Citizen Kane- Bologna M.

            Citizen Kane truly is a puzzle.  As Dirks stated, “Its complex and pessimistic theme of a spiritually-failed man is told from several, unreliable perspectives and points-of-view (also metaphorically communicated by the jigsaw puzzle) by several different characters (the associates and friends of the deceased) - providing a sometimes contradictory, non-sequential, and enigmatic portrait.” He really captures the point of how we are constantly trying to put together Kane’s life with all of the contradictory stories told by his friends, family, and companions.  Every time we feel as though a piece of the puzzle fits there is always that one side that does not fit and we are left searching for a new piece.  Even when we do get a piece to fit perfectly we stand back to view our accomplishments all we see are the scattered pieces of the puzzle.  We are not even close to completing the puzzle.

            Welles used his resources to the utmost in creating this highly-rated film.  He captured the viewer’s eye with film editing throughout the movie with the angles, shots, and clips he finds a way to capture the story from many different perspectives giving the audience the freedom of interpretation from each story told.  This freedom of interpretation triggers the audiences emotions by pulling us in different directions by the montages that help us gradually settle with one emotion for the time being until a new story with its own montage is presented such as, the marriage montage between Kane and his first wife.  The montage starts out with the actors close and the atmosphere upbeat letting us feel happiness for their strong love.  Then as the montage moves forward just as the table and placement of the actors grow farther in distance so do the characters feelings toward one another.  As we watch their feelings distance our feelings also start to sadden for their lost love.

            As the puzzle is slowly being put together the characters give up.  As the stories went on and on they just could not make the pieces fit together.  The stories were not enough to discover who Kane really was. But the audience receives the opportunity to find out what “rosebud” really meant to Kane as they watch it burn just as the wanting to know about Kane’s life slowly burned to ashes when they were unsuccessful.  We are given the ultimate puzzle piece that puts everything together.  We now know who Kane is.  We are given the simple pleasure of knowing why Kane was whom he was.  From a young boy all Kane wanted was to have the simple joys in life.  Those things were taken away from him at an early age and replaced with worthless riches that only money could buy.  Kane wanted worth in his life but finding worth in riches was like a puzzle so he just kept buying as if one day he might find one but in the back of his mind he knew you cannot attain joy with money.  But you can buy fame, which is exactly what Kane did as he searched to show the world that he could buy a million statues only to be dissatisfied and buy more.  That riches will never please you only ruin your bank account.  That living a life run by riches will only make you lose as much as you make.