“Citizen Kane” (1941): You Can Buy Everything but not on Love and Happiness

            Sometimes we are too ambitious search for pleasure, wealth, and victory until we realize these all not necessarily leads us into a better life. Same as told in the film "Citizen Kane", the story of a young man who didn't get happiness because blinded by wealth. In addition to giving us many lessons and knowledge, we also get entertainment from the main character and also the silliness makes us curious about the meaning of the word which is said to be the last before his last breath on this movie.

            Narrated principally through flashbacks, the story is told through the research of a newsreel reporter seeking to solve the mystery of the newspaper magnate's dying word: "Rosebud". In this scene, he is alone when he dies, Raymond the butler states that he heard the last word - a statement not completely reliable. It has been speculated that everything in the film was the dying man's dream and the burning of Rosebud in the film's climax was Kane's last conscious thought before death. An old man has pronounced his last dying word as the snowstorm globe is released from his grip and rolls from his relaxed hand. The glass ball bounces down two carpeted steps and shatters into tiny pieces on the marble floor. The film's flashbacks reveal that the shattering of the glass ball is indicative of broken love.

            Kane's death becomes sensational news around the world. Newsreel reporter Jerry Thompson becomes intrigued, and decides to learn all he can about Kane's private life to discover the meaning of "Rosebud". The reporter interviews the great man's friends and associates, and Kane's story unfolds as a series of flashbacks. Thompson approaches Kane's second wife, Susan Alexander, now an alcoholic who runs her own nightclub, but she refuses to tell him anything and demands that he leave. Thompson then goes to the private archive of the late Walter Parks Thatcher, a banker who served as Kane's guardian during his childhood and adolescence. Through Thatcher's written memoirs, Thompson learns about Kane's childhood. Thompson then interviews Kane's personal business manager, Mr. Bernstein; his estranged best friend, Jedediah Leland; Susan, for a second time, successfully this time; and, finally, his butler, Raymond, at the Xanadu estate.

These flashbacks reveal that Kane's childhood was spent in poverty in Colorado (his parents ran a boarding house), until "the world's third largest gold mine" was discovered on the seemingly worthless property his mother had acquired. His mother, Mary, sends him away to the East to live with Thatcher, so that he may be properly educated. After gaining full control over his trust fund at the age of 25, Kane enters the newspaper business and embarks on a career of yellow journalism. He takes control of the newspaper, the New York Inquirer, and hires the best journalists available.

There are actually a lot of positive things in the figure of the main character starring by Orson Welles, who at one time was also the Director of this phenomenal film. the persistence, hard work, and extraordinary courage. He was also loyal to the nationality when he said “I am have been, and will be only one thing- an American” in one of the speeches he delivered .he was agent of change, he opted to take over media companies that is not popular at all than to choose the amount of money that guarantees his future then he can to told and open all the secret crime of Walter.P.Thatcher,Wallstreet famous figure who took him from his parent, in the Inquirer newspaper. the courage to change the point of view of the community, a lot of the great things he did like urged his country to war, submit themselves as President of America he is the pioneer of public opinion even never been elected, managed to make media companies became famous across the United States. has gold mining, apartment, forest and many treasures that he obtained the result of hard work and brilliant ideas that he had so he can build a private castle, Xanadu containing paintings, photos, sculptures and a variety of stone which is equivalent to ten times the museum from different parts of the world. There are still many other luxury goods and so much until it is difficult to mention like the Pharaoh even more that have two of the largest private Zoo since Noah. He bought anything even for things that are not useful. In other hand ,despite having strict mannerisms and tend to be authoritarian, Kane was originally conceived as a humorous figure, a lot of silly stuff that is spoken as when asked by reporter about the "How did you get the business opportunity in America?" she just replied "with great difficulty".

It was great to married Emily Norton, the niece of a President, but he only gave her with the luxury life without his presence and togetherness never been in home for work and spent his time only in office, So did he do to his second wife Susan Alexander, a singer in a club that made his reputation down and failed in gubernatorial election. He though with the wealth that he owns, can made his wife happy, otherwise they would feel lonely in the midst of opulence. Kane give all of his wealth but not his love, until finally they both couldn't stand living with her and then left him in his palace. After his second wife went from him, He realized he could never get the true affection. He has sacrificed a lot of things including the people closest to him, from parents, child, and wives. Unfortunately he died without anyone loved him at his side. He remember with his slide boards and said “Rosebud”, symbol of happiness he ever felt when he was child then broken by himself.

What a blame that a success people died without family at his side, this story taught as that we can get everything, but not on love and happiness. The phenomenon that is currently happening, people nowadays effort too much to search for glory, they were blind,  they thought everything can be bought with the material, Love makes us happy, strong and without love we never get the real happiness. And the last, the writer advised to all readers “don’t let the fight you have to do is not worth anything because blinded by earthly things “