The United States of America is a big, powerful and wealthy country in the world. The division of class, individuality, religion, and race are but a few of the embellishments within the society. The blend of these numerous diversities is the crucial ingredient to the modern nation. America has been formed upon them, with that said the “average American”- have a single means in common; a single concept; a single goal; the American Dream. The Dream consists of a seemingly simple theory; success. Charles Foster Kane possessed everything that a materialistic man could dream to have: money, power, a successful career, women, and extravagant possessions some men would go to extremes lengths to have. Yet, Charles had it all. The most important ingredient of happiness in life Kane lacked however, was the single component he couldn 't buy and that was: love. "You won 't get lonely, Charles... You 'll be the richest man in the world someday." (Citizen Kane, 1941) Kane’s parents used the power of money as an accessory for giving him away to a billionaire. Since that day, the protagonist went through a traumatizing experience, insecurity and redisposition due to his parents’ actions, which marked the beginning of his tortuous need, to be loved. This unreturned love created a sense of fear and mistrust to love something or someone, only to experience abandonment again was something Kane never got a chance to learn. Citizen Kane broke all the rules because of Welles, there were no
Citizen Kane is the life story of a powerful newspaper magnate, Charles Foster Kane. It is a fictionalized biography of the ruthless publishing baron, William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951). In actuality, the characters in the movie are composites, drawn from the lives of several famous American tycoons, but Hearst was the most obvious. Photography Gregg Toland, the cinematographer for Citizen Kane, considered the film the high point in his career & thought he might ‘learn something’ from the boy genius (Welles).
Charles Foster Kane, who was he really? By Thompson ... (1941) Charles Kane was a man that some of us hated or some us loved. He was a mysterious man, we know nothing of him, however we have heard of him. From friends, family, or especially in the newspaper, but who was he really?
I believe that basing the film on his life brought both advantages and disadvantages. To start off, I think the advantages of this was that Charles Foster Kane was such a recognizable character and people would be familiar with who William Randolph Hearst. That when people watched this film, the audience will go out after watching it and talk about it more, getting lots of press. But also, the disadvantage was that Hearst did not want this film to get views, so he banned/prohibited the film to be advertized and mentioned in any way. From the film not getting publicity, this led to people thinking that the film was a bad move, which probably made the views drop down.
People from all over the world flock by the hundreds of thousands to reach American soil. All are in pursuit of the American Dream. Starting with nothing, one can make a name for themselves, and create an empire for their families by simply setting goals and focusing on completing them. In John Steinbeck’s “Paradox and Dream” he states that we as Americans are our own obstacle-living in America; we have the freedom to choose how we live and how we pursue our own version of the American dream. One valuable thing about the American way of life is that people are in control of their destinies.
I believe what Orson Welles is trying to portray through the movie Citizen Kane is the difficulty that goes into describing a person’s life after they have passed on. The reporter Thompson investigates Kane’s story and witnesses it unfold as it is told by those closest to him. Although this makes you wonder how different it would have been if Kane got to tell his own story rather than rely on the reminiscences of his colleagues because not a single one of these people knew or could figure out what drove Charles Foster Kane. The only person who could have fully understood Kane was Thatcher, but his concerns focused more on making money rather than the loneliness of a child. With each perspective we get on Kane’s life as well as the lack of his own point of view, it forces us to question what truly mattered in Kane’s life.
Motifs Isolation The protagonist is continuously isolated from the rest of the world around him, whether it was in his childhood or adulthood. The cinematography in Citizen Kane furthermore demonstrates the isolation he was going through. In one scene, we see Kane his childhood playing alone in the outside; the camera creates a divided shot on him and his mother with Mr. Thatcher, as they plan to send him away from home. Another scene is where; Kane is sitting by himself in the center of a room surrounded by men suited up, watching him as he opens a gift from Thatcher at his office.
