Citizen Kane: No One Really Knew Him

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film, in which Kane dies, the events of Kane’s life are told through a series of narrators. The audience is informed that the character of Thompson is charged with the task of discovering who Kane really was by decoding the meaning of his last word, “ROSEBUD”. This plants an expectation in the audience that they too will be uncovering the “real” Kane through Thompson’s interviews. However, Thompson’s supposed first contact, the former Mrs. Kane (Susan Alexander Kane), is a complete failure. This sets up a succession of broken expectations that distort and interrupt the interpretation of Kane.
Thompson’s mission leads him from one subjective acquaintance to another, ranging from a book (the autobiography of the money minded Mr. Thatcher) to Kane’s longtime business associate, Mr. Leland. In addition to the five contacts of Mr. Thompson, the reporter creates his own point of view as he interprets the individual stories of Kane. In the final scene, he ...

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unsuccessful campaign for New York Governor. Eventually Kane is viewed as an extremist and a loner as he secludes himself in his larger-than-life estate. Unfortunately, none of this knowledge truly helps define who Kane was as a person. This is why Thompson’s editor urges him to contact the five people closest to Kane-to reveal his closely guarded private character.
The audience’s first glimpse of the real Kane is briefly displayed as Mr. Thatcher recounts a rebellious Mr. Kane to Mr. Thompson during Thatcher and Kane’s first encounter. This defiance reappears as an older Kane explains to Mr. Thatcher that he never wished to be born into money and is willing to lose money on his ...

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