It may not be your stereotypical Christmas movie full of
dancing elves, fat Santa’s and talking reindeers but there is something about Citizen Kane that always makes me feel
festive. Orson Welles co-wrote, produced,
directed and starred in this 9 times academy nominated film from 1941 and it despite
almost costing Welles his career has gained notoriety in the film world and is
often the subject of cinematic debate.
Loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, a
prominent figure in the newspaper industry of the time, Welles plays Charles
Foster Kane, a wealthy newspaper producer, who is living in seclusion in his
huge mansion in Florida. We first meet him on his death bed as he utters the
word ‘Rosebud’ in his final breath and drops the snow globe he was clutching in
his pale hands. His death becomes global
news and a reporter, Jerry Thompson, seeks to decipher the meaning of his final
word by talking to those who knew him. He tracks down Kane’s childhood Guardian
whose memoirs allow Thompson to learn about Kane’s childhood. He finds out that
he grew up in poverty in Colorado. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that
the boarding house run by his parents was sitting on top of the world’s third
largest goldmine. He was forced to leave his Mother and ended up in the care of
Walter Parks Thatcher, his new legal Guardian. At the age of 25, Kane gained
full legal access to all of his possessions and enters the newspaper with his
seemingly attractive journalistic style of writing which was void of all fact
and knowledge and used bold headlines to sell papers. He took over the company,
The New York Inquirer, and his rise
to power is documented. He marries a President’s niece and runs for the office
of Governor of New York State. The next few years see his marriage
disintegrate, his chance at office disappear and the wonders of his life ripped
away from him. His last few years were spent in isolation in his Floridian home
and his staff recall a time he had previously uttered the word ‘Rosebud’ shortly
after his first wife had left him.
At the end of the film it is revealed to the audience what
‘Rosebud’ really means, Thompson couldn’t decipher the meaning of the word and
it is us and Kane who know exactly what it refers to. This reveal has since
been called ‘the greatest secret in cinema’ by renowned film critic David
Thomson. Welles was never particularly
keen on the concept of using ‘Rosebud’ as a thematic device for mystery and
said in an interview “we did everything we could to take the mickey out of it”.
William Randolph Hearst reportedly banned the film from being advertised in any
of his newspapers and offered distribution company RKO Films over $800’000 to
destroy all known prints and negatives of the film. Despite Hearst’s efforts
the film was fairly profitable and was the 6th most successful film
that year, however it is considered to be Welles’ worst work as it almost cost
him his career due to the backlash from Hearst.
I can’t tell you why exactly this film reminds me of
Christmas because that will ruin it for you, so you will just have to borrow it
and see for yourselves! Nothing like a bit of Christmas mystery.
If a black and white film documenting the life and death of
a successful newspaper magnate isn’t your idea of a festive favourite, we have
plenty of others in the DVD ZONE to choose from, including ELF, MIRACLE ON 34th
STREET and THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Have a great Christmas!
Further Reading in
the Information Store
Citizen Kane by
Orson Welles – DVD ZONE – Shelved at 791.43
Citizen Kane by
Dan Williams – BOOK ZONE – Shelved at 791.4372
Orson Welles: A
Biography by Barbara Leaming – BOOK ZONE – Shelved at 791.430233092