Orson Welles 1941 film, Citizen Kane, depicts the American dream through the protagonist Charles Foster Kane. In the film, Orson Welles relies heavily on his understanding of the audience by using pathos and ethos in order to convince them of his purpose for writing the film. The appeal to pathos convinces the viewer as to how depressing Charles Foster Kane's life is even with all his fame and fortune. The use of pathos is apparent in the scene where Jedediah Leland says, "That's all he ever wanted out of life...was love. That's the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane.
One of the greatest attributes Americans take for granted is the amount of opportunities and possibilities they are presented with living in this free nation. Compared to other countries, America has always been the most appealing to outsiders because of the perpetual American Dream. In America, the capitalistic environment minimizes the number of external sources influencing an individual's success. Therefore, a person has the power to control their own destiny and creates this idea of a dream where a person’s success is solely dependent on their work ethic and desire. This is the glorified American Dream; the propaganda that is used to make our country seem dignified above the rest.
The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and 1941 film Citizen Kane possess many similarities in themes and characters, despite the completely different settings and plots. Both main characters are ambitious and determined to achieve a goal, even to a certain point where they lose everything truly meaningful to them. While Macbeth strives to become king of Scotland, Charles Foster Kane attempts to become popular and influential. Both Macbeth and Citizen Kane desire to be powerful members of their respective societies and receive respect and recognition from their acquaintances. In both works, they acquired everything they thought they wanted, yet realised they could not have what they truly desired, essentially ending up with “nothing of value”.
The Failure of the American Dream in the Context of The Great Gatsby Sun Seo Jeon 전순서 20140880 The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, which is a belief that anyone, regardless of their social class and the situation they are born into, is given opportunities to achieve their own version of success. It is emphasized that American dream is achieved through sacrifice and hard work, not just by chance. This meant to motivate Americans to attain prosperity and happiness. However, there is an ironic interplay between idealism and materialism in this statement of American Dream; the dream suggests hope, opportunity and equality, but in reality, it is to become rich and of higher social status, which is only
Directed by Orson Welles, the 1941 motion picture “Citizen Kane” is the story of the rise and fall of a great, influential man. The opening scenes of “Citizen Kane” are quite different from what follows during the rest of the film. Fading in and out of different landscapes instilled mystery. This mysterious vibe was carried on during Charles Foster Kane’s death through the use of shadows, quiet music, and close up shots. Isolated in his vast empire of a home, Kane uttered only one word before he passed: “rosebud.”
Charles Foster Kane possessed everything that a materialistic man could dream to have: money, power, a successful career, women, and extravagant possessions some men would go to extremes lengths to have. Yet, Charles had it all. The most important ingredient
Citizen Kane challenged the traditional narrative and technical elements of classic Hollywood cinema mainly in the area of sound. Orson Welles was ahead of his time when he created his works of manipulating sound to transfer meaning in the film Citizen Kane. Welles used concealed hanging microphones to obtain different levels of sound throughout the film. The manner, in which the story was told, from Kane’s death flashbacked to his life of success and ultimate failure, was also a new style of storytelling for films. Welles also used symbolism with his last mumbling word “Rosebud.”
The picture perfect life that the American Dream promotes is unrealistic and superficial because money is unable to fill the void of happiness or love. Contrary to earlier days, we now life in a time when even a strong work-ethic does not guarantee money, success or opportunities. While many are so ensorcelled by the illusions of the American Dream, we often fail to realize its falsity and constraints. Whether financially or socially, the society coaxes in the unsuspecting American dreamer, only to then spit them out in a wave of despair, failure and hopelessness. As demonstrated by numerous non-conformist individuals, the Dream lies not in the realm of materialism but rather in that of the intangible; often requiring an extreme leap of faith
“Citizen Kane” is a tale of the “Charles Foster Kane”. “Citizen Kane” was one among the major controversial movies continually built up. Kane was one of the most controversial films ever made. Hearst, affronted from his representation, presented RKO a diminutive chance to wipe out the movie. When that attempt did not work, newspapers of the Hearst go aboard on an operation of denouncement in opposition to Welles, therefore demonstrating that the dishonesty of the press and the condemnation of the power in film were specifically the aim.