Citizen Kane

1941

Director: Orson Wells

Distributor: RKO Pictures

Key Element: Message – Symbolism

My Review:

Called by some the greatest movie of all time, Citizen Kane is a fable of modern life. Its influence is evident in that it was a pioneer in many filmaking methods that are still used today.

It tells the story of one of the richest, most influential people in the world. This man dies with a single word on his lips: “Rosebud.” The movie then retraces his life, looking for some clue as to what the word means. In the end, we learn that Rosebud was his childhood sled – the symbol of the only time in his life when he had peace of mind.

And that is the statement the movie makes about all of us. All our grasping and posturing and striving only amount an effort to attain peace of mind. And even this man, a man who had everything he could want, never achieved it.

It’s a sad summary of a life without Jesus – the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Clip:




Quotes:

• …rosebud…
• I always gagged on the silver spoon.
• Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Switzerland... he was thrown out of a lot of colleges.
• How did I find business conditions in Europe? With great difficulty.
• A toast, Jedediah: to Love on my own terms.
• A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl.
• There's only one person in the world who's going to decide what I'm going to do and that's me...
• Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything... I don't think any word can explain a man's life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a... piece in a jigsaw puzzle... a missing piece.
  
  Stills: