Tuesday, September 23, 2003
(4:05 AM) | Anonymous:
I'm not a child. No, I am much younger than that..
Tonight I finally decided to stop being a poser, and actually watch Citizen Kane. I don't know why I waited so long..I've seen The Third Man, Touch Of Evil, Othello..I mean..I've even read The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Klay which basically revolves around the movie, yet had never seen it. I always have trouble bringing myself to see/read/listen to something I should have seen/read/listened to a long time ago, which is sad because I am far behind on many things.
Anyway, I could go on and on about the brilliance of the movie..the direction was revolutionary, moreso than anything else ever done in film, in my unknowledgable opinion. With all other movies I've seen from that time, there's nothing like it, with all I've seen since, there's definite "rip offs." I'm not sure I can say that for any other movie.
As I've been in the fancy of doing lately, I've introduced this only to say I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry.
After the movie was done I re-started it with the commentary from Peter Bogdonavich. He wasn't himself all that satisfying, but I don't know what I was expecting from the guy who made that Mask movie about the kid with the 3 foot head.
But, in rewatching it, I did grow curious about one thing, and through much rewinding and slow motion-ing, finally satiated this need to know. There's the beautiful romantic scene at the beginning where Kane is sledding around on Rosebud, before being taken away for good. This is where he hits Thatcher with the sled and what not. The scene then goes to what is, I guess, the following Christmas where Kane is given a new sled. It's on screen for less than a second, but the name of the new sled is "The Crusador."
I'm not just trying to give you all idle trivia knowledge here. From everything I know about Orson Welles, nothing was unintentional. Rosebud would seem to represent the giving of love which Kane struggles against the whole movie. It's said several times that all he wants is love, but he wants it on his terms - without having to give any actual care back. He sees the people's love as something he can rule, and demand by his working hard for them against the slumlords, political bosses, et. al, but doesn't see that the only way to truly "find" love is to let go of all conditions and accept love on love's terms.
The only person Kane ever loved besides himself was his mother. Thus, when he is taken from her we see the sled being buried under mounds of snow - growing cold. When his love for her is apparently unreturned, as she chooses his potential wealth over his potential to be loved, he is given a new sled: The Crusader. And he epitomizes the attitude of a crusader from that day forth. The crusades were an attempt to bring about love for God through force, to acquire love, as if it was something to be grasped, without giving love. Thus, with his dying words, Kane hearkens back to that one time in his life where he gave love and received love in return, without setting any conditions or limits upon it.
There are many attempts to force this love - from the people/voters by becoming their "savior", from his best friend Jed, with the 25,000 dollar check, from Susan, by building "her" the opera house - all of whom eventually reject him. When he first encounters Susan, he is on his way towards re-discovering the love of his childhood, he's heading to the warehouse where he sent all his mother's belongings, and Rosebud. But, he is distracted by Susan's toothache, and his ability to make her feel better and the apparent love she gives to him for this ability. He thus is plunged again into the meaningless pursuit of the desire to make love in his own image, by his own rules. Only to find once again that it is impossible to create love, because love refuses any part of man's guidelines.
I was reminded of Romans (thanks again Bible Quizzing) where it says "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." To be a conqueror is to forcefully put another in subserviance to you. To, once again, attempt to make love happen on your terms. To be more than a conqueror is to finally open oneself through loving others, demanding no love in return. This is impossibly hard, except through Him that loved us.
I remember being frustrated by this verse in quizzing. It made no sense. What's it mean to be more than a conqueror? If you've conquered, you're the champion, no time for losers and all that. I think a lot of people struggle with this same question, because it seems that when most people explain this verse, it always breaks down into "For we are better conquerers," as in, with Christ now we've eaten the flashing star and have become invincible and can now defeat everyone in the world. Or, basically, we're better at conquering than those without Christ.
I think that's powerfully sad, as it's exactly that thought that leads to the love-less life of Citizen Kane, and which leads to the crusades, and away from the call of Christ.
-Robb
(As a postscript, go back and re-read my summary of that scene of Kane with his slad and instead of picture Orson Welles, picture the "Big Red Machine" Kane from WWE. It's great fun. If you need help, here's an image.)
