Citizen Kane is the story of one of the wealthiest men in the world and his gradual fall from fame and finally to his death where he utters one of the silver screen’s most famous lines – “Rosebud”.
This “Rosebud” perplexes the reporter covering his life’s story that he goes out to discover what Kane meant by that strange word. The entire movie shows the reporter interviewing his friends and coworkers telling the story of Charles Kane’s life. The movie comes to a crescendo at the end when the meaning is revealed, but not in the way expected, which brings in the beauty and message of the entire movie - simply genius.
Female reporter: “If you could've found out what Rosebud meant, I bet that would've explained everything.”
Thompson:” No, I don't think so; no. Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything... I don't think any word can explain a man's life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a... piece in a jigsaw puzzle... a missing piece.”
There are several reasons why this film could hold its own as one of the best films of all time:
• One reason is the cinematography. The methods used in this film were innovative for the time, since it was still black and white. This was also the first feature film of Orson Welles who was the film maker and lead character, Charles Foster Kane.
• Another reason is the message. The ending so beautifully ties in the rest of the story that it makes you sit back amazed at what you could actually learn from the film, as long as are looking.
• Reason number three is great acting. Orson Welles did a fantastic job portraying Charles Kane and many of the other side character were quite impressive as well.
In conclusion, Citizen Kane is a film that not to be ignored. While I don’t believe that it is the “Best” movie in existence, I do know that it is one of them and will continue to set the standards with the other greats of classic Hollywood for many years to come. I encourage you to go watch and be amazed!
