The film Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles begins with the news of Charles Kane’s death and funeral processions. There is a quick overview of headlines throughout Mr. Kane’s life. From this, the viewer learns that Mr. Kane owned newspapers, was a loved and hated politician, and was married twice. Recorded in the newspapers upon his death was Mr. Kane’s last word: “Rosebud” and reporters became determined to investigate its meaning. One of these reporters, named Mr. Thompson, was sent to interview those who were connected to Mr. Kane to inquire insight on “Rosebud.” While no one offered any significant answer, Mr. Thompson learned a great deal about Charlie Kane as an individual and public figure. After he had failed to come across reasoning for “Rosebud” Mr. Thompson states how one word cannot begin to describe an individual as complex as Mr. Kane. However, as they are burning many of Kane’s belongings, an old sled was branded “Rosebud.” When Kane was sent away with Mr. Thatcher as a child, he was playing with an identical sled and Thatcher had given him another for Christmas; each a Rosebud.
While Charles Kane perfectly embodies a public figure who’s mastered the art of artifice, the accounts of those who were interviewed reveal cracks in his persona. The cause of his shortcomings are results of what he missed out on in his childhood and throughout the rest of his life he struggled to fill that void; “Rosebud” represents what he was deprived of as a child. As a young boy Kane was sent to live with Mr. Thatcher. He was deeply saddened to leave his mother. In an effort to protest, he shoved his Rosebud sled into Mr. Thatcher. This is symbolic of a last attempt to retain his childhood. The next scene shows a slightly older Charlie Kane, on Christmas morning, unwrapping a Rosebud sled that was gifted to him from Mr. Thatcher. Charlie does not appear happy with the gift. The juxtaposition of these two scenes shows what Thatcher had taken him from and his attempt to provide Charlie with a similar environment. However, Kane did not receive the love and support that he should have from his home after Thatcher took him. Therefore, Kane was vengeful of Mr. Thatcher and ran his newspapers to spite him. Shortly after Thatcher asks Kane what he wants to be, and to this Kane replies “everything you hated.” This outlook harded Kane and made him unable to truly love people. This is prevalent in his marriages. In his first marriage to Emily, the President’s niece, Kane spends much of his time at the newspaper. Emily struggles with how much time Kane spends away from home. However, as a public figure, Kane is a smooth talker but Emily tires of his empty words. During his campaign for Governor Emily receives a letter from Susan Alexander, a young woman Kane began to spend some time with. Soon after Emily leaves Charles he marries Susan and pushes for her to pursue her singing career. He builds her an opera house and pays for her singing lessons. When Susan tells him she does not want to continue, he stands over her and his shadow completely covers her as he commands that she continue. This shows that Charles is comfortable in positions of power. He also dismisses the worries of others and asserts himself as omniscient. Kane’s friend, Mr. Leland, observes this characteristic and states in his interview with Thompson, “All he ever wanted was love, but he didn’t have any to give.” Soon, like Emily, Susan begins to tire of her materialistic husband, and lack of genuine love. At a picnic she exclaims, “It’s just money it doesn’t mean anything, you never give me anything you really care about!” To this Kane replies, “Everything I do is because I love you.” Susan makes the same claim as Leland and retorts, “You don’t love me, you just wanted me to love you.” This illustrates how after leaving home, Kane became infatuated with being loved, but lacked the capacity to love. His final word of Rosebud is an effort to communicate this to those who misunderstood him.
While I do not relate personally to Charles Kane, I understand the causes of his persona, and sympathise with him. The non-linear nature of the film helps the viewer to do this. If the film was made chronologically, the significance of Rosebud, and what it means, would be lost in the development of Kane’s character. I enjoyed the film and feel as though it offers an important critical analysis to individuals often taken at face value.
Intro to Film Studies 