Orson Welles’ iconic film is as tied to the American mythos as the Dream itself. The story of a self-made man who becomes fabulously wealthy at the expense of his own happiness is one of the most frequently emulated stories in American cinema.
It is also perhaps the first cautionary tale about the dangers of achieving great success. Visually, Welles takes this idea to the absolute extremes, surrounding Charles Foster Kane with material wealth that only serves to further isolate him from the rest of the world as opposed to enriching him. From the outside, Kane’s estate of Xanadu feels like it should be a pleasure palace, but it soon transforms into a prison.
The secret at the center of the story — the meaning behind “Rosebud” — provides the film’s core critique of the American Dream. His simple impoverished childhood, as symbolized by his sled, was the only time he felt happy in his life. This is a happiness that wealth could never replace, despite the promise of the Dream.
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