Citizen Kane

1294 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: strength and weakness of newspapers

Citizen Kane
After watching the movie “Citizen Kane” I realized why this movie was named one of the best films ever. Yellow journalism was in an era from the 1880 to the 1900 and it featured flashy journalism of that time, which made editors write about invented stories. Which went to big headlines on subjects that weren’t true. The two big writers of that time were William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. During the film Kane is depicted as a yellow journalism at different times.
One example is when they put out the article “Charles Foster Kane Defeated, Fraud At Polls”. From that headline you would believe that he was beaten by some illegal purpose, but it was just a headline getting people to read the article and the enjoyment of writing against your enemy. Next, when Kane got all the writers from the chronicle to start writing for the inquirer. He put out an article that said “The Greatest Newspaper Staff In The World” and had a picture of all the new guys standing together. As you can see there it is not so much false information, but he said they are greatest writers in the world. When all these guys came form the opposing newspaper. While watching the film there are many other times that Kane portrays yellow journalism. He was out to help the poor people of the community and just have fun with the newspaper.
In today’s society we think of yellow journalism as tabloids. A lot of those headline stories that we see in the supermarket get our attention. Which always lead to false information on subjects that we are interested in.
In the film there are many ways that loss and belonging have a big part of Charles Foster Kane’s Life. It started when he was taken from his birth parents at a young age to go have a better life. We saw that the mother wanted to get him away from his father because we assumed that he was getting beaten. For many young children being taken away from their home, must really heart the child. We don’t know why he was taken but assume it was because of his father and also not having enough money to raise him. He must of thought that his parents didn’t love him but all they wanted was a better life for him.
Another example of not feeling belonged is when his wife and himself were going through some problems. Even if he was the cause of the problem you saw how he wanted to belong to someone and for others to love him. Throughout t...

... middle of paper ...

...y that they lived in during that time was a time that the majority of people didn’t have much money. For Kane power was something that he never lived without. He was given a newspaper to run on his own, which made him have a lot of people that worked under him. Throughout the film anything he wanted was done. Since he was the one calling the shots in the newspaper he could have anything printed. For example during the beginning of his election he would print articles that would make him look better then his opponent.
For society, during that time period know one knew of anything else but to listen to people that had a lot of power. They would also follow in their footsteps. When people of that time had power they were looked up too as a very high person in life.
To sum everything up this film was one of the greatest films ever made. There are so many different parts of the movie that made other filmmakers take a look at “Citizen Kane” before starting their own film. This film has change many filmmakers decisions on how to portray there film. “Citizen Kane” will never be forgotten and will on in every filmmakers decisions.

Show More
Related

  • Why Did Truman Tell Stalin

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    The way Truman took had some advantages. One advantage was that the atomic bomb could help the united states win against the Japanese, which The Russian premier in, President Truman's Version, also agreed and said “that he was glad to hear it and hoped he would

    Read More

  • Christopher Daly's Covering America

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    We still engage in Yellow journalism today, but is called fake news. Fake news is an issue that we face more than ever due to social media. The newspapers during 1875 to 1912 staged several events and even over exaggerated headlines. In present day there are several outlets for exaggeration such as, tabloids and blogs. These are all forms of dishonest journalism. The creation of the internet has only increased the spread fake news further around the globe, making it hard to get rid of. The main issue is that bogus news has become

    Read More

  • Harry S. Truman's Ethical Dilemmas

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the Potsdam conference the allied forces gave Japan an ultimatum, unconditional surrender or face “promt and utter destruction” (The Decision). Japan refused the request fearing the unconditional surrender would leave them with a loss the imperial system, emperor, and territory (Cook, “Why Did Japan Surrender?”). According to his secret diary of Potsdam, after receiving news of a successful detonation, Truman informed Stalin of a superweapon (Bernstein, “Truman at Potsdam: His Secret Diary”). Not seeking advice from Stalin, he simply informed him that if japan does not surrender then they would be destroyed. There was talk about public demonstrations to show the damage this weapon of mass destruction could really do. However, Truman did not think that any sort of demonstration would do any good. As you can see, Truman was not hesitant as to whether if it was the right thing to do let alone the moral thing. He was concerned with quickly putting an end to the war with atomic bomb. This high-pressure militant thinking was a learned attribute Truman gained as a soldier during World War I. Intelligence and being forced to make decisions under the pressures of war contributed to his success as a captain of artillery (Harry). Truman later applied his skills to his presidency and decided that dropping the atomic bomb would be the best thing to do for the country and to end the war

