Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.
- Where do you think Charles Foster Kane starts going bad? How do we recognize the shift?
- If Charles Kane turns out to be a bad guy, does that mean that people like Mr. Thatcher are good? Why or why not?
- What does a young Charles Kane use to push Mr. Thatcher away when he first meets him? What does this moment symbolize?
- Why doesn't Charles Kane drop out of the New York Governor's election when Jim Gettys blackmails him? Are his reasons honorable? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Kane spends so much of his money on statues? What could this obsession tell us about his character?
- What happens with Kane's plan to turn his second wife Susan into a great opera singer? How badly does she want this same dream and what does it tell us about her?
- What is it about Citizen Kane that makes it a tragedy in the traditional sense?
- Name one scene where Welles' use of camera angles helps establish a specific mood and explain how it does so. Go ahead and put on your director's hat for this one.