Citizen Kane Essay - 981 Words

The film Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, is a great example of how a man can be corrupted by wealth. Through the characters in the film we can observe how Charles Foster Kane, an idealistic man with principles, can be changed and misguided by wealth and what accompanies wealth. The film takes places during the late 19th century and early 20th century, a time in American history when the world is changing and wealth is a great power to change it with. Through the story telling of Kane’s life we are able to see how wealth changes, not only Kane’s ideals, but his actions and how he perceives the world. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The corruption of idealism by wealth can be seen throughout the film, especially through the thoughts†¦show more content†¦When his second wife leaves him Kane realizes the corruption wealth has done on his life and says â€Å"rosebud† because he wants to return to his sled, his childhood, to return to the beginning when wealth has yet to corrupt him. Citizen Kane is the story of a man’s great ideas to make the world better, but unable to because of the corruption wealth brought him. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Citizen Kane is set at a time in American History where the world is changing and money is at the center of that world. For example, during this period of time wealth has become more important in America has more new money arrives. Kane is a part of this new money sweep across America and like everyone else is stretching his power and wealth. He stretches it so much that he loses sight of his objection, which is replaced by his obsession to be in control and make all the decisions, a power which he finds through wealth. But it is because of this obsession that his idealistic world is corrupted. Furthermore, the film revolves most around a newspaper. A newspaper reaches everyone and during this time one of the only few mass media. It is through the newspaper that Kane stretches his wealth and influence. He is corrupted by the power that the newspaper gives him. In addition, Kane is constantly surrounded by beautiful things and people, until the end of the movi e whenShow MoreRelatedCitizen Kane1211 Words   |  5 PagesWhen I first saw this clip of Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) my first instinct was that it was comic relief. The extremely frustrated director, Jedediah trying so hard not to fall asleep and of course Bernstein reclining back in his seat more interested in playing with the playbill then watching Susan on stage. While this scene may be rather humorous a lot about both Susan and Kane is revealed through emotions and actions of the two. As the clip progresses it begins to become less and less humorousRead More Citizen Kane Essay836 Words   |  4 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Orson Welles’ cinematic classic, Citizen Kane, is a film that centers on a group of reporter’s investigation into the meaning of Charles Foster Kane’s last word, â€Å"Rosebud.† Through their investigation of his last words, the team of reporters, is presented with an almost, but not quite, complete picture of â€Å"Ci tizen† Kane’s life. By assuming that the man’s last word was as grandiose as his life, the reporters miss out on the bigger, more holistic picture, which is CharlesRead MoreCitizen Kane Analysis2693 Words   |  11 PagesFilm History Research Citizen Kane Film Essay Orson Welles Citizen Kane Success the first time around is very uncommon. Orson Welless first feature film richly realizes the full potential of excellent craftsmanship. Citizen Kane is almost indisputably the greatest achievement in the history of filming. In 1941, this film was considered by many as the best film ever made. This film is about the enormous conflict between two twentieth-century iconsRead MoreFilm Analysis Of Citizen Kane1299 Words   |  6 PagesCitizen Kane incorporates a well-rounded variety of shots and angles that make the film more entertaining. This movie is significant because the American people will always be able to relate to it. There will always be a rich politician who wants to change things for the better. Sometimes, scandal and broken promises ensue. The American people will always want someone that they can trust to make their lives better. It is interesting to note that this film combines multiple genres, giving it a factorRead MoreRosebud in Citizen Kane Essay1067 Words à ‚  |  5 PagesRosebud in Citizen Kane Rosebud is sled, Kanes sled when he was a boy. Rosebud is the foundation of the film of citizen Kane. Rosebud is also Kanes last words. He was a very important man, known globally. Rosebud is the word everyone wants to understand the meaning of, so there is a hunt to find the meaning of the word. This sets the story for the film. Rosebud is a symbol of Kane, in that Rosebud represents his loss of the ability to love and how to love. The filmRead MoreCitizen Kane Essay1194 Words   |  5 PagesCitizen Kane Citizen Kane is often called the greatest film ever made. Its use of film techniques often taken for granted nowadays were completely new and had not been done before. Simple things like ceilings on the sets and realistic scenes such as the newsreel, which would not stand out in a modern film, were combined to make a film full of innovative techniques. The director, Orson Welles, developed the use of deep focus to make the flat cinema screen almost becomeRead MoreEssay Citizen Kane1284 Words   |  6 Pages Citizen Kane After watching the movie â€Å"Citizen Kane† I realized why this movie was named one of the best films ever. Yellow journalism was in an era from the 1880 to the 1900 and it featured flashy journalism of that time, which made editors write about invented stories. Which went to big headlines on subjects that weren’t true. The two big writers of that time were William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. During the film Kane is depicted as a yellow journalism at different times. One exampleRead MoreOrson Welles And Citizen Kane2180 Words   |  9 Pagesin half between his polar personalities. Charles Foster Kane has recently died and the predicament of interpreting his life and its meaning is left upon a single reporter. â€Å"†¦A group of prominent films critics were asked to list the greatest directors and the greatest films, Orson Welles and Citizen Kane both came in first (Carringer 32).† Orson Welles’ produces, co-wrote, directed, and starred in the great American classic film, Citizen Kane, at the age of 26. Throughout this entire film, the audienceRead MoreCitizen Kane Is A Quarry For Filmmakers1572 Words   |  7 Pages As esteemed film director William Friedkin once said; Citizen Kane is a quarry for filmmakers. It is undeniable that Citizen Kane is the epitome of the great American film. It was initially released in 1941 and was met with great criticism . However, since its release many years ago it is evident that the film ma de advancements in cinema techniques which were well ahead of its time . The foremost reason Citizen Kane is considered one of the great American films ever created is due to the innovativeRead MoreFilm Analysis Of Citizen Kane1143 Words   |  5 PagesCitizen Kane was rife with innovations in cinematic technique and introduced many new and unique aspects of mise-en-scà ¨nà © that would thrive in films to come. Orson Welles was a young visionary whose career had been limited to stage production and radio until his first film, Citizen Kane. Uniquely, as someone new to the film industry, he retained full creative control of his very first project, co-writing, producing, directing, and starring as Kane himself. This unfounded level of trust for a newcomer