Citizen Kane: Scene Breakdown, Plot Point Identification, Structural & Narrative Analysis

The following analysis was my midterm examination submission for a Junior year Storytelling Across Media course.

Scene Breakdown

Ominous Hook: 0:00-3:10

In this expository segment, a “No trespassing” sign, chain-linked fences, castle on a hill, cage of monkeys, fog, abandoned golf course, and cemetery set an ominous tone before a close-up shot of lips with facial hair murmurs the dying words “Rosebud” and a crystal orb crashes to the floor. A nurse comes and folds the arms of a seemingly limp and dead bed-ridden figure.

Background on Kane: 3:10-8:03

Through cross-dissolved newsreel footage, text slides, and newspaper headlines, we learn that Charles Foster Kane has died (in the year 1941) and that his 50-year, Florida-based empire filled with exotic animals, forests, factories, grocery stores, paper mills, and ocean liners to his name was built upon his success as a journalist. His beginnings were humble but later developed tensions with Walter B. Thatcher for allegedly defaming his image. Thatcher calls Kane a Communist and a Fascist but Kane calls himself an American.

Kane’s Background from 1895-1941: 8:03-12:26

We get more information about Kane’s background through the same newsreel footage and more text slides. His opinions were politically-charged and helped form public opinion (which drew many haters), his private and romantic life was public which ruined his chances at garnering political success, and his newspaper began to lose popularity during the first year of The Great Depression. He grows lonely in the palace he built years prior as he encroaches upon death.

Introducing a Quest: 12:26 -14:22

The newsreel footage that provided exposition to Kane’s life ends and the reporters want to find more information about his life from those that loved him and those that hated him. They want to look into why his dying word was “Rosebud”.

Susan Grieves: 14:22-17:17

Mr. Thompson checks on a grieving Susan Alexander Kane at a restaurant table but she asks to be left alone and refuses to provide more information about Rosebud.

Thompson Reads Mr. Thatcher’s Manuscript: 17:17-18:58

Thompson gains access to the late Mr. Thatchers unpublished manuscripts that detail how he knows Kane.

Kane Gets Sent Away: 18:58-22:56

In this snowy flashback sequence, we learn that Mr. Thatcher was a financial advisor for the Kane family. Thatcher ensures that a young Kane will be financially-set in his possession once his mother ships him away from his abusive father.

Kane Opens Presents: 22:56-23:16

A young Kane opens presents on Christmas with dissatisfaction in front of a line of formally-dressed men.

Financial Meeting: 23:16-24:16

A meeting with financial advisors before Kane’s 25th birthday tell us that Kane is set to become financially-independent from Thatcher. Yet, he is uninterested in Thatcher’s extensive corporate holdings and respective fortunes, writing that he is only interested in the New York Daily Inquirer. He thinks writing would be fun.

Kane and Thatcher Argue About The Inquirer: 23:16-27:22

Kane states that he is a college dropout and we see a montage of opinionated newspaper headlines. Thatcher is angry that Kane has published his own corruption and low-profiting opinions about political matters such as The Spanish-American War. Kane accuses Thatcher of being motivated by money, stating that he is less interested in money and is instead interested in looking after the interests of the underprivileged. Kane would use his own money to control the one-million-dollar a year annual profit loss in the name of protecting the public from money-hungry men like Thatcher.

Kane and Thatcher Continue to Argue About The Inquirer: 27:22-29:43

This scene is slightly later in the flashback’s timeline but still pertains to ownership issues surrounding The Inquirer. Since Kane has bankrupted the newspaper, Mr. Bernstein helps shift the newspaper’s control back to Thatcher. Kane states that, even without the newspaper, he would still seek to become everything Thatcher hates.

Thompson Reads Mr. Thatcher’s Manuscript (cont.): 29:43-30:16

The flashback sequence ends. Thompson finishes reading the manuscript and tells the staff that he has not found all of the information he needs, specifically information related to Rosebud.

Thompson and Bernstein Meet: 30:16-32:59

Thompson interviews Bernstein, who managed Kane’s newspaper empire. He does not provide information about Rosebud per Thompson’s request, but instead recommends that Thompson speak to Kane’s close friend, Jedediah Leland, for more information.

Leland and Kane Build The Inquirer: 37:32-39:41

Kane talks about growing The Inquirer with Bernstein and Leland. He wants to promise the public a newspaper that provides daily news that tells the truth free of entanglements with personal interests. He wants to remind them of their rights as citizens and humans.

