Kane (Orson Welles)’s Timeline and Summary
- We don't know it yet, but we see Kane's mouth in the opening scene of this movie. He whispers the word "rosebud" just before dropping a snow globe and dying in bed.
- We first learn about Kane through a newsreel that gives us the lowdown on how he became rich and ran a huge financial empire that crisscrossed America.
- The first time we ever actually meet Kane, he's twenty-five years old and taking control of a New York newspaper called The Inquirer. He even gets a bed put in the head office so he can sleep there when he has to.
- In a flashback, we see Kane as a young boy. His mother has just come into a major fortune and has decided that it would be best if Charles were raised and educated away from his home. She wants him to be a great man and doesn't want his bum of a father ruining him. Charles fights to get away from his new guardian, Mr. Thatcher. But eventually, he gives up and goes on the train with the man.
- Now that Charles is an adult, Thatcher criticizes him for using his newspaper to attack the wealthy class of America. Thatcher tries to remind Kane that he's part of this same wealthy class, but Kane declares that he's dedicated to fighting corruption whenever he can.
- The longer he runs his paper, the clearer it becomes that Kane is more interested in his ego than he is in actually helping the working class. He gets married to the niece of the U.S. President, but it's not long before their relationship goes bad.
- One night, Kane is on the street and he runs into a woman named Susan Alexander. She invites him into her apartment to clean up after he's splashed with mud, and they end up making a romantic connection.
- Kane is poised to win the election for governor of New York. But at the last second, his opponent tries to force him out of the race by threatening to expose his affair with Susan Alexander. Kane doesn't back down though, so the story goes public and torpedoes his political career.
- Kane ends up divorcing his first wife Emily and marrying Susan. He then becomes determined to turn Susan into a big opera star. None of the big operas will hire her, so he builds his own opera house for her to sing in. She doesn't want any of it, but Kane is determined to make the world bend to his will.
- Kane eventually has a falling out with his best friend, Jedediah Leland, who accuses Kane of losing his way and becoming selfish. Leland writes a review panning Susan Alexander's on-stage abilities.
- Kane even finishes it for him, but then fires Leland for challenging him. Leland responds by mailing Kane a copy of the Declaration of Principles he used for his newspaper in the beginning. Kane just tears the thing up.
- As more time passes, Kane spends his time collecting valuable artifacts and building a giant mansion. His wife Susan complains about how boring it all is, but Kane doesn't care.
- Eventually, Susan decides to leave Kane. He throws a huge fit and destroys all kinds of stuff. But in the end, he picks up a snow globe and whispers, "rosebud."
- Then he dies not long after, muttering the same word on his deathbed.