Citizen Kane (1941)

American Film Institute's No. 1 Movie of All Time

I always gagged on the silver spoon. Charles Foster Kane

It's easy to see why the American Film Institute chose this movie as number one on its list. The movie opens with the infamous "Rosebud" as Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies. The remainder of the movie newspaper reporters interview friends, enemies and associates of Kane to find out exactly what he meant, and the story is told in a series of flashbacks, eventually ending the same way it began with a panoramic shot of Kane's mansion.

A young Kane is taken from his parents home to go live with the wealthy Mr. Thatcher for a chance at a better life. After being thrown out of multiple colleges and coming into his extensive inheritance, Kane decides to take over the New York Inquirer, pushing the publication to eventually practice yellow journalism. While like many at first his intentions seemed solid, presenting to his readers a declaration of things he intends to do differently with his paper, his eventual desire for power overcomes him. His first marriage to the President's niece crumbles after his love affair with a young starlet, whom he marries and eventually leaves him.

Kane himself is based loosely off William Randolph Hearst, although later in life Welles claims the character was portrayed from Howard Hughes. At any rate, Hearst's fortunes and career in the publishing industry are indeed mimicked in the film. Having visited the Hearst Castle in California in 2001, I was amused that Kane also lived in a castle, not something seen ordinarily in the United States. Interestingly enough, Hearst himself had a few "Rosebuds" in his life - it has been documented that his mother, Phoebe Hearst, was nicknamed Rosebud by one of Hearst's close friends, who ironically was extremely close to the woman, almost as much as if not more than her own son, tying into the bittersweet reference of Rosebud in the film. Another reference by essayist Gore Vidal says Rosebud was a nickname used for mistress Marion Davies, or more specifically a particular part of her anatomy. :0

At the very end we realize Rosebud was the name of Kane's sled, as the toy goes up flames with other miscellaneous items of the millionaire's estate. My initial thought was all that..... over a SLED? However, it easy to see why Kane would have longed for his youth and more simple days. Although he may have died with money, he said throughout the movie he was a lonely man. Both his marriages failed him, and he fired his best friend, Jedediah Leland, who threw back in his face the declaration Kane had wrote, symbolizing not only his loss of friendship but respect.

Having not watched a lot of black and white films, this movie was especially entertaining. I enjoyed how throughout the production shadows were used to more or less mask the characters, which speaks to the actors use of body language to convey meaning. Welles was well deserving of the praise he earned (much later in his career) for this movie - although interestingly enough at the time of its release it was a box-office bust, making enough to cover movie costs but not enough to turn a profit. Overall, an enjoyable movie and the historical context, however real it may be, made it even more interesting. 

4.5 stars out of 5