The Inquirer Grows, Kane Celebrates:  39:41-45:12

Hundreds of bundles of The Inquirer sit on the ground ready for circulation. Bernstein and Kane begin to plan a merge with their newspaper rival, the New York Chronicle. Members of The Inquirer pose for a photo and Kane announces the paper’s growing success at a lavish corporate dinner. Kane whistles in a marching band and flappers to the dinner that perform a song in his name.

Word from Kane Abroad: 45:12-46:23

Bernstein gets word from Kane abroad and comes into the office in a search for Leland. Kane has sent multiple statues back from his trip and Bernstein asks Leland why he did not accompany Kane on his trip.

Employees Learn About Norton: 46:23-47:53

The 407 workers at the newspaper hold up a trophy to welcome Kane home. Someone tries to give Kane a piece of paper and Bernstein tries to present the trophy, but Kane nervously says he has a social announcement, steals the trophy, and runs downstairs to get in a carriage with a woman. A female employee reads that Kane is planning on marrying Emily Norton.

Return to Thompson and Bernstein: 47:53-49:25

The flashback stops for a moment and returns to Thompson and Bernstein’s conversation. He suggests that ‘Rosebud’ was potentially something Kane lost. Bernstein suggests talking to Leland and mentions Kane’s published support for the Spanish-American war.

Leland and Thompson: 49:25-51:52

Thompson stares at the hospital under the bridge and sonders inside to meet with Leland. Leland claims he was Kane’s only friend and begins to recount Kane and Emily’s relationship.

Kane and Emily 51:52-52:49

The scene moves back into a flashback of a conversation between Emily and Kane at breakfast.

Kane and Emily’s Conversations: 52:49-53:27

Kane and Emily talk at a series of mealtimes about how much time Kane spends on the newspaper and the newspaper’s politically-charged articles about the president.

Leland and Thompson: 53:27-55:07

Leland tells Thompson that Kane married for love. He involved himself in politics and every other matter in the name of love. He, however, could only love himself and his mother. Leland begins to talk about Kane’s  second wife who he regarded as  a “cross-section of the American public.”

Kane and Susan: 55:07-59:58

The story launches back into a flashback to talk about Kane’s relationship with his second wife, Susan Alexander. She laughs outside with a toothache and they enter her home. He tries to close the door but she refuses. They laugh, flirt, make shadow puppets, talk about their jobs, and he invites her to go through his mother’s belongings with him.

Kane and Susan: 59:58-1:00:39

Susan and Kane go to the parlor where she plays the piano and he applauds her performance.

Kane’s Political Run: 1:00:39-1:01:08

The flashback story progresses where a campaign assistant introduces Kane’s gubernatorial run.

Kane’s Political Run and Growing Relationship Tensions: 1:01:08-1:04:36

Kane speaks to a full auditorium about his campaign against Jim Gettys. He has no promises but he has hope for election. His wife sits in the audience with his child as he promises to protect underprivileged, ordinary citizens. He also promises to indict Jim Gettys and the audience cheers. He leaves the speech as paparazzi flashes and Emily informs him that he is sending their son home. Emily gets word from Gettys about the affair and leaves in a carriage headed to Susan’s with Kane.

Exposing the Affair: 1:04:36-1:10:04

Kane and Emily arrive at Susan’s house where Jim Gettys emerges from the upstairs bedroom. Gettys seems to have forced Susan to send Emily the note with her address. Emily forces Kane to make a decision about which woman he wants. He chooses to stay with Susan (despite the fact that Gettys will publish the affair and ruin his chances at winning the election). Gettys and Emily leave.

The Affair Breaks: 1:10:04-1:10:50

Kane’s affair comes out in the newspaper. Bernstein is disappointed.

Dismayed Kane: 1:10:50-1:11:10

A dismayed Kane cleans up his political posters and decorations.

Leland Asks for a Transfer: 1:11:10-1:15:27

Bernstein puts on his suit outside the office and Kane sends him home. A drunk Leland stands in the previously-decorated office and Kane says not to bother talking to him about the affair. Leland is angry at Kane’s selfishness and dealings with love and asks to be transferred to the Chicago newspaper to escape Kane’s exploitative storytelling and ever-demoralizing personality. Kane reluctantly approves his transfer.

