Introduction
Citizen Kane is one of the few films still considered legendary both in its artistic form and its influence on other aspiring and established filmmakers. The director, Orson Welles, found an element of historical accuracy regarding the general audience at the time, making Citizen Kane both enjoyable to watch and subconsciously easy to relate to. Needless to say, the circumstances were primarily facilitated by the historical background and the year in which the movie was first released. For many, the beginning of the 1940s was a transition between the 1930s’ poverty, the uncertainty of global politics, and the opportunities for prosperity. Produced after the economic hardship of the Great Depression, Citizen Kane is a social commentary on the national idea of the American Dream and a satire on the aspirations of the general population.
Background
Citizen Kane portrays the life of a media mogul and industrial magnate who dies with his last word being “rosebud”. Kane’s character is evident from his quote, “If I hadn’t been wealthy, I might have been a great man” (Welles). While determining the meaning of the word, the reporter examines Charles Kane’s entire life, from when he was a young boy playing with his sled. Kane obtains his mother’s gold mine, develops a media business, has a political career, and ultimately dies alone despite having servants and carers (Wells). Needless to say, accompanied by the excellent script are the additional artistic elements that facilitate the generation of a more complex and striking atmosphere.
For example, the camera work consisting of close-ups and long shots, as well as the differences in lighting depending on the scenes, are ways in which the film becomes more than storytelling. Instead, it is constructed to be a motivation for inner reflection associated with its message and its potential presence in the audience’s lives. Indeed, the aim implemented by the director directly correlates with the film’s historical background and the social and political systems at its release.
Artist
For the historical background to be linked to the film and the reaction it generated from the general audience, it is important to highlight several elements within the artist’s biography, Orson Welles. Welles was born in 1915 into a relatively affluent family, with his mother as a musician and his father as a factory owner (Naremore). The fact that his mother was a prominent suffragette will later be highlighted as an element within the film, correlating with the oppression of women.
Welles was relatively young when Citizen Kane came out, yet one aspect of the director’s biography made him a controversial and popular person in Hollywood. Specifically, Welles was involved in a radio program in which he announced that New Jersey had been invaded by aliens, creating public panic and outrage (Naremore). Partly, the director proved that the American nation is still experiencing a sense of danger and uncertainty that appeared during the great depression, and external triggers can worsen said psychological sensation.
Citizen Kane, the director’s leading and most recognized work, also portrays political commentary. Additionally, Welles supported Roosevelt and his New Deal, a series of programs aimed at diminishing the economic hardships of the 1930s through assistance for people experiencing poverty and minimization of unemployment (“Economic Impact”). The support highlights that the director was preoccupied with the social and political well-being of the American population, which is also illustrated in the script of the film Citizen Kane.
Historical Background
Citizen Kane remains one of the most inspiring pieces of cinematography, even though it was released close to a century ago and portrayed a different world from society today. Certain elements remain present in the minds of the newer audiences, while multiple circumstances can only be recognized with a historical context. To understand said elements and comprehend how the film integrates into the bigger picture, it is essential to determine the socioeconomic and political context. It is well-known that the film was released in the early 1940s, right after the Great Depression and before America’s involvement in the most devastating war of the 20th century.
Roosevelt, the president of the US, noted that the American people were experiencing “unjustified terror” (Bindas 646). This was the aftermath of the major economic crisis, lack of employment opportunities, and poverty. On the one hand, the American people were terrified of reality due to the understanding of the economic and political instability in a seemingly “stable” American market. On the other hand, said instability was generated due to the unrest in Europe before and during WW2.
However, even though the demographic was generally dissatisfied, the Great Depression generated the opposite effect. The “American dream” notion started to become a prominent national idea relating to optimism, the desire to work hard, and to acquire a life better than one’s parents (Wolak and Peterson 968). It is essential to mention that Citizen Kane is not only a fictional biography of a media tycoon but also a film based on the real-life newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst (Sapra).
Economic success is at the core of the American dream, so the film highlights the so-called “success story” of a person who acquired high levels of financial security. However, the director criticizes the American dream rather than promoting it through his story. Specifically, researchers highlight that Kane’s driving force in the film is his narcissism, which motivates him to be the most ruthless and, as a result, the most successful (Kareem). The American dream is portrayed as material and far from being spiritually or morally right.
