell the undivided truth for all becomes a confused dictator who lusts for control. Kane starts to collect statues, builds an opera house in which he forces his wife to sing, neglects his old friends and advisors, and where does he end up? A giant palace with a butler, an expensive suit, and a wife who spends her days building puzzles in front of the fireplace, longing for the old Kane and perhaps a different life. Here is where the irony is most interesting. With nothing but a sled, a small house, and two parents, Kane is a happy child. But with all the riches imaginable he is nothing but happy.

One of the things that struck me most about Citizen Kane was its deep criticism of how marketing has influenced our ability to engage in sincere political protest. Kane bought the newspapers in order to speak for the voice of the working man, as he put it. However, in doing so, and having his angle for each take, he took the idea of genuinely promoting the lives of working class America and effectively commercialized it. He turned it into a product that could be bought and sold through his newspaper, and arguably in doing so actually took a lot of the bite out of any real progress for working class Americans. We see this all the time in our modern neoliberal society, wherein Companies control the language of protest through commercialization. An excellent example of this was during many of the protests following Trump’s election, particularly those in early 2017. Images of the late Carrie Fisher dressed as Princess Leia, and of the “Starbird” symbol used by the Rebel Alliance of the same franchise were used to protest Trump’s statements, particularly those against women, and used as a rallying cry for a similar sort of Rebellion against his policies. While I myself am a huge fan of Star Wars, there is something I find quietly disconcerting about the fact that the symbols of a workers revolution are being given by a massive employer, and something that I think is paralleled with Kane’s newspaper claiming to speak for the workers while also benefiting massively from their employment.

One of the most interesting moments of Citizen Kane is the scene where Kane’s old friend Leland remarks that when Kane spoke of advocating for the common man, he always spoke in terms of “giving” the people their rights, as if that was in his power. Raised amidst great wealth, his ideas of morality and honor were centered around what money could buy, and even though “big money” was often his enemy, he saw his own wealth as the solution to everything—or at least as the key to winning the people’s admiration, which appears to be what really drove him. As Leland and Susan both note, Kane always tried to buy people’s love through benevolence (e.g. by sending Leland a fat check alongside his pink slip or “fulfilling” Susan’s dream of becoming an opera singer), though he always seemed to miss the mark of granting what his friends actually wanted, since he was only every giving what satisfied his notion of what was right.

I watched Citizen Kane years ago as a child and didn’t appreciate its meaning. However, viewing it as a young adult last Friday gave me a greater respect and admiration for the movie’s potent messages, depth, and relatability. Citizen Kane has been ranked as the greatest movie of all time by various media outlets, and I finally understand the reasoning behind these honors.

The renowned film begins with the death of a wealthy newspaper magnate, the fictional Charles Foster Kane. His last word, uttered upon his deathbed, was “Rosebud,” and the movie centers around an investigation of this word’s meaning. We eventually discover that the word “Rosebud” was inscribed on the wooden sled Kane had as a child, an item with which he was playing moments before he was sold by his parents to a rich socialite named Robert Thatcher.

Therefore, Rosebud is symbolic of Kane’s childhood, the only time in his life in which he felt genuinely loved and nurtured, carefree, and happy. It is interesting to consider our own, individual Rosebuds. Sometimes I, like Kane, do wish to return to my days as a kid, when the world seemed so simple and so innocent, and stress was essentially nonexistent. Its hard to grow up and realize the evil, immorality, and corruption that exists on this planet. It is difficult to come to terms with the struggles and hard lives that many members of low-income communities, minorities, and third-world countries face on a daily basis. Life gets increasingly complicated and feelings of anxiety become commonplace. Thus, it is difficult not to sometimes want to return to the days of naivety and pure, uninhibited fun.

However, there are many benefits of being an adult that I would not want to lose in returning to my childhood. Despite having to accept the presence of poverty and immorality on the planet, as adults, we gain the power to induce change in these societal issues. We are taken more seriously by others, and have the ability to speak up for ourselves and be heard. Additionally, as adults, we have more freedom and the independence to choose our individual paths. We get to decide our own priorities and how we want to live our lives. So, every period in our lives has its advantages and disadvantages, its happy and its sad moments. However, we always tend to look back on the past positively, when in reality there were many hardships we faced. Meanwhile, we are often unhappy and ungrateful in the present moment. This is an important point, as Kane’s childhood didn’t seem like the greatest experience – his dad implied that he had corporally punished Kane in the past. Kane’s home seemed isolated, in the middle of a snow-covered Colorado. Did Kane have neighbors with whom he could hang out? Because Kane’s family was so poor, it is unclear how high Kane’s quality of life was at his parents’ home. This is not to say that I agree with Kane’s mother’s decision to sell his child to a rich socialite with the intention of giving him a better life — that is a whole other discussion. My point is that the past is not always as great as we remember it to be, but we always long to return to it rather than enjoy what we have now. This was Kane’s problem – he resented being taken from his childhood home so much that it affected his capacity to live a happy, wholesome life full of love, enjoyment, and appreciation for his privilege.

In conclusion, Citizen Kane revealed that longing for the past isn’t necessarily the best endeavor. It is absolutely important to reflect on our past, but when these reflections inhibit our ability to thrive in the present moment, it becomes problematic.

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.

The film Citizen Kane is a really good example to talk about money and happiness.

We see obviously Kane is a talented person in someway and of course rich. However, people might also feel the same way as I did that we don’t like this guy. While he is famous and rich, the way he talked to people and how he pursuit the interest is disrespectful and selfish. Probably, for an outsider we don’t care about how famous or rich the person we’re talking to is. We just care how he responds to me, how he treats me, and whether he is respectful to me. However, I may also doubt whether Kane himself is happy. It seems that he enjoys the power of being flattered but we see the deepest sadness he had in the end. From that we might guess the he is not always happy all the time especially when he gets richer and more popular.