Kane and Susan marry: 1:15:27-1:16:09

As demonstrated by a newspaper headline, Kane marries Susan. They are mobbed by paparazzi and inquired about an opera house.

Susan Performs Opera: 1:16:09-1:17:32

Kane builds Susan an opera house. She gets ready on set in an extravagant outfit as  the chaos of the production  crew surrounds her. The backstage workers acknowledge her poor performance.

Kane Visits Leland: 1:17:32-1:23:01

Kane visits Leland at the Chicago office where Leland has passed out drunk on his typewriter while working on a negative story about Susan’s opera career. Kane says he will finish Leland’s work. Leland wakes up from his drunk slumber to Bernstein at his desk informing him that Kane has taken and will finish his notice. Kane will ensure that the notice still frames Susan in a negative light but fires Leland.

Return to Thompson and Leland: 1:23:01-1:25:14

This scene flashes back to the present with Leland and Thompson’s conversation in the hospital. He begins to tell Thompson about Kane’s next build: Xanadu. He asks Thompson to buy him some cigars.

Return to a Grieving Susan: 1:25:14-1:26:40

This scene harkens back to Thompson and Susan’s previous conversation where Susan drunkenly grieves in the restaurant as Thompson asks her about Rosebud. She tells him that everything was Kane’s idea.

Susan’s Lessons: 1:26:40-1:29:08

This is a flashback to Susan and Kane’s marriage where Susan receives vocal lessons. Kane is disappointed in the instructors’ progress with Susan. He seems to be forcing her to continue her singing career.

Susan Performs: 1:29:08-1:32:38

Workers at the opera house yell at Susan before the curtain opens. Backstage workers exchange glances during the poor performance. Everyone claps except Kane until he gives her a loud, uncomfortable standing ovation by himself.

Susan Breaks: 1:32:38-1:34:44

Susan yells at Kane for The Inquirer’s negative critique of her performance. A delivery boy brings a note from Leland as Susan yells at Kane for sending Leland a $25k severance gift after firing him. The note is their original intentions for growing The Inquirer. Kane insists that Susan continues her singing career.

Susan’s Career Takes Off: 34:44-1:35:19

Susans becomes more successful in her opera career according to numerous newspaper headlines.

Susan’s Suicide Attempt: 1:35:19-1:38:17

Kane walks in on a shallow-breathing Susan. He sends for a doctor who says that she will recover quickly. Kane seems to realize that Susan attempted suicide as he sits by her side for many hours/days. She wakes up and explains that the pressure he put on her singing career drove her to suicide.

Life in the Xanadu: 1:38:17-1:41:38

We return to a shot of the Xanadu and it cuts to Susan doing a puzzle in the vast yet empty interior. She complains about how bored and lonely she is, begging Kane to go to New York and have fun. He denies her request and she continues doing different puzzles over the course of a few days. Marital tensions rise and Kane suggests a picnic.

Kane and Susan Fight: 1:41:38-1:43:48

Cars flock to the Xanadu for the picnic and party. Kane and Susan fight inside while the performers play inside. She accuses him of buying her love and he tells her he does everything out of love. He slaps her.

Susan Leaves: 1:43:48-1:46:16

A butler informs Kane that Susan has been packing her things. He asks her to stay but she leaves.

Thompson and Susan: 1:46:16-1:47:04

Shifting back to the present, Thompson and Susan continue their conversation.

Thompson Goes to Xanadu: 1:47:04-1:49:05

The butler at Xanadu agrees to tell Thompson about Rosebud.

Kane Reacts to Susan’s Exit: 1:49:05-1:51:26

The film flashes back to Kane in Xanadu after Susan leaves him. He throws her items around the room, breaking many of them. When he comes across the snowglobe (which we saw at the very beginning of the film), he stops, cries, and says “Rosebud”. The estate’s employees hear him as he silently walks out of the room and past a distorted mirror with the snow globe in hand.

Reporters Leave Xanadu: 1:51:26-1:54:52

Back to the present, the butler also confirms that he heard Kane say “Rosebud” as his last words. Thompson’s reporters are clearing out of the palace, collecting items for the story. He explains to them that “Rosebud” is probably not significant enough to singularly tie the entire story of Kane together. They file out of Xanadu.

Full Circle: 1:54:52-1:57:00

The camera pans over the array of Kane’s belongings as workers throw them into the incinerator. One worker picks up the sled Kane was using before Thatcher took him in as a child and tosses it into the flames. A closeup shot reveals that it says “Rosebud” as it burns. The camera zooms in, fades to black, then pans on a shot of the ominous building seen at the beginning of the film. We see the same chain link fence and the “No trespassing” sign from the beginning before the credits roll.

