Citizen Kane (1941) - Ending

The end scene to Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941).

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Film & Animation

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• Rosebud
• Sled
• Citizen Kane
• Orson Welles
• 1941
• Joseph Cotton
• Robert Wise
• Agnes Moorhead
• Dorothy Comingore
• George Coulouris
• Ending
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[lostvocals6]

Why would you post just the ending? To ruin the entire film for anyone who hasn't seen it?

[garfrain]

@lostvocals6 is that a joke? if you don't want to know the ending avoid following the link once you've read the title 'citizen kane (1941) - ending'. or don't type in citizen kane ending in the search bar. i'll give you the benefit of the doubt though

[army103]

I've been trying like hell to find the answer to this, but nobody else seems to find it curious: how did Kane's childhood sled come to be among his possessions? If he had it, you'd think Kane would have died clutching the sled itself rather than a random snow globe that reminded him of it.

[garfrain]

@army103 i'd say that the sled represented his childhood, which was the only time in his life when he was had genuine happiness. the sled as a material entity matters little

[army103]

@garfrain

Oh, I agree that the sled represents his childhood, but it still strikes me as a bit of a plot hole. Why keep the snow globe so close when the sled would be a much more direct link to his lost happiness, after all? Plus, if the sled is supposed to represent something he lost, its symbolism is diminished if he already found it.

[garfrain]

@army103 i don't think the sled or any relic from his childhood would make him any happier. he is reflecting on his life and thinks of those moments. as for how the sled came to be in his property. he never disposed of it and maybe it made perfect cinematic sense to see it burning in the final scene

[garfrain]

@deeblite brilliant, as a family guy fan i appreciate that

[deeblite]

Thanks, yous just saved me 2 long, boobless hours.

[Beyondisme]

@army103 He got the snow globe from his mistress. The sled was among his possessions he had shipped in from his childhood home. In fact, he mentioned he was going to look through those possessions when he met his mistress.

[lostvocals6]

@smokinleaves

Actually, "Rosebud" was William Randolph Hearst's pet name for his lover's private parts.

[lostvocals6]

@garfrain

It's not a joke - people who have not seen Kane couldn't know that the whole film is built around a secret that is only revealed in the very last scene. Someone searching for Citizen Kane in general could easily stumble upon this clip,not realizing that seeing it spoils the film far more than endings usually do..

[army103]

@AnsemRush

Thanks for the tip - I'll be sure to watch for that scene the next time I see the film! That certainly could make sense of things.

[AnsemRush]

@army103 hey, I just saw this and in one part he saws how he's going to search through his childhood or something like that because he had just received a shipment of his stuff from his childhood. Probably came in that stuff and didn't have meaning until the end of his life.

[ZOINKSation]

@cod007skilldfan Well this ending is mentioned and pardoied so much in pop culture that most people probably already know the twist without realising it, lol. Plus, when someone tells you about Citizen kane, thye usually spoil this right from the off, so there's no surprise there.