Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane, a movie that was nominated for nine academy awards and won the Academy award for best writing is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. In order to understand why Citizen Kane has been so beloved in the world of film because of how realistic it felt although being a work of fiction or as the French call it a film à clef (French for Film with a Key) one must pick apart the all the parts that make a movie successful from its actors, lighting, plot, etc. The movie Citizen Kane brings in the audience into the life of Charles Foster Kane who is the main focus of the story and gives information on his life via a parody of the old “March of the Times” newsreels that were commonly used in the 1930’s along with “public” version of Mr. Kane’s very complex private life such as his rise to power, politics and social life which focuses itself on being a exposition as it introduces the audience to Mr. Kane and the important events in his life although using a hint of “Pro Kane” editorials with a very pompous and upbeat narrator with the finishing touch being Thatcher’s testimony before the US Senate that has Thatcher denouncing Kane. At the end of this newsreel the audience is handed a mystery that is on the forefront of their minds which was Charles Kane’s last word before his death “Rosebud” which piques the interest of the audience and makes them curious as to what happens with the absence of a giant such as Mr. Kane and what was the one thing he thought of before his passing. The audience is introduced to a reporter Jerry Thompson who sets off for the answers where is first stop is a club run by Susan Alexander. The audience upon seeing the dark stormy weather and location of the club sets a dark mood as the reporter looks for answers when asking a belligerent (and very drunk) Susan Alexander, the audience can see the tension