CITIZEN KANE 1941 Movie Review – Ending Explained

I did it. I finally watched Citizen Kane. Believe it or not, this was truly the CITIZEN KANE of movies! Masterpieces don’t come around every five seconds. If everything was a masterpiece, we could just call everything “pieces”. Reese’s Pieces been doing that for years despite being a delectable masterpiece in the candy realm. Comparing Citizen Kane to modern movie sensibilities is a bit jarring, but there is enough artistic substance in there to justify it as a legendary classic.

GRANDIOSE is the word I would use to describe the sets/buildings in the picture. In terms of atmosphere, Citizen Kane deserves well above a perfect score. 10 out of 10 in this area would degrade it by comparing it to other movies that receive such praise. A colorized version of this film would be horrible! The black and white footage is perfect for the haunting tone of each location. Maybe I’ll just get an old black and white television, because it feels like the film industry had it right the first time. For that matter, perhaps I should throw away my video game console and smartphone and then go play in the yard with some sticks. Do these modern technologies make me happy? No! They seem to accomplish absolutely nothing in terms of improving mental health. Sticks, grass, and black and white movies, please rescue us from the technological torments of the modern age!

“Hey Mista! I ain’t got no PS Six in the apartment, but want some hot watta?” “Hot water?! Wow, that’s the one thing I don’t have in life, other than empathy of course.” When watching old movies, it can be hard to tell if something was normal for the time or just an odd thing the writer thought of. Were they all just enticing people with hot water left and right in the 40’s? I refuse to consult a historian on account of finding the scene funnier without additional context.

The psychology of Charles Kane is in some ways the main character of the story. Please keep in mind that Dis Drawma Kingg does not like to read other reviews/analyses of movies discussed on drawmakingg.com. I do not wish to be influenced by outside interpretations, so I have no idea what people usually say when discussing Citizen Kane (aside from “Rosebud”). What I found fascinating about the psychological aspect – was that it held up strongly to how we tend to analyze such a person today. Kane exhibits sociopathic tendencies stemming from when his parents gave him away callously. He couldn’t ever love or connect to other human beings after experiencing separation trauma at a young age. Rosebud burned into his mind as his brain coped with drastic change. It also was likely one of the few possessions he got to take to his new home, thus being a physical memento reminding him of his former life.

Ending Explained: Rosebud was the sled character. Since the movie came out a little under 100 years ago, I DO still feel guilty for spoiling the ending.

Final Thoughts: Citizen Kane is hard to apply a rating on the first watch. Entertainment value wise I would say around 7/10 Crowns. The legendary execution of various details leads me to believe I would say 10/10 Crowns on subsequent viewings. To our collective misfortune, the ending reveal of Rosebud is nearly impossible to avoid in our society. It would have been 1000 times more intense of an ending if you did not see that detail coming already. However, I did not already know that Rosebud is only revealed to the viewer at the end. The characters never find this out! That detail did resonate with me emotionally. To think, all human lives end with secrets that remain unrevealed. When we die, we take information with us forever! Let me try it out. On September 17, 2009 I either ate a slice of pepperoni pizza, or I ate a slice of plain cheese pizza. Drawma Kingg doth now solemnly swear that I’m taking the truth about that (master) piece of pizza to my grave!

BONUS NOTE: I always liked Tenacious D’s music, but I disagree when Jack Black claimed their movie was better than Citizen Kane. AS GOOD? Maybe, but definitely not BETTER. C’mon man you coulda just said it was AS GOOD as Citizen Kane and avoided all of the CONTROVERSY when that song came out!