Summary
- Orson Welles directed, co-wrote and starred in Citizen Kane when he was just 25, but it has gone down in history as one of the greatest films ever.
- Citizen Kane tells the story of a newspaper magnate who amasses an enormous fortune but loses everything that’s important to him in the process.
- Citizen Kane’s best scenes showcase Welles’ innovative direction, as well as the stellar script he produced with legendary screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz.
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Orson Welles’ masterpiece Citizen Kane remains a landmark in the history of cinema over 80 years later, and its best scenes continue to influence filmmakers today. The quasi-biopic charts the life and death of newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, a character based partially on real-life American business tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Welles stars as Charles, and he also directed and co-wrote the film at just 25 years old.
Citizen Kane is often cited as one of the best films of all time, and it is filled with iconic scenes which have been recreated countless times since its release. These scenes include intense drama, surprising humor, and some groundbreaking cinematic artistry. Citizen Kane helped create the language of modern cinema, but many of its greatest moments remain just as potent as ever.
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10 Famous Last Words
Citizen Kane’s opening scene sets up the film’s big mystery
The opening scene of Citizen Kane starts by showing the expansive sprawl of Xanadu, Charles Kane’s palatial Florida home. Behind the “No Trespassing” sign, the caged animals and the countless European antiquities, an old man lies alone in bed, muttering his final words to himself. The phrase “Rosebud” is just as mysterious to the viewer as it is to the newsreel producers, who then set out to discover its true meaning.
Behind the “No Trespassing” sign, the caged animals and the countless European antiquities, an old man lies alone in bed, muttering his final words to himself.
Although it was his debut feature, Citizen Kane is Orson Welles’ great masterpiece. The opening scene is one that shows a director willing to blaze his own trail. It introduces the character and the film’s central mystery, but, more importantly, it introduces Citizen Kane‘s bold visual style. Welles’ chiaroscuro compositions create a disturbing atmosphere beneath the lofty ceilings of Kane’s empty mansion.
9 Susan Works At A Puzzle
Susan has very few consolations at Xanadu
Although their marriage starts out as a passionate affair, it doesn’t take long for Susan and Charles to grow tired of one another. They constantly argue, but their fight in the cavernous halls of Xanadu stands out as a particularly powerful scene. Charles wanders in on Susan doing a jigsaw puzzle, and she laments the fact that people in New York City are out and having fun at the same time that she is all alone.
The absurd excess of Kane’s mansion, described in the newsreel section as a monument to himself, glorifies his own ego without enriching his life in any meaningful way.
The absurd excess of Kane’s mansion, described in the newsreel section as a monument to himself, glorifies his own ego without enriching his life in any meaningful way. As he and Susan shout to one another from across the room, the physical distance mirrors the emotional rift between them. Even more ridiculous is the enormous fireplace, bigger than some people’s bedrooms, that Charles gazes into as if he wants to fall in.
8 Charles Takes On Thatcher
New to the Inquirer, Charles lays out his philosophy
Citizen Kane takes its time in introducing its main character. The newsreel footage and the scene of Charles’ childhood show how he is seen by the public and how his journey began, but this doesn’t reveal much about the man himself. When Orson Welles finally comes into focus, it’s revealed that Charles Foster Kane is a cocky young man whose pampered youth has turned him into a risk-taker.
Citizen Kane takes its time in introducing its main character. The newsreel footage and the scene of Charles’ childhood show how he is seen by the public and how his journey began, but this doesn’t reveal much about the man himself.
Although he owes his entire fortune to Thatcher, Charles is willing to stare him down and explain precisely why he has allowed the Inquirer to print stories that expose corruption in Thatcher’s business interests. Although this could have been construed as a noble act of transparency and fighting against corporate greed, Charles explains that it is simply a tactic to sell newspapers. In one of Citizen Kane‘s best quotes, he says “I don’t know how to run a newspaper, Mr. Thatcher; I just try everything I can think of.” He is just as ruthless and morally bankrupt as Thatcher himself.
7 Charles’ Song & Dance
Charles lets his success get to his head
After successfully poaching the finest journalists from his rival paper and increasing the circulation of the Inquirer to a record-high, Charles congratulates his staff, but mostly himself, with a lavish dinner. The main event of the evening’s entertainments is a song and dance prepared especially for, and perhaps by, Charles. A line of chorus girls all sing his praises as his staff clap and cheer.
Charles later uses the song for his political campaign, but it seems as if he would have had plenty of other occasions to make his guests listen to it.
Charles’ business success goes to his head very quickly, inflating his already substantial ego to new heights. He later uses the song for his political campaign, but it seems as if he would have had plenty of other occasions to make his guests listen to it. There’s something hollow about Charles’ moment of triumph. He reaches the pinnacle of the business world within a few short years, but he’s just as lonely and unfulfilled as always.
6 Kane & Leland’s First Day At The Inquirer
Charles shakes up the New York Inquirer immediately
One element of Citizen Kane that too often goes unnoticed is its humor, but there are plenty of scenes that are as funny now as they were over 80 years ago. After a relatively serious introduction, the film’s first truly funny moment comes when Charles and Leland stroll into the offices of the New York Inquirer and start ruffling a few feathers with their brash new ideas.
Kane and Leland claim that they are more interested in selling papers than printing the truth, and that they’ll gladly write about unsubstantiated gossip if it makes financial sense.
Towering over Mr. Carter, the new owners represent a radical shift in the business. They claim that they are more interested in selling papers than printing the truth, and that they’ll gladly write about unsubstantiated gossip if it makes financial sense. As Mr. Carter struggles to state his objections, Charles’ movers go about stuffing his new office with paintings and furniture. He informs Mr. Carter that he’ll be living there in the office, which highlights how he allows work to consume his life.
