Citizen Kane

A timeless classic may be a key phrase in describing Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane; however it is considered a classic due to the strategic cinematography, not because of the film in and of itself.  According to a New York Times review, “The blamable circumstance is that it fails to provide a clear picture of the character and motives behind the man about whom the whole thing revolves.”  I could not agree more.  While the storyline is not completely dry or void of intrigue, I found myself wondering what the point was and why we spent so much time in search of the meaning behind rosebud.  I also felt that while Charles Kane was the most developed character, he still was not fully developed as we were left with multiple questions regarding his life and how it came to be.  Aside from this flaw, the movie was brilliantly filmed and takes the audience deeper than most other films through the strategic use of sound, lights, shots and imagery that often mean more than initially meets the eye.

From the very first scene we know this film is going to have elements of mystery simply through the use of light.  It is very dim as we focus in on the house, causing an eerie, mysterious effect.  There is also music in the background, an extra diegetic effect that creates suspense, especially when the music intensifies as the lights suddenly go out.  This sense of mystery continues as a man falls to the ground, clearly dead, but we cannot see the face of either him or the nurse, purposefully causing the audience to question who had just died.  We then switch scenes to the film about Kane and transition to a scene in which the camera tilts down onto a massive crowd, then pans to the speaker, who is talking about the legacy of the Kane Empire, ending the mystery of who the dead body belongs to.

During the film about Kane, we see him in his old age in a wheelchair through a tilt shot, causing us to look down on him thus emphasizing  his inabilities and helplessness, and foreshadowing a little by creating some sympathy from the audience.  As this film draws to a close, we are taken to the room with the men that viewed it and soon realize that they are not satisfied with the tribute and want more, as one of the men demands to find out about rosebud, during which Welles uses a kick light, illuminating only the man’s mouth as he talks, showing that rosebud is the new mystery of this film. 

We begin to slowly unravel this mystery through the eyes of Mr. Thompson who first travels to talk with Mr. Thatcher, during which he learns of Kane’s childhood and relationship between his parents.  Welles uses a choker shot of a young Kane and his mother, showing a deep connection between the two while capturing deep emotion, which the film will later come back to.  As we continue to piece together Kane’s life, we come to a scene set in the Inquirer with Kane, Bernstein, and Leland in which Kane is talking but standing in front of the light, causing the room to be lit yet he is in the dark.  This could be interpreted as Kane representing evil (darkness) or that Kane is living in the dark and does not know what is truly important.

I believe that it is the second possibility; Kane is still living in the dark.  During his campaign for governor he gives a speech with an oversized poster of his face behind him.  The scene begins with a deep focus shot, but both the foreground and background were Kane, and the camera then zoomed in on the poster, stressing his power and significance and showing how the focus was constantly on him.  This transitions to the next scene when Susan Alexander is found out.  The scene uses an establishing shot with all three parties involved, switches to a close up of Susan as she asks, “What about me?” and returns to the establishing shot, showing that Kane has not even moved, indicating his lack of interest in her problems when his reputation is on the line. 

The very end of the film gives us a little hope that Kane is starting to get a sense of direction after Susan falls ill.  Welles uses a perfect deep focus shot of Susan in bed with the glass and spoon on the nightstand and Kane tirelessly knocking on the door.  For a moment, the focus is completely off of Kane and on Susan.  After his final divorce and sad death, all that remains are his countless possessions filling a giant room.  The camera pans across all of them, almost mocking Kane as if to say that all he has to show for his lifetime of work is a room full of statues; just objects that he cannot take with him.

I enjoyed the poetic undertones of the film and the style in which it was portrayed, but I did feel a bit disappointed when it ended.  I wanted something more; I wanted more answers and a definite answer so that I could feel as though the problem was finally resolved, which I cannot say is a feeling I ever got.  I was glad Welles revealed the identity of rosebud, but the final scene left me feeling somewhat depressed.  If that was Welles’s intent, (which it very well could have been) then bravo, job well done.  If not, perhaps I am just looking for a nonexistent happy ending.