Citzen Kane

Personal Rating Scale: I would give this film a 7 out of 10 star. The film was entertaining to watch because it kept the viewer trying to find the missing pieces to the film such as the meaning of “Rosebud”.

Citizen Kane directed by and starring Orson Welles, is a drama/mystery that came out in 1941.The movie contains a lot of symbolism and shows viewers that a man can waste his life trying to regain his childhood. Citizen Kane is chosen by critics as their number one choice. As I watched the movie, I had the question in the back of my mind: Why do critics choose it as their number one choice? I think the reason critics like it so much is because of how the movie was told. The movie was basically a bunch of reporters interviewing people looking for the meaning of the word “Rosebud”. It was not just one person’s view on who Mr. Kane was but it was of many people’s views. The movie tells a lesson, shows symbolism, and is told in a different way than most movies.

The movie begins and viewers are immediately shown the death of an extremely wealthy man named Charles Foster Kane. As the movie continues, I was not in question of how he died but I wanted to know who he was. Early on in the movie, viewers see Kane taken from his parents. The movie continues on showing how he amassed all of his wealth as a newspaper tycoon. Mr. Kane was never interested in money. His ambitions in life were to regain what he lost from his childhood.

The symbol of rosebud is shown at the end of the movie and it reveals that the name of the sled from his childhood. He was taken away from that sled and his parents at a young age and was constantly struggling to obtain it throughout his life. This struggle led to many selfish acts. He was a man who believed in equality and he wanted to help the poor people. The thing that destroyed him was he wouldn’t carry his beliefs out and never gave anything away. He only looked to buy things for people so they would give him their love.

Memorable Quotes:

“Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Switzerland... he was thrown out of a lot of colleges.” –Bernstein

“You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man.” –Charles Foster Kane

”You're right; I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars *next* year. You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I'll have to close this place in... 60 years. -Charles Foster Kane

“He happens to be the president, Charles, not you.” –Emily

“Love! You don't love anybody! Me or anybody else! You want to be loved - that's all you want! I'm Charles Foster Kane. Whatever you want - just name it and it's yours! Only love me! Don't expect me to love you.” –Susan Alexander

“You don't care about anything except you. You just want to persuade people that you love 'em so much that they ought to love you back. Only you want love on your own terms. Something to be played your way, according to your rules.” –Leland

Special Thanks to:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/quotes