5 Charles Is Taken From His Parents
The young boy is forced to leave his home
Before shutting himself off in his grotesque mansion, Charles Foster Kane is a young boy raised in poverty. When his parents stumble upon a rich vein of gold on their property, they arrange for Mr. Thatcher to set up a trust for the boy and assume the role of guardian. Charles is confused and hurt, so he lashes out by pushing Mr. Thatcher over with his sled. Eventually, Charles has no choice but to go with Mr. Thatcher.
Charles is cut off from the discussions about his future, and the window makes him seem like a painting hanging on the wall or some other object of curiosity, rather than a person.
This scene showcases Orson Welles’ innovative use of deep focus, as Charles can be seen playing outside through the window as the adults make arrangements for his future. He is cut off from such discussions, and the window makes him seem like a painting hanging on the wall or some other object of curiosity, rather than a person. Charles’ childhood becomes even more important later on.
4 The Campaign Speech
Charles uses his newspapers to boost his popularity
The single most iconic image in Citizen Kane is that of Charles standing in front of a large campaign poster emblazoned with his own face, as he postures in front of an adoring crowd. Charles speaks to his political supporters in broadly the same manner that he speaks to his business partners. He is informal, jovial, and even a little cheeky. He believes that his election is a certainty, and this final campaign stop is akin to a victory speech.
The single most iconic image in Citizen Kane is that of Charles standing in front of a large campaign poster emblazoned with his own face, as he postures in front of an adoring crowd.
Just like everything else in Charles’ life, this speech is a testament to his self-worth. The bold imagery and his self-aggrandizing rhetoric make his campaign seem more like a cult than a political movement. Crucially, he ends his speech with a promise to prosecute his political opponent after his victory, showing that his personal vendettas are more important to him than any other policies. Of course, Jim Gettys has a surprise in store for him.
3 Susan’s Disastrous Opera
Charles puts a lot of personal stock in supporting Susan’s career
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After his political campaign and his marriage both crumble, Charles doubles down on his affair with Susan. Rather than realizing that his weakness has damaged his life, he marries her and supports her ill-fated career as an opera singer. He might not have done either of these things if he weren’t so stubborn and arrogant. As Leland says, Charles’ main motivation is to prove everyone else wrong, no matter the cost.
When Charles rises to applaud Susan, he does so as if he’s trying to manufacture a triumph by pure strength of will.
Charles watches intently as Susan underwhelms a sell-out crowd. He has a lot riding on her success, not just financially, but in terms of his own credibility. When he rises to applaud her, he does so as if he’s trying to manufacture a triumph by pure strength of will. This provides a stark contrast to the other audience members. Some voices can be heard laughing, Susan’s vocal coach claps his hand to his head in shame, and Leland tries to entertain himself in any way he can. By forcing her to become an opera star, Charles submits his wife to public humiliation night after night.
2 Charles Destroys Susan’s Bedroom
Charles abandons all sense of propriety after Susan leaves him
When Susan finally leaves Charles, he loses his composure and goes into her bedroom smashing and destroying everything that he can. Although it’s a tragic scene of a man who has lost everything, Orson Welles injects a lot of comedy into Charles’ tantrum. He repeatedly stumbles and almost falls, he struggles to rip certain furnishings off the wall, and his arms swing low by his sides like a gorilla. Welles shoots the scene in a wide shot to emphasize how small and powerless Charles is.
Although it’s a tragic scene of a man who has lost everything, Orson Welles injects a lot of comedy into Charles’ tantrum.
Charles isn’t just sad that his wife has left him, he’s furious. He staked his reputation on her, and he suddenly has nothing to show for it. The only thing that can snap him out of his blind rage is the small snow globe he finds on a shelf. This moment gives another clue to Citizen Kane‘s “Rosebud” mystery, as he utters the phrase for the first time since his death scene at the very beginning of the film.
1 The Rosebud Reveal
Charles’ last word reveals the tragedy of his lost youth
Kane’s death in the opening scene sets up the mystery that runs throughout Citizen Kane. While different characters offer their opinions on what his last words could have meant, the truth is saved for the final scene, as Charles’ childhood sled is tossed into the fire along with boxes full of his other possessions, all of which are now meaningless. Citizen Kane‘s ending is a huge reason why it is seen as one of the greatest films of all time.
Charles’ childhood sled is tossed into the fire along with boxes full of his other possessions, all of which are now meaningless.
The sled is a symbol of Charles’ lost youth and innocence. He traded this in for wealth and fame, and it ends up in the fire. Citizen Kane paints a portrait of Charles’ entire life, and his sadness and isolation can all be traced back to his childhood. Out of everything that he experiences, this is the image that comes to him on his deathbed. He yearns to return to the days that he was carefree and happy.
Citizen Kane
PG
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Directed by and starring Orson Welles in his feature film debut, Citizen Kane tells the life story of Charles Foster Kane, a self-made business tycoon partially based on William Randolph Hearst. The film tells the story of Kane’s rise and fall from power, narratively framed by the sensation caused by death at the beginning and end of the film. Besides Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, and Ruth Warrick also star.
Director Orson Welles Release Date April 17, 1941 Writers Herman J. Mankiewicz , Orson Welles , John Houseman , Roger Q. Denny , Mollie Kent Cast Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Dorothy Comingore , Agnes Moorehead , Ruth Warrick , Ray Collins Runtime 119 minutes