Citzen Kane = Lame

Rosebud. One simple word leads to the basis of the classic, 1941 film, Citizen Kane. Newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane is one of the richest, and most powerful men in the United States. With his last breath he utters the enigmatic word: Rosebud. A newspaper reporter digs into Kane's past to find the significance of this mysterious word. The film shows his rise and eventual down fall. A man who seemed to have everything would have traded it all for something that most take for granted- love.

Citizen Kane is considered a classic movie, and any movie that is a classic is definitely worth watching. But to be honest, the most useful thing I got from it is the understanding of Family Guy's spoofs on the movie. I am not going to lie and say that I'm interested in movies with "deep" meanings just so I sound smart - because to be honest I'd way rather just relax and watch a funny movie like Billy Madison. The main lessons I learned from the film were to treasure your childhood as it is fundamental in your growth into adulthood. The second message in the film was to not choose materialism over love. Although both these themes are very strong I find them to be quite overused and cliche.

The movie is based roughly on the life of William Randolph Hearst who, like Kane, was a newspaper tycoon. Orson Welles plays the main role as Charles Foster Kane. I may be the only one in the world who feels this way, but I did not like his acting as I did not feel a connection to his character at all. Usually I care about the wellness of the protagonist but with Kane, I did not care what happened to him one way or another. Here comes my shallow side again, but I think if they had casted a more handsome actor it would have triggered greater interest from me. Dorothy Comingore played the role of Susan Alexander Kane. I didn't like the character at all as she was annoying, whinny and got her fame handed to her (much like my earlier blog on Miley Cyrus). Comingore did her job as an actor as she ignited some passion towards the character she played- even if it was the feeling of annoyance!

One thing that is undeniable is that the actual filming technique was executed superbly and helped deliver many of the themes. Unique camera angles and techniques were used to make the viewer wonder, "how on Earth did they pull that off?" A particular shot that stands out to me is when Kane is walking past a mirror and it shows reflections of him through various stages of his life. Not only is this interesting technologically but it also shows Kane's loneliness and development throughout the years.


In my opinion, is this one of the greatest films of all time? No. Is this film worth watching? Yes. If there is one thing that I've learned by reading movie reviews is that you can never fully trust them. You just have to watch it for youself and develop your opinions from there. This is a classic film which is wise to watch because it has good themes and is well-known. Who knows, you might experience a question about Citizen Kane when playing a game of Trivial Pursuit - if it helps you win the game you might be very grateful you watched it! Overall I think it is necessary to be open minded when selecting movies to watch because it is the best way to discover something great. Even though I didn't like it, you just might.