Orson Welles’s 1941 film Citizen Kane is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, and a full viewing confirms why. The film follows Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper magnate whose life is told through flashbacks after his death. The story is built around the search for the meaning of his final word, “Rosebud.”
Trailer, via Warner On Demand.
The Story
Kane’s rise begins in poverty and ends in isolation. He builds a publishing empire, buys a newspaper, marries a socialite, and buys a mansion. The film shows him as both a visionary and a tyrant. His marriage to Susan Alexander (played by Dorothy Comingore) ends badly. He runs for governor. He dies alone.
The story is told through the eyes of Thompson, a reporter who interviews Kane’s associates for a biography. Each interview reveals a piece of Kane’s character, but none of them fully explain him. That refusal to resolve is the film’s strength.
Flashback Structure
The structure is the film’s most celebrated innovation. Welles cuts between present-day Kane’s death and the interviews, then jumps back to scenes from Kane’s youth. This non-linear approach was unusual for the time, and it remains effective today.
The device allows the film to show Kane’s life from multiple perspectives. No single witness tells the whole story, and the gaps between their accounts create tension. That tension is what drives the audience to keep watching.
Sound Design
The sound design is just as inventive as the editing. Welles used deep focus to keep foreground and background sharp, and he layered dialogue over music and sound effects. The result is a dense, immersive soundscape.
The film also uses light and shadow to shape mood. Dark rooms, high contrast, and chiaroscuro lighting all contribute to a sense of mystery and weight.
The Cast
Welles plays Kane as an older man, and Joseph Cotten plays Jedediah Leland, Kane’s boyhood friend. Both performances are strong, but the standout is Dorothy Comingore, who plays Susan Alexander.
“Rosebud” is the word Kane speaks as he dies.
That single word becomes the film’s central mystery. The final scene reveals it as the name of his childhood sled, a detail that grounds the entire story in loss and nostalgia.
Legacy
Citizen Kane influenced generations of filmmakers. Its techniques were studied, copied, and expanded upon. The film’s reputation grew slowly after release, and it now stands as one of the most celebrated movies in history.
Its influence can be seen in everything from television to video games. The film’s storytelling structure, its use of unreliable narration, and its visual style have become standard tools in modern filmmaking.
Technical Craft
The film’s technical achievements are still remarkable. The cinematography, the editing, the sound design, and the set construction all hold up. The film looks and sounds like a major production, even compared to modern standards.
The performances are also excellent. Welles’s Kane is a complex, contradictory figure, and the supporting cast delivers consistently strong work.
What Makes It Work
- The flashback structure, which lets the story be told from multiple angles
- The deep focus photography, which keeps the frame sharp
- The sound design, which layers dialogue over music and noise
- The performances, particularly Welles’s lead and Dorothy Comingore’s Susan Alexander
- The final reveal of “Rosebud,” which ties the whole film together
Each element supports the others. The editing creates the story, the photography creates the mood, and the performances make the characters feel real.
Citizen Kane is a complete work of cinema. It is a film about power, loneliness, and the impossibility of knowing a person fully. It is also a technical marvel, a story told with skill and confidence.
The film holds up as a great work of art and a great piece of entertainment. It is a movie that rewards repeated viewings, each time revealing new details and new depths.
Citizen Kane earns its reputation. It is a masterpiece.
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