    Read More

  • Citizen Kane Film Techniques

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    What makes Citizen Kane so special? Orsen Well at twenty-five years old created a masterpiece that is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. Wells was an innovator that approached filmmaking with a new eye and a fearlessness of trying things differently. Film editing, sound, and lighting proved to be a critical part in the making of the film. Wells manipulated the scenes and changed the order of time effectively. He used both costume and makeup to convey the narrative while also creating visually stunning art. Citizen Kane is a movie that gives no clear answers to the viewer's questions and provided no clear ending. Wells demonstrates the depth of the story and yet the simplicity of one man's journey in a back and forth mystery

    Read More

  • In Defense of Truman's Use of the Atomic Bomb

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...d by widespread hysteria and hostility between the two superpowers. The United States’ role as a peacemaker was forever challenged by the use of this weapon and for the rest of his time as president, Truman would fight to stop the spread of communism and the greatest fear of the succeeding presidents was the outbreak of nuclear war. The decision Truman chose changed the course of world history. From a moral standpoint, the loss of innocent lives is never fair. The tremendous cost of using this weapon was the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese civilians from the immediate and long-term effects of bombs. Despite the moral arguments against this choice, this was the best one for the American cause. Truman’s obligation was first to the American people and as commander-in-chief, he made the decision he believed to best for his constituents.

    Read More

  • Citizen Kane

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Orson Welles is a legend in itself. He is a dedicated director, actor, and artist. An artist in the sense he directed, produced, and was the star in the film ‘Citizen Kane.' The film won an award for best screenplay that was co-written by Welles. ‘Citizen Kane' brings into light many social problems between countries, relationships, and also between competing newspaper companies. The film was a big controversy when it was first released on a delay (because of personal conditions with W.R. Hearst). It brings into light how a newspaper should react and also brings the corruption of politics. War was breaking out in Europe and throughout the entire film Kane states there will be no war. He ignores the fact people are being killed, tortured, and rounded up like livestock because of Adolf Hitler. The film was released on May 1, 1941 a few days before Joseph Stalin becomes premier of Russia, a day before Nazis took over Netherlands, and eight days before the English army breaks the German codes.

    Read More

  • Harry Truman: The Atomic Bomb

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration the atomic bomb was being developed. After Roosevelt died, his vice president Harry Truman was appointed President of the United States. Truman was never informed about the bombs development until an emergency cabinet meeting (Kuznick 9). Truman had to make the fatal decision on whether the bomb was to be dropped on Japan. With the idea of going to war, Truman had to think about the lives of the thousand American soldiers. The American soldiers had begun using the method of island hopping, because the bomb was not available. The idea of dropping a bomb was that the war itself could possibly end in its earliest points. The dropping of the atomic bomb could also justify the money spent on the Manhattan Project (Donohue 1). With a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt “This will be a day that will live in infamy”, Pearl Harbor was a tragic day for Americans. The United States had lost many soldiers, which they had claimed that they will eventually get revenge. The alternates of dropping the bomb was also discussed at the Interim Committee. The American government was trying to get an invitation response from the Japanese government. If the United States did not drop the bomb and ‘Operation Downfall’ ha...

    Read More

  • The Truman Doctrine

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the end of World War II, the military and foreign policies of the White House were moving in opposite directions. Militarily, the U.S. adopted a position of rapid demobilization after the war. Meanwhile, Truman had a strong desire to meet the communist ‘threat’ head on. Congress, however, did not share Truman’s view of needing "to meet the Communist challenge wherever it appeared." For example, Senator Robert Taft, a prominent Republican senator, "expressed the current mood when he objected to any attempt by the Administration to divide the world into communist and anti-communist zones, for "he did not want war with the Soviet Union." As for the sentiment of the American public, "there was no denying that the majority of the American people did not want to embark on a Crusade." With opposition from not only the American public but also from Congress, President Truman had to take action in order to convince Americans of the reality of the Soviet threat, in addition to the threat of communism in general. In fact, Truman was even told that he would need “to scare the hell out of the American people.” He did just that with the Truman Doctrine.

