Ever feel cheated?

[johnpalmer]

In a story I read, a "jaw dropping" revelation was to be made. Citizen Kane, this big, famous, popular movie, extensively studied, had a huge plot hole in it. What was this big, huge, jaw-dropper?

Simply this: everyone knows Charles Kane died all alone, in his "Xanadu" estate, right? So how did it become known that his "last words" were a single word: "Rosebud".

And I did find that to be an interesting thought - maybe everyone overlooked it, suspension of disbelief or "well, obviously someone heard, somehow!"

I finally watched it, and it was a pretty good flick, though I have no idea why it's praised so much. Maybe I need cinema appreciation lessons, or, maybe I need more information about movies made in and around that time. One thing to remember is that someone needs to show what an art form can do, and once they've shown it, others will follow, and possibly do the exact same thing, better... but the first artist to show off that technique is still the one who saw what could be done.

But as for a plot hole? Geez... they interview his butler, and the butler says, flat out, that he'd heard him say the word, just before he dropped the glass globe on the floor (which is how the movie opens).

So I'm annoyed. Still a good movie, the "jaw dropping" story is still a good story, but, dang, it, I'm annoyed that the bit about the plot hole was so transparently wrong.

Comments

[caltastic]

People forget why Citizen Kane has so much praise — it’s absolutely not the best film ever from a creative standpoint, though that’s what modern pop culture assumes. Instead it’s its technical bona fides that are important: it invented the modern concept of the film soundtrack, and editing and cinematography tricks that are still in use today.

[julian]

Basically, it did a lot of things first, like Caltastic says. Soundtrack. Use of deep focus; allowing use of ceilings (which was hard to do at the time). Stuff like that.

This talks some of it: https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/a-viewers-companion-to-citizen-kane

The plot hole, such as it is, is not that jaw dropping. I consider "alone" in this context to mean "friendless and unhappy," not, "Without a soul in the house ever at all anywhere."