Plot Point Identification

Inciting Incident

The inciting incident occurs after the expository newsreel that provides a brief overview of Kane’s life. Here, the news reel ends and the reporters try to determine how to fill in the rest of Kane’s life story. They discuss how his dying word was “Rosebud” and Thompson is assigned to figure out its meaning. This moment propels the narrative, existing as a call to action. The non-flashback component of the story revolves around Thompson’s quest to figure out the meaning of Kane’s dying word. The search for the meaning of ‘Rosebud’ frames and motivates the flashbacks in the narrative.

Midpoint Reversal

The midpoint reversal in Citizen Kane is when an unhappily married Kane is caught in his affair with Susan. Kane’s political opposition sends Emily and Kane to Susan’s home where he informs Kane that the publication of the affair will effectively end his political career. Kane chooses his mistress and the destruction of his political career. After this moment, his life is characterized by sadness and bitterness. He abandons his previously-steadfast ethical principles and begins to hurt those close to him. Midpoint reversals typically occur in the middle of the film (~1:04-1:10, in this case) and see a shift in the protagonist’s goals. While I am not sure his goals besides the pursuit of political prowess change, his disposition and his relationships do. In a sense, his goals such as the desire to stand up for the common man do not transform into different goals in this midpoint reversal, but rather such goals dissolve in tandem with his deterioration as a character. The rest of the film provides a different, less flattering perspective on Kane’s life.

Climax

The climax of the film is arguably when Kane throws all of Susan’s belongings around the room until he encounters the snow globe because the rest of the film is merely falling action. This is the moment of highest action. Given that the rising action is leading up to the connection between “rosebud” and Kane’s life, Kane’s uttering of the word upon finding the snow globe fulfill this rising action. The remainder of the film merely serves to tie up the loose ends with the reporters’ story and bring the film back to the ominous images we see in the beginning.

Noting & Evaluating Structural and Narrative Concerns

Although Citizen Kane uses non-linear plotting because of its integration of flashbacks, it follows Classical Hollywood Cinema’s three-act-structure. The structure revolves around an exposition where the viewer learns generally about Kane’s prominence before death, a beginning in which viewers learn about Kane’s immersion in the journalism world and his first marriage, a middle in which he decides to prioritize his mistress over his wife and political career, and end that inches towards the destruction of his second marriage and his death. Furthermore, the film provides an exemplary distinction between types of film durations. For example, even during the scene that demonstrates Kane’s increasingly distanced relationship with his second wife, the screen-duration is two minutes. Yet, the breakup of his marriage, or story duration of this scene, occurred over the course of about seven years. The story duration contains all of the time suggested by the film’s flashbacks while plot duration only describes the time that transpires on screen. The film’s structure, which encompasses the selection of events from Kane’s life that are intentionally sequenced, serve to express a specific view of life. In imbibing the story of Kane’s life from perspectives such as Bernstein, Leland, and Susan, the viewer pieces together an image of the man alongside the reporters. Also, the film embodies a level of self-reflexiveness as exemplified by the moment the reporters end the newsreel in the beginning of the film. This moment watching Kane’s life unfold via a film screen draws attention to the fact that this film about journalists constructing a story about a man’s life is simultaneously a film about a man’s life constructed by filmmakers. This self-aware moment seems to create a link between the capacity of a reporter to construct a story about someone’s life and the capacity of a filmmaker to do the same. 

