Citizen Kane (1941)

Considered as one of the most highly-rated and famous films of all time, the classic masterpiece Citizen Kane has captured and exemplified the techniques and innovations of cinematography. The achievements of the film made it an outset for future film-makers in terms of executing different cinematic techniques.  But what is more interesting in the film is not just the techniques or the innovations it manifested, but  rather it is the story imbued in it. It revolves around the story of a powerful media emperor, Charles Foster Kane, who used his wealth and power to manipulate his political and social environment to take control over his people.  But eventually, he drove away the people who cared about him and found himself isolated in his own palace.  And as he lived his remaining years alone, the only thing that was on his mind and even until his last breath was 'Rosebud'. 


But who or what is rosebud anyway?Many people in the story tried to find the missing piece in the life of Kane but no one really discovered the answer. No one, even the people closest to Kane, never knew who he really was. And that is why it is difficult to interpret the life of Kane because it is  only Kane himself who knew what he wanted and what made him happy.

Hence, the rosebud was not a woman nor an expensive thing. It was the sled given to him by his parents when he was still young. This 'rosebud' symbolizes the innocence of his youth before he was being taken away from home and was exposed to the bittersweet reality of the 'American dream'. The rosebud also symbolizes for the life which he had grew up with- simple and peaceful. It is also through the symbolism of rosebud that Charles Foster Kane felt secured and loved by his mother who gave him away in exchange of a better future for him. And as he grew older without the guidance of his mother nor fulfilling the joys of being a kid, Kane knew that the memories of his youth was something that he could never get back. He then tried to fill in that empty space by controlling the people and purchasing a lot of extravagant things. He thought that what he did would replace and satisfy his hunger for love and acceptance but in the end, he had always knew that nothing can ever compare to the happiness that he had felt when he was young.

The film has demonstrated to us one of the most famous quotes of all time... that "money can't buy us happiness" nor love. It may sound a bit cliche but it is actually true. In the context of the film, Charles Foster Kane has indeed the money to buy all the things he can desire. He bought various extravagant things, statues, paintings, etc that reflected his wealth. He built a beautiful, spacious and grandiose palace that no one even knew how much it costed.  And although he had all the things he can desire of, Kane still felt discontented and empty. How could he enjoy the affluent life he had grown up with when he has no family to share it with? How could he enjoy the riches in the world when he had failed miserably in trying to find love and acceptance among the people?

.....And that one simple thing that can only make him happy that even money could not buy was his memory of his childhood. He knew he was better off without the riches in the world as long as he lived a simple, happy and peaceful life with his family.

In reality, most of us have been lured by the idea of acquiring material possessions to feel satisfied and contented. We are blinded by our eagerness to pursue something that we've always thought would make us feel happy.  In the process, we then become isolated to what we truly desire. We forget the little things that would have a more impact in our lives and that would fill in the gaps in our lives rather than helplessly looking for something that in the end would not satisfy us. And this is the irony or a contradiction of the film and reality. In the movie, Kane pursued in looking for his own 'rosebud' that would fill in the gaps of his childhood memory that he never got to enjoy. But in our own reality, we already have 'rosebud' that would make us feel contented and happy but we still choose to look for something better.

And maybe this is something that we can ponder on. We need to reflect on who or what is 'rosebud' in our lives and what do we do to try to hold on to that? ...because when that 'rosebud' leaves or been taken away from us, we become isolated from who we really are.

References/Guides used:

1. Citizen Kane Movie Review (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2011, from  http://www.filmsite.org/citi.html

2. SparkNotes Editors. (2004). SparkNote on Citizen Kane. Retrieved October 12, 2011, from http://www.sparknotes.com/film/citizenkane/