The movie also shows that having tremendous amounts of wealth does not bring more happiness. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that having more money doesn't mean more happiness. Money is merely a tool. "Money will make you more of what you already are. If you're not a nice person, money's going to make you a despicable individual. If you're a good person, money's going to make you a better person." - Bob Proctor. Kane came by money at a very early age. He was separated from his parents and thus never experienced a full, loving childhood. He showed his dissatisfaction and frustration with life by rebelling against Walter Thatcher at any given opportunity. He had LOTS of money, but no love. He learned that money could buy things, and even people. He could get anything (and anyone) he wants, thus he never experienced any hardships (the type that an average person would experience, anyway). Whenever he faced any problems or challenges, he threw money at it. His life experiences taught him that money could solve any problem. Unfortunately, money could not solve the problems of the heart. It could not buy Susan's love. It could surround Kane with "friends", but it would not dissolve his loneliness. It could help Kane build an opera house, but it would not make Susan want to sing. It could help Kane build a palace, but it would not fill the palace with warmth. It's ironic because when Kane's mother sent him away, she told him, "You won't be lonely." Kane died a lonely death. Not a single friend was by his side when he breathed his last. The only thought that kept him company was "Rosebud". A short memory of better times, before he was cursed with wealth. What a life... Would you call it a tragedy? I do not know. ------------------------------------------ During my second watch, I could see that Kane relates to Susan (on the first night they met). Susan said that her mother wanted her to be a singer. Maybe that's why Kane provided her with music lessons and built an opera house for her. After all, Kane never personally felt that he accomplished much. That's why he once said, "If I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man." So he wanted to see Susan succeed where he failed. He wanted to help her. Unfortunately, Susan didn't want to continue being a singer. At the end, Kane relented and told her she didn't have to sing anymore. The main reason is because Susan tried to overdose. But I believe part of the reason is because he saw himself becoming Walter Thatcher, and Susan was rebelling against him (just like young Kane rebelled against Walter). I suppose Kane did feel a form of love for Susan, to do all those things for her. It's just that he insisted on doing things his way, and never stopped to think about Susan's feelings or how to make her feel loved. Not until it was too late and Susan left him. ------------------------------------------ A few scenes in the movie show the passage of time. Time flies, and it flies oh, so fast. One day, you're seven. The next, you're seventy. Naturally, the time is sped up during the movie to show us the key events that happen in Kane's life. Even so, I can't help but think this, "Did Kane enjoy the times in between? Did he immerse himself in his day to day life? Did he ever find joy in the little things?" Only Kane would know... I'm not even close to a quarter as wealthy as Kane, but I sure am glad that I still get to enjoy the mundaneness of my day to day life. If you're reading this, I hope you have a great day today, tomorrow, every day.

This is rightly considered one of the best films of all time, but less for the story than for the innovative way it is told and for the cinematography and production methods which were previously unseen in mainstream movies and have made a lasting impact to this very day.

The character of Charles Foster Kane was based in part on the newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. Hearst was furious about how he was portrayed, and even moreso about the character of Susan, who was based on his mistress Marion Davies. Hearst refused to let the movie be advertised in his papers, and prohibited any mention of the film as well. He tried to destroy Orson Welles, and did serious damage to his career. Xanadu was based on Hearst's home in San Simeon, California. The Hearst Castle, as it is now called, is operated as a museum by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Mercury was Orson Welles's radio theatre company. He hired his old ensemble for Citizen Kane, including Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, and Agnes Moorehead. They worked on radio contracts, so they were cheaper to hire. On the other hand, they could do long, unbroken scenes with ease, very important for this film.

Yay!! I'm so glad you watched this film. It's an amazing piece of art. Shine on ✨️ 💫 😊

The flame gas light. There is usually a wire cage around it. You should watch the movie, “Gaslight”.

Orson Welles was only 25 years old when he made this movie.

Joseph Cotton was performing on Broadway opposite Kathrine Hepburn in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY at the time and took a leave of absence from the production to appear in this movie.

"Citizen Kane" is such an Important Film! There are Books written about it, Film Classes about it and Movies made about it! Not many Films have that kind of Interest or Honour! .... "GWTW", "Oz" or "Casablanca" maybe "2001"?

This film used the be called 'the greatest film ever made'. Of course since that statement another 10,000 films have been made, giving this film some competition.

Excellent analysis, especially regarding why Kane was a hoarder.

Much of what is important about this film shot in 1940 is the cinematography, the lighting design, the set design, sound design and other technical innovations. Much of modern cinematic work comes out of techniques, equipment and stylistic choices created for this film. The scene showing Kane giving a speech far below the balcony where we as the audience are watching him, but both in perfect focus, was achieved by shooting two scenes and then combining them. The use of ceilings in the sets was new, and there were elements used even today and altho this was not a ‘Film Noir’, it includes innovations with shadows, and uses every hue from darkest black to grays to bright whites to highlight character, snd set mood and enhance tension. Many scenes include two entirely different focus points, one may be a reflection in a window, one may be far away, one may be in deep background but there is always a lot of layers and details to absorb in whatever is seen close-up, in middle ground and far back, all equally important to the story and development of the scene. Cameras in almost every scene are placed at unusual angles, heights and positions; very little in this film is what was usual or commonly done, even by the great filmmakers before 1940.