Thus, the relationship between money and happiness might not be that straightforward -positive or negative. Of course we know the richer the happier in general cases but from this film we also learn that the significant amount of money can’t ensure happiness either. Therefore, it seems that the logic of the richer the happier may apply to an extent beyond which, they are not strongly positively related. In other words, we just need enough money to have an above average life. Once we satisfy the basic needs, the beyond happiness will not too much based on money.

I came into watching Citizen Kane with high expectations. Not only has the movie been praised by almost every film critic in existence, it has also been ranked consistently as one of the greatest movies of all time. A movie that redefined what movies could be, in their plots, cinematography, and themes. The movie was incredibly slow, slower than I would have expected even for an older movie. This can probably be attributed to the fact that a summary of Kane’s life is given at the beginning of the movie so when the rest of the movie is just telling the story of the major events in Kane’s life, I already knew how the situations were going to play out. It made the scenes incredibly slow, with each one devolving into me just waiting for the conclusion of each scene to match what was already said at the beginning.  This made the movie terribly hard to watch for me as it felt excruciatingly long.

After the movie ended I felt it did not live up to my expectations of what it would be, it was not what I expected. After a few hours had passed since the movie had ended, I had time to reflect on its themes, how a man transformed in front of my eyes, from someone who means well, a genuinely good human being, to someone that was despised by everyone around him. This is all culminated in his saying of “Rosebud” when his second wife left him and moments before his death. “Rosebud” which was the name of sled that was taken from him long ago when he was child living in rural Colorado. It reminded him of a simpler time, a time where he didn’t have wealth or responsibility, and was just a child. It reminded him of the life he lost by gaining everything most people want in their life at such a young age. It eventually turned him into a recluse in old age after he had lost everyone and everything he had loved.

This is exactly what a great movie does, it forces you to reflect and think about what happened in the movie long after the final credits have passed, and while great movies can also provide great viewing experiences, not all of them must. This movie forced me to consider its themes and examine this man’s life even after I had a negative viewing experience. It is a great movie for this fact, and one that I will keep in mind later when watching older movies.

After watching North by Northwest last week, I kind of had a feeling of what Citizen Kane would be like as a film. Released in 1941, Citizen Kane details the rather broken life of a man Charles Foster Kane and the mysterious meaning of his final spoken word: “rosebud.” The film is told as a series of flashbacks and interviews. In the very beginning of the film, Kane’s mother strikes gold and suddenly becomes rich, causing her to hand over custody of her child to banker, Thatcher.

After becoming very rich, Kane became a newspaper typhoon, got married, and even decided to try getting into politics. However, as his wealth built up, we saw Kane become a frustrated and selfish person. He struggles with his relationships and treats people well to try to get love in return.

His final utterance of the word “rosebud” is revealed at the end of the movie, as it was the word written on his sled that he had when he was given to Thatcher. It was the only thing that he truly kept throughout his life. To me, it seems as if Kane could never get over the moment that he was given away and uses “rosebud” as a way to think about the potential happiness that he could have had if he had just been given the chance at a regular life.

While I am not always a huge fan of older films, I found the plot and direction of this film to be interesting, as it was told in a series of flashbacks. The film has some important messages as well, as it indicates that money does not always make people happy and can often destroy them. It also explains how much of an impact relationships can have on a person’s life.

Citizen Kane begins with the death of its subject. Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper tycoon based in part on William Randolph Hearst, dies at his opulent estate, Xanadu. His last word, as reported in the papers, is “Rosebud”. A newspaper reporter is tasked by his editor with discovering who or what “Rosebud” is. Through the reporter’s interviews with colleagues and an ex-wife, Kane’s life is revealed.

Charles Kane’s mother owns a boarding house in a mining town. A tenant, unable to pay, gives her what he believes to be a worthless deed as payment. Gold is then found, and the family is suddenly quite wealthy. Mrs. Kane makes the extraordinary decision to give her son over to the custody of a banker so that he can be educated.

At the end of the film, it is revealed that “Rosebud” is the name of the sled Charles Kane was playing with as a boy on that day that his mother told him she would be sending him away. It would seem, then, that Charles Kane’s unhappiness – and I believe the film reveals him to be a fundamentally unhappy person – stems from his mother’s abandonment. While she believed she was acting in his best interest, Charles’ mother denied him a normal childhood and parental love. In his adult life, he goes on to have a string of broken relationships: two failed marriages, and a falling out with his best friend which results in the end of the relationship.

It seems then, that Charles Kane’s choice of last words – “Rosebud” – is expressing a desire for things to have gone differently. If only his mother had not sent him away, his life could have been very different. Yet, it was Charles Kane who was responsible for the misery in his life, and for misery in others’ lives.

Charles’ second wife, Susan Alexander, expresses to him most explicitly that he doesn’t really love her, or anyone. He gives to others to make himself feel better, or more in control, or to manipulate their opinions of him. He wants to be loved without loving in return. Charles Kane is selfish. He does not, and seemingly cannot, consider the needs of others, and place them before his own.

The crux of the film is thus a simple question: Could Charles Kane have been any different than he was? If his mother had not sent him away, would he have grown up to be a happier man? Or, could he have learned to respect the needs and desires of those around him, and held onto his friends and family? Was what happened to Charles Kane inevitable? Or could it have gone another way. The consideration of these questions makes “Citizen Kane” an interesting film, and an excellent one.