Citizen Kane (1941)
Orson Welles' 1941 classic Citizen Kane is the story of a man who had everything he could ever want and then lost it all. The film begins with the death of Charles Foster Kane, who preferred to be called Charlie. Mr. Thompson, a journalist, is given the daunting task on discovering the meaning of Charlie's last word, Rosebud, in the hope that Mr. Thompson will uncover something that will help the public get to know Charlie and thus peak their interest. Thompson interviews a number of people from Kane's past and discovers his entire life story, as others saw it, but never found out who or what Rosebud was. What makes Citizen Kane so great is the humanity of Charlie, even though he seems like such an inhuman figure from his extreme wealth and celebrity. There's also the big mystery surrounding Charlie, because the story is pieced together from various sources, but no one really knew everything about Charlie. He remained something of an enigma throughout his life and in death. Unlike modern stories focusing on someone's life, we never get to hear Charlie's story as it happens or from his perspective; almost the entire film is flashbacks from people who knew him well, so not everything is in perfect chronological order, but details are revealed in a manner that keeps the audience interested and curious as to who Charlie Kane really was. Ironically, in attempting to find out who or what Rosebud was, Mr. Thompson collected a wonderful impression of the ordinary citizen with extraordinary circumstances named Kane, one that he would not have gotten simply by discovering the meaning behind Rosebud.
Mr. Thompson runs into some level of difficulty in discovering the secrets of Kane's life. He then has an even harder time deciding what to make of them, as Kane cannot speak for himself and his life is like a jigsaw puzzle, but the pieces are scattered and many are missing. It's very difficult to get to know and fully understand someone, even with Mr. Thompson's thorough reporting skills. Materialism is also seen often throughout the film (particularly Kane's materialism) and how it doesn't make up for real people. Kane dies alone with his servants and statues, longing for a happier time when everything was simple and before he lost anything. Even someone who has everything he ever wanted has nothing in the end.
Mr. Thompson runs into some level of difficulty in discovering the secrets of Kane's life. He then has an even harder time deciding what to make of them, as Kane cannot speak for himself and his life is like a jigsaw puzzle, but the pieces are scattered and many are missing. It's very difficult to get to know and fully understand someone, even with Mr. Thompson's thorough reporting skills. Materialism is also seen often throughout the film (particularly Kane's materialism) and how it doesn't make up for real people. Kane dies alone with his servants and statues, longing for a happier time when everything was simple and before he lost anything. Even someone who has everything he ever wanted has nothing in the end.