Continuing on with my month of classic films, the next on my list is Citizen Kane. This is another film that is discussed and revered by many film makers, directors and actors. I know the story is based on the life of a man who seems to be an enigma to the outside world and his dying words leave people wondering if they ever really knew him at all. I know Orson Welles is in this film and he's the same man behind the radio sensation from the 30s with War of the Worlds, which left the world in an uproar when they thought it was real and not a performance. The famous line of, "Rosebud," has been played and parodied over and over again in movies and television shows. I know they go through the story of his life, or what individuals know of it, but not exactly what happened in his life or why they were speculating about it. Only the movie can tell me, so it's time to watch it.
So, I'm not entirely sure what to think about this movie. It is acted well and I was sold on each of their performances. I'm just not sure what I think about the characters. I am not a fan of Kane, himself. He only did the things that pleased him, he didn't think of what others wanted or how they felt, and had no problem throwing people away when they displeased him. I feel like he would have been better left on that farm with his family, but that's kind of the entire mindset behind him. He never cared about the wealth he was given or earned. All he cared about was a time that was simpler that he felt cheated of. In that way I can understand him, but his actions weren't of a person who was kind or benevolent. He was a bit of a narcissist, only caring for his own desires and expecting others to cater to his every whim. He was a bit of a spoiled brat in that respect, though he didn't throw the usual tantrums. He used people and set them aside when they no longer served their purpose. I guess I kept waiting for some redeeming quality to show up. Something that showed that he finally learned a lesson, that he learned how to care about others. He never did, though, and he just kept on being his usual dour self, though, in the end, he was alone. The only ones to care for him were the ones he paid.
He begins his life in a simple setting, in the countryside of Colorado, during a time of great struggle. His mother has made the decision to sell her son to a wealthy man to be his heir. I can't begin to imagine what his mother was feeling when she made this decision. I'm sure she felt it would be best for him to live a life of wealth and opportunity, but people always seem to forget just how important being loved and belonging matters in the life of a young child. It's kind of the opposite of I am Sam as that story showed that the young Lucy was rich beyond any child's wildest dreams because she was the entire world to her father despite the fact that he couldn't enrich her life in the way the world seemed to think was more important. In this one, he never wanted the riches, the wealth or the social standing. He just wanted the love of his mother and to enjoy a simpler life in the countryside of Colorado.
Instead, he was taken to a big city, to be raised by a wealthy man and groomed to take over the empire he created. But Charles, the man, couldn't be bothered by the expectations of other men. He wanted to carve his own path and decided to run a newspaper instead of the empire left to him. The newspaper he chose was the National Enquirer, which he steered in the direction of gossip and rumors. He starts with grandiose ideas, creates his own "Declaration of Principles," and seems to set himself as a champion for the average citizen. Somewhere in his life, he gets jaded and more selfish. He forgets what pushed him along and what his motto was. The light-hearted youth gets lost in the mire of business, politics and love (or whatever can be most closely compared to it in his mind). Even someone who you would have thought of as his friend is easily discarded over a difference in opinion.
He marries a woman that he falls in love with. At least he thinks it's love, but after some time, you see them drift apart and he isn't trying to win her affections anymore. He gets more short tempered and aggressive with his first wife until they finally separate. He finds another woman he becomes infatuated with and begins to woo her. They eventually get married and he pushes her to become a singer. She is a perfectly average singer for singing in a household, but an opera singer, she is not. No opera house will take her on, so Charles builds her an opera house to make it happen. He thinks it's her dream, but really he is just pushing something on to her. She gets bad reviews, but he keeps pushing her to sing more. He keeps thinking she's going to prove them wrong, but he just makes her life a living hell. He doesn't even see how miserable she is or how isolated he's made her. She's lonely and he moved her into a giant estate and no way to go out and feel social. She wilts and he never listens to her when she says what she needs. He just puts more pressure on her to be what he thinks she should be. The song, "Satisfied" in Hamilton comes to mind. No matter how much he gets or does, he will never be satisfied. There is a need, a hole, inside of him that can never be filled. And he sure does try just about everything to find what makes him happy, but nothing can seem to compare to the simple joy that was Rosebud.
I'm a generally empathetic person, so I can understand people's motivations fairly well, but it doesn't mean I have to agree with their actions and reactions. I understand his underlying motivations that drive him to continue searching his entire life for something that makes a difference, but I don't like how he treated others during his search for meaning and happiness. I don't really like Charles Foster Kane all that much. He was idealistic in the beginning of his career, but he changed to something darker as time went on and that darkness leaked out into the lives of those around him. I can understand some of why this movie is mentioned as being iconic. I especially couldn't get through some scenes without thinking of Scrooged and when Bill Murray's character had to face the Ghost of Christmas Future. The difference was that Bill Murray at least learned that his selfish nature wasn't fulfilling his life, but Kane ended up dying alone with nothing to make him happy except one memory. The ironic part was that, in all the searching for the meaning of Rosebud, the sled itself winds up getting chucked into a furnace with no notice that it even says Rosebud on it. I'm glad I watched this film to finally know the references to it that so many have made, but I can't say I'll ever watch it again.
This is the shortest post I've written on a movie, but it's because it didn't grab me as fully as others. Maybe I'm still confused by it and processing it. Maybe it's just not my kind of movie, though my tastes are varied far and wide when it comes to movies I like. Citizen Kane is just a movie I'm not as drawn to as the others I've seen. Hopefully next week's movie, King Kong, will catch me better. I'll be watching the original 1933 version with Fay Wray. It's included with an HBO subscription, but you can rent it on most other streaming services. Stay tuned for next weeks post!
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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