The Internet never ceases to amaze me. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Orson Welles. I’ve never seen it before today, never even knew of its existence until I started bumping around the web. Two things about the interview. First, Welles reveals that the idea of ‘home’ is very important to him because as a child, his family moved multiple times, so he never really had what he would call a home. Second, he confesses that his least favorite thing about Citizen Kane was Rosebud — he calls it a “rather tawdry device.”
May I humbly disagree. First, Rosebud serves numerous narrative functions: framing device for the narrative, source of a mystery as well as eventually the key to solving it, the sled and the snow globe powerful visual devices, taking on talismanic significance.
But beyond that, I wonder if Welles is doing a bit of deflection here. In response to the interviewer’s question, “Is there anything that came out of that [i.e., Welles' family moving around so much] in the movie,” Welles offers a definitive no. But isn’t ‘home’ what Rosebud — the sled / snow globe — represents to Kane, that one time and one place where he was truly happy, his youthful winter wonderland, he and his friends, sledding in the snow, only to be yanked out of there by life’s sudden turn? And so isn’t it fair to think that Welles’ desire to have a single place he could call home (he says so point blank in the interview) is reflected in the experience of young Charles Foster Kane? Therefore, Rosebud can be seen to be much more than a “tawdry device,” it is precisely the whole point of Kane’s existence, constantly attempting in all his