Historically, it is evident why acquiring wealth would resonate with the American population. However, the director portrays how shallow and empty Kane’s life is, as illustrated by his death. Kane’s last word, “rosebud”, was the tradename of his sled that he used to play with when he was a little boy (Welles). His achievements, life efforts, and finances did not matter as, before his death, he remembered the last moment when he was pleased.
Kane reveals, “I know too many people. I guess we’re both lonely” (Welles). Hence, historically, the film is a commentary on how happiness cannot be achieved through wealth but through a less materialistic approach to life that does not imply participating in harmful deeds to acquire financial resources. A similar message can be found in other artistic pieces, including Of Mice and Men.
Despite being a book published slightly before the movie was released, Of Mice and Men portrays the story of two men who aim to buy a farm, yet cannot do it because of the incident in which one kills a woman (Kombieni 26). The American dream, in this case, is owning a farm, while in the case of Kane, it is to become the most powerful, both politically and socially, as he influences the minds of millions through his newspapers. In both cases, the dream corrupts the characters, making them more preoccupied with finances than personal growth and decency.
For the outside world, Kane had a dream life. His businesses were always successful, he had a short-lived but promising political career, his wealth was prominent when he was little, and he did not encounter significant hardships in childhood or adulthood. However, this is a shallow portrayal of the American dream, as highlighted in the news reports of Kane’s death, which could not depict the complexity of said person due to the various circumstances that need to be included.
On the other side of the coin, Kane ruined the lives of many with devastating news in his yellow papers, was opportunistic in his personal life, was abusive towards his mistress, and was never involved in work that would benefit his spirit rather than his bank account. He might have acquired the American dream, but it was an empty possession, as highlighted in the way he died alone, reminiscent of his childhood. Hence, the director emphasized that, despite the historical context impacting people’s desires to be financially prosperous, these aims do not bring unconditional internal security and comfort, such as the comfort felt during childhood.
A minor yet important historical context that can be highlighted about the movie is the lack of equality when it comes to gender. In the film, Kane’s first wife is merely a tool for achieving success, while his second wife is forced to have a career as a singer, which worsens her depression and avoidance of the said perspective (Welles). As highlighted previously, the director’s biography emphasizes that his mother was a prominent suffragette (Naremore). Hence, Kane’s attitude towards women depicts how women were treated in the context of the early 1940s. This is another depiction of how the American dream and the aspirations of many Americans at the time were not void of inequalities, abuse, violence, mistreatment of others, and fraud.
Conclusion
Citizen Kane remains actual and timely due to the everlasting elements the directors implemented in the film and the values portrayed through artistic measures and characters. However, one of the main aspects of the movie is its historical context and alignment with the circumstances in the 1940s. The Great Depression, political instability, poverty, and unemployment have generated the notion of the American dream. It implies hard work that generates wealth and comfort.
However, Welles portrays how shallow and empty the materialistic dream is by depicting a character whose narcissism allowed him to acquire material goods, not happiness. Hence, the fact that Kane reminisces about childhood right before passing away is a satirical connotation of how empty and heartless the American dream is. The message resonated with the film’s initial audience as it portrays both the desire to obtain security and the lack of spirituality and character of the prominent financial values at the time.
Work Cited
Bindas, Kenneth J. “The Crossroads of Identity: Psychology’s (Re)Action to the Great Depression.” The Social Science Journal, vol. 59, no. 4, 2020, pp. 646–656. Web.
“Economic Impact.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2023. Web.
Kareem, Saiyeed Shahjada Al. “Desire, Narcissism and Crisis in Citizen Kane.” SSRN, 2020. Web.
Kombieni, Didier. “African Americans’ Dreams and Expression of Love during the Great Depression: A Critical Reading through ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck.” Open Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 08, no. 07, 2020, pp. 26–34. Web.
Naremore, James. “Orson Welles, Citizen of the World.” Trans-Atlantic Cultures, 2022. Web.
Sapra, Rahul. “Citizen Kane (1941).” Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism, 2020. Web.
Wolak, Jennifer, and David A. Peterson. “The Dynamic American Dream.” American Journal of Political Science, vol. 64, no. 4, 2020, pp. 968–981. Web.
Welles, Orson, director. Citizen Kane. RKO Radio Pictures, 1941.