Citizen Kane (1941)
Directed by: Orson Welles
Written by: Herman J. Mankiewicz & Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles & Joseph Cotten
Genre: Biopic
Your assignment: First, post three comments (meaningful and including your initials) on other people's romance movie blog posts. Then, write a two-paragraph blog post about a movie you've seen outside of class that is based on the life of a real person and/or real events.
Paragraph 1 should describe the plot of the film, including the characters, up until the inciting incident (no spoilers!). For instance: Citizen Kane tells the story of wealthy businessman Charles Foster Kane, based on the true life rise and fall of William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper tycoon from the 1930s. When a group of journalists find out Kane's last word before he died was "Rosebud", they set out to find what it means, and this is how we're told about the main character's life: through interviews with friends and co-workers. Then, using flashbacks and flash-forwards, we get to see how Kane grew up, became wealthy, ran for office, and broke the hearts of more than a couple women and colleagues.
Paragraph 2 should include your opinion of the film and answer the questions: Did it do a good job of turning real life into an entertaining and meaningful story? How or how not? What insight was given about that person's life or the event's impact on people? What was universal about it? For instance: I think Citizen Kane has been named one of the most important and best movies of all time because of the way it portrays someone who attains power without knowing properly how to use it. Reportedly William Randolph Hearst tried to stop this film's release; no one knows why for sure but one can guess it probably cut too close to home. It turns a story about a bloated old rich white guy into something I think everyone can relate to, which is that no one really knows how to wield power when they have it. This corruption can lead to hurting those you love because your ego becomes so huge. Kane unfortunately didn't realize this until it was too late and all he had left at the end was his memory of the sled "Rosebud", an object from the childhood he can never go back to and start all over again from.
P.S. Don't forget a title, picture, initials in the 'Labels' section, and all the necessary film info (year, director, writer, stars, and genre) from imdb.com.
P.S. Don't forget a title, picture, initials in the 'Labels' section, and all the necessary film info (year, director, writer, stars, and genre) from imdb.com.