In thinking about the film’s adherence to classical design, Citizen Kane both adheres to some of the elements and strays from some of the elements. Kane is undeniably an active protagonist because he makes decisions, such as his choice in women, that propel the story forward. He also suffers from external forces of antagonism, such as Mr. Getty. The time is relatively continuous in that, despite the flashbacks, the story is told in a logical manner. The story is not-linear. The fictional reality is consistent in its depiction of a consistent storyworld and settings in New York, Florida, etc. The ending is absolute and irreversible because Kane is dead and will not come back to life. Yet, it is uncertain whether Kane had a particular desire and whether there really is a concrete resolution to the film. One could argue that his primary desire is power which he believes he will achieve through journalistic publications of the world in a manner that he controls. However, his original intent in taking over the newspaper was merely for entertainment purposes. It seems that, at least originally, his primary goal was to thwart individuals that held too much power in his eyes (like Thatcher) by telling honest, unrevised stories about their corrupted actions. To an extent, he becomes the very individual he sought to destroy through his corporate success. And, to an extent, his own work on the piece about Susan, did effectively thwart his power. He seems to become the money-hungry individual he sought to destroy and, in his allegiance to painting honest portraits of people (including himself), remains true to his original intent by destroying his own image. In terms of the conclusion, the film does not end in a traditional/expected Hollywood manner. If it did, perhaps Kane would run into the sunset with Susan after mending their marriage, return back to his first wife and beg for forgiveness, participate in a grand moment where we learn the true significance of “rosebud”, publish a final story that secures his legacy as a successful journalist, etc. However, he dies and the meaning of rosebud remains ambiguous. The ending where he finds the paperweight might represent a realization that he has strayed  away from his innocent, ethically-motivated childhood persona. This meaning, however, is garnered from the viewer’s own reflection based on the piecing together of symbols, images, and perspectives.

The symbols in the film play a role in granting meaning to the narrative and its structure. In Citizen Kane, the “plot development and meaning are…worked out in a pattern of symbolic images as elaborate as in any novel–the sled, the glass paperweight, Susan’s puzzles, and the hall of double mirrors at Xanadu” (Carringer, 186). Furthermore, the opening sequence provides key symbols such as the “No Trespassing” sign that frame the narrative’s circular structure. The sled served as a symbol connecting Kane’s childhood and last moments. Kane used the sled to push away Thatcher’s body before he took him away from his parents so, in a sense, it serves as a boundary between his life with his family and his subsequent life with Thatcher. It creates a stark distinction between a carefree childhood and the man he became after adoption. In terms of the paperweight (or what I referred to in the plot breakdown as “snow globe”), Kane holds a paperweight with an image of a house during a blizzard during both instances where he says “rosebud” (his death and his destruction of Susan’s room). The landscape within the paperweight draws the viewer’s attention back to his snow-covered childhood home. It seems that, as he grips this paperweight during the destruction of Susan’s room, he calms down. Thus, the connecting image of the sled in conjunction with the fond image of the paperweight appear to underscore the jovial. innocent memories associated with his childhood. These memories, solidified through symbolism, are tonally distinct from his ever-embittering aging process. Furthermore, the puzzles seem to exist as a more meta-symbol of the narrative itself. The viewer sees Susan play with the puzzles as she grows bored in the Xanadu and also sees Thompson pick up the jigsaw puzzle when he walks through the rooms of the Xanadu. To Susan, the puzzles were merely a means of occupying herself as she remained ensnared in the Xanadu’s ever-lonely walls. However, Thompson remarks towards the end that perhaps “rosebud” is just a puzzle piece in the greater existence of Kane’s life. The puzzle is a metaphor for the greater narrative. The film as a whole is essentially reporters piecing together the puzzle pieces of someone’s life. In a sense, every person’s life is like a jigsaw puzzle composed of pieces made of people and moments. Filmmakers, like Orson Welles, have the capacity to piece someone like Kane’s life together in a puzzle-like manner through shot selection and arrangement (as done with the arrangement of perspectives in Citizen Kane).

The double mirrors at Xanadu seem to superficially attach a level of narcissism to Kane’s character. In a sense, these mirrors coincide with the recurrence of the statues, indicating that despite Xanadu's lavishness, Kane is ultimately left only with himself. The vast palace is ornate and spacious, but he dies in a space flooded with statues of himself and mirrors that reflect his image. These images are some of the only human figures present in the house upon his death – they seem to replace the real people in Kane’s life. However, the image of the mirror and image of the statue seem to differ in the sense that Kane possessed control over the statues. He could move them wherever he wanted, do whatever he wanted to them, and buy as many as he wanted. In a sense, they became representative of the malleable way he treated those around him, such as Susan. The mirrors in the Xanadu towards the end may also serve as an almost Freudian or Lacanian symbol, demonstrating Kane’s fragmented identity as he nears death. If mirrors symbolize the recognition of self under such frameworks, then his fragmented image as he walks by the mirrors after destroying Susan’s belongings seem to distort whatever image of himself he built during his formative years. He is a deteriorating character. His character does not have an easily-grasped, singular identity, but rather exists as a conglomeration of mirror fragments forwarded to the viewer through flashback narratives.