Citizen Kane-Cassandra Johnson
Citizen Kane:
I enjoyed Citizen Kane quite a bit. Best movie of all time? I don't know. It's a very intriguing rag to riches story. It seems to me that Kane's intent is good all of the time. In the beginning he doesn't even seem to be interested in the money, all that he wants is the newspaper. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Kane says, "If I hadn't been really rich, I would've been a really good man." I guess it just goes to show what a little bit of power and money can do to a person. The problem seemed to be that he had a lot of opinions and a very generous mind, but he only believed in himself. The people closest to him described him as being desperate for love but not having any to give in return. My favorite character in Citizen Kane is Jedediah. I couldn't help but giggle when he stumbles into the press and tells Kane exactly what's on his mind.
Overall, it's a really sad story about a really lonely man. He really doesn't have a genuine relationship throughout his entire life. I think that a lot of today's films goers would care about the message of Citizen Kane because the issues presented are still relevant. We've definitely all seen and experienced the effects that the media has on the society we are part of and a lot of us realize the "American Dream" is not all that is cracked up to be. This movie depicts the rise and fall of a very powerful man who, in most people's eyes, had it all. Things are not always as they seem. I think that the portrayal of Charles Foster Kane is pretty fair. It really doesn't show much of his point of view, but who would know him better than the people "closest" to him? It's fair because everybody has a right to their own interpretation. Welles was just exercising that right.