    Read More

  • Truman's Atomic Dilemma: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    President Truman was the president that was possibly faced with the most important war decision of the modern war. After his decision, he lead America in inventing a warfare that can possibly destroy our world and cause many dangerous situations in the future. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the other bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The atomic bomb killed 70,000 people instantly and 100,000 over a certain amount of time(Crucible). The

    Read More

  • Ethical Decisions: The Bombing Of The Atomic Bomb

    1978 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1945, Germany had surrendered, but the war in the Pacific raged on. The allies were becoming desperate to end the war before it was necessary to carry out a full scale invasion. New developments in science had made it possible for the United States to weaponize the atom, and the consequent bomb created was dropped on Hiroshima and later Nagasaki at the approval of President Harry S. Truman and his advisors. In years to come, Truman would have to face questions over the merit of his actions. Although some may believe the atomic bomb was needed because it ended WWII, it was unnecessary to drop the nuclear bomb because of the alternatives that existed, the effect it had on the Japanese people, and because of the unethical reasons for dropping it.

    Read More

  • Citizen Kane Film Analysis

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sarah Street said, “in Citizen Kane Welles is criticizing fundamental contradictions within monopolistic journalism and political rhetoric.” He wasn’t only showcasing his talents in film he was conveying a real message to the public. He was criticizing the way people’s agenda can truly affect the world as seen through Hearst these individuals have great power, but often lack honesty in the way of doing things. Another critic Armstrong says the script “asks you to ponder the meaning of someone's life. What makes living worthwhile? What makes a person happy: money, love, power? How do we make sense of that life--by what was said, what was done, or by what is left?” This great description entails many of the other elements Welles wanted to face. Although Kane had all he ever wanted what did he accomplish and what was he missing and searching for all his life. This draws back to the main search in the story for Rosebud. Welles while creating a wonderful visual piece also had the thrilling unique story to go along with

    Read More

  • Causes and Effects of the Spanish American War

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    The public was further angered by something called “yellow journalism”. Yellow journalism refers to writers such as Joseph Pullitzer and William Hearst trying to outdo each other with screeching headlines and hair raising “scoops”. Where there were no headlines, the yellow press would exaggerate and fabricate stories to get readers interested in their newspaper. For example, Hearst once wrote about Spanish Customs Offic...

    Read More

  • Citizen Kane

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, is a great example of how a man can be corrupted by wealth. Through the characters in the film we can observe how Charles Foster Kane, an idealistic man with principles, can be changed and misguided by wealth and what accompanies wealth. The film takes places during the late 19th century and early 20th century, a time in American history when the world is changing and wealth is a great power to change it with. Through the story telling of Kane’s life we are able to see how wealth changes, not only Kane’s ideals, but his actions and how he perceives the world.

    Read More

  • Misconceptions In Crime: Sensational Crime

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Misconceptions created by media over sensational crimes also deal greatly with race, as much of the reported crime in recent news does. Sensational crimes reported in the news are exaggerated forms of reality, the worst situation that could possibly happen. The public assumes because this is what is presented to them that these crimes are happening as often as they do on the news, perhaps even more. The public assumes that because murder, even multiple murders, occur in every crime show episode that big cities must be full of killers and dead bodies are everywhere. It is not just news and media outlets reporting crime in the real world. Crime is everywhere, including fictitious items such as a best selling book, the top rated television show. Crime is not just on the front page of every paper, and every night on the six o’clock news, it is engrained in our entertainment as well. However, this blatant yellow journalism with the motto, “if it bleeds, it leads” was only created because the public is more interested in such stories of violence, gore, inhumanity, police triumph, and errors. The public wants to hear about what the real crime is to compare to the fictitious nature of shows, books, movies, and more. Such as previously stated, a serial killer is more interesting than a purse snatcher to the general public looking for entertainment. Small crimes, petty crimes, even unsuccessful crimes are not worthy of news coverage because it does not hold a candle to the elaborate schemes and gore of crime television. Sensational crimes like murders get more attention from the public but are much less likely to occur than the common domestic violence call. Dubbed “Tabloid Justice”, the act of reporting crimes for entertainment is prevalent, and often details are dissected and analyzed by all forms of media in a

    Read More

  • Citizen Kane

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    this one letter in a circle can now sum up his life, that people just

    Read More

More about Citizen Kane

Open Document