Citizen Kane 'RoseBud' Scene

The sources for Citizen Kane, the 1941 American motion picture that marked the feature film debut of Orson Welles, have been the subject of speculation and controversy since the project's inception. With a story spanning 60 years, the quasi-biographical film examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles, a fictional character based in part upon the American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and Chicago tycoons Samuel Insull and Harold McCormick. Rich incorporation of the experiences and knowledge of its authors, the film earned an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Herman J. Mankiewicz and Welles.

I claim no rights to this video. The purpose and character of the use is for nonprofit educational purposes.

You can follow me:

Thanks for watching!

[jonathanallegrezza]

In my opinion, he sees the snow globe which triggers the memory of the exact moment his childhood and happiness were taken away, while playing on the rosebud sled. i think to an extent everyone can relate

[aquiteobesepig]

Note the stiff, robotic movements? One of CK's many themes is the inescapable effect of old-age. Kane can't even express his anger as violently as he would like to, which only adds to his sadness at having wasted his life.

[snakes]

It is at this point Kane sees just how alone he really is. His parents first wife, and his child have died, his friends have deserted him, and now his second wife has left him. He has all this money and power, and yet he has nothing. This is where you see that the Charles Foster Kane you saw in those news reels was all an act for the camera, and this is the real Charles Foster Kane, a sad lonely and broken man whose greatest desire was to find the happiness that was stolen from him as a child and has tried to fill that void with material goods.

[MCO]

The age progression make-up on this movie is superb. 25 year old Orson Welles is very convincing as a middle aged man and elderly man.

[moonsmonsters]

having the world means nothing if you don't have anyone to share it with.

[dkupke]

I think a lot of people miss the fact that he is reliving the moment that his mother abandoned him in this scene; the snow globe contains a scene very similar to the moment in his boyhood when his mother handed him over to a banker to be raised, and as his wife walks out on him he instantly remembers the name of the sled he was playing with at that exact moment.  He's re-experiencing the feelings of helplessness and abandonment. 

[merrimac]

It's very touching how he was destroying everything but he couldn't hurt the little snow globe. Poor Kane.

[TheCoolProfessor]

I was teaching a class in American Media History and when it came to Orson Welles, I showed the whole film and the behind the scenes footage. There was one part where Welles was so emotional that he, in character, went into that room and just started trashing the whole place. The film crew just shot it and nobody dared to stop him. After the scene was over he said "God damn it. I felt it."

That's Orson Welles. The man who caused a nationwide panic and was crushed by William Randolph Hearst; a Genius for theatre.

[spookycookies]

A modern Hollywood film would ruin the impact of a scene like this by adding in unnecessary dramatic ambient music to try and enhance the scene. But this scene is so damn effective because there's no sound other than the deafening crashes of everything around him. He is isolated from the world, no sounds but the ones of his own destruction. The use of silence here is breathtaking, and I've no doubt a modern film would fuck this up for a failure to understand the art of the scene.

[aquiteobesepig]

In case you were wondering about the fact nobody heard his final words, CK can be examined on many different levels. There's the good man turned evil that most people pick up on, but there's also a theme about how nobody ever really knew Kane except Kane himself; the narrators all portray him in different ways, and we don't know how reliable their accounts are -- Bernstein and Leyland both remark about how arbitrary memory can be. But on its deepest level, CK is Kane's dying dream. Nobody heard his final words because it's all in his head. He is wondering how he is going to be remembered on his deathbed; the reporter represents the public interest -- which is why his face is always obscured in shadow. That's what all of the unrealistic lighting and perspective cinematography was for: Kane IS the camera.

[leanderrafael]

Such a powerful scene, the way his eyes fill up with tears... remembering a simpler and more beautiful time, his childhood

[tomdevolt]

This was me trying to find my wallet 15 minutes before I had to leave for a play

[bailinnumberguy]

Citizen Kane is a movie that you really can't watch one time and then say that you've seen it. There's so much subtlety in it that it demands many viewings. It's like a great piece of art that needs to be studied.

[spideraxis]

Saw movie twice.    First time I was very young and didn't understand it much.   Second time I was in my teens and had a better grasp of the genius of the film.

[hiyallimamythepizzaman]

When you lose your phone and you finally find it at the end

[BlackAnime]

i never understood what this film was about at first but, having to see it the second time, I finally did. This definitely deserved to be titled as "the greatest film ever." Instead of wealth, all he wanted was love. There are people like that around who want the same thing besides millions of dollars. A sad but an all time classic film.

[RSTAR]

The first time that I saw it I was enlisted in the Active Duty US Army and stationed at Camp Red Cloud, Korea. I wanted to know what all the hoopla was all about and I decided to watch it at the library. I very impressed! The story, the plot, Orson Welles sharp acting, etc. Great film that really tugs at your heart. As a screenwriter I look towards this masterpiece for inspiration.

[silentjackm.d]

Honestly this scene is one of those powerful pieces in all of Cinema I've actually never seen citizen Kane but this one singular scene has always stood out to me.
Honestly that powerful moment when he walks in front of the infinite mirrors just hits me so hard really selling the idea that he is all alone with nothing but himself in an infinite void.

[MrAkashvj]

Unarguably the most powerful representation of Nietzsche's ideas (on the Will to Power and Perspectivism) ever put to celluloid. Kane’s rise is guided by his Will to Power (derived from his Master Morality). While on the top of the world, his Perspectivism arises. There is no objective truth. He is like a God from the perspective of the others, but from his own perspective… he doesn’t know who he is anymore. The collective values may have no significant meaning in comparison to one’s will. So, living in a house that most people could only dream of, burdened with a rock star reputation, Charles Foster Kane finds that Rosebud is the only thing that he desires.

[lpwnage]

Yup, money makes you unhappy, so send all of your money to me and I will take that burden for you.  :)