Based mainly on the life of William Randolph Hearst who ran several newspapers and was a pioneer in "yellow journalism" and also ran for public office (and served in the House of Representatives), also had a much younger mistress (Marion Davies, who was an actress, not an opera singer) whom he lived with in a sprawling estate: San Simeon in northern California.

Look closely in the projection room scene in the beginning and you will see Joseph Cotton and Everette Sloan ("Mr. Bernstein") sitting in the shadows with the other men.

Citizen Kane is a masterpiece, regarded as the best film ever for decades.

The house Xanadu was based on, William Randolph Hearst's Hearst Castle, IS a museum now.

Wow, Henry, thanks for doing this one! Excellent analysis! I love that you guessed it a little earlier than most people do; certainly earlier than I did the first time I saw it (I was around 11 years old, admittedly!). I love this movie, it was a favorite of mine long before I ever knew that it held such a high place in film history. Every time I watch it I see something else in it. Orson Welles was only 25 when he made this movie! Wrote, directed and acted in this epic story. And it's his very first film! Amazing. You never think of him as 25 years old, you accept him at every age. There was so much controversy about this film that it pretty much destroyed his career. An excellent documentary about this is called "The Battle Over Citizen Kane", or you can just read about it. Orson Welles never had full control over a movie ever again; his films are brilliant, but they were almost always taken away from him and edited by someone else and usually mutilated. He did three incredible Shakespeare adaptations: Macbeth, Othello and Chimes At Midnight, which combines parts of different plays (focusing on the character of Falstaff, who appears in multiple Shakespeare works). Touch Of Evil is an incredible film noir. His next film, The Magnificent Ambersons is fantastic, another masterpiece......until the last ten minutes, where the studio removed the original ending and shot a new ending that was ridiculous. Heartbreaking. The Stranger is the greatest Hitchcock movie that Hichcock never directed! lol. Great movie. Anyways, I could talk Orson Welles and Citizen Kane all day long. THANKS! Great reaction!!!!!

The words at the beginning are the opening lines of a famous poem finished in 1797: “Kubla Khan - Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment. - by Samuel Taylor Coleridge In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree…” The word Xanadu ( emphasis on the first syllable “ZA…) was to describe an imaginary place dreamed by Coleridge but based on the palaces of Kubla Khan, who lived in the mid 1200’s and was the grandson of Genghis Khan.

@henryellow, @Henryellow , well done. I don't know if you see these comments once the reaction is a couple of months old, but 1. This was the first musical score by Bernard Herrmann, who later composed the Hitchcock scores "Vertigo," "North by Northwest" and "Psycho." 2. I highly recommend you do another Orson Welles movie, "Touch of Evil" (director's cut). 3. This movie too repays repeat watching. It's amazing to watch with the sound off because you suddenly realize how complex all the shots are. 💙 #henryellow #Henryellow

When asked the meaning of the screeching cockatoo Orson Welles replied, "To wake up the audience," in case they were getting groggy so late in the film.

The story behind the movie is as interesting as the movie. And the rumor, believed to be true, to what, "Rosebud," really meant is enough of a reason to see why Hearst did all in his considerable power to crush the film, and Welles. Rosebud was rumored to be Hearst's affectionate nickname for Marion Davies' naughty bits. And while Welles captured a lot of Hearst and his personality, he really did Marion dirty. Welles seemed to have been a genuine fan of Marion and her abilities as an entertainer.

If you're watching classic movies like this, IMO you've really got your sh*t together...

Many great contributors to this film, including cinematographer Gregg Toland. Bernard Herrmann's film scores begin here and end with TAXI DRIVER. Welles demonstrated such great potential, but was seldom able to exploit the potential fully after this.

I highly recommend the film "The Thief of Bagdad" from 1940 for a reaction!

Those quotation marks around "singer" is a mockery, signaling the reader to insert in their mind: "so called singer".

My follow up tip after this one is the TV docu-drama RKO 281 from 1999 that tells the almost true story of how the movie was made, and very nearly not made. With Liev Schreiber as Orson Welles and James Cromwell as William Randolph Hearst (The real world Charles Foster Kane) who didn't approve of Citizen Kane. Well, the last third of RKO 281 is apparently very close to the truth...

~ Not crazy about Orson Welles, something about him just rubs me the wrong way, but this film has one of the greatest, most relatable endings of all time‼️‼️

Regarding Susan: To make her inapt singing believable, they hired a professional opera singer and asked her to sing out of her range. The film's iconic composer, Bernard Herrmann, made a complete aria - Salammbo - since no existing opera in history begins with an aria.

The Third Man

Here's a little detail that shows how strong that theme of love on one's own terms is embedded in this story: the aria that Susan's practicing is "Una Voce Poco Fa", from the comic opera "Barber of Seville" by Rossini (who had his 56th birthday this year, having been born on Leap Year Day in 1792). The aria is a declaration by Rosina, the heroine, that though she is usually docile and obedient, she will turn devil and formulate tricks when obstructed in love. Here's Beverly Sills giving the message to us as only a Brooklyn Soprano can: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/idN1ecmWvri7lX0.html (You can also tell by the power in Sills' voice that Susan's is not built for opera, and that Kane's ambitions for her are horribly unrealistic. One of the pities of this that her voice is sweet and gentle when singing, and that another style, more intimate and less stressful, might have made both of them feel happy and creatively fulfilled).

Great choice Henry - if you like Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten in a black and white movie you might want to see The Third Man, set in and film in Vienna immediately after WW2

Maybe you are finally done with the Hitchcock ones. I will watch this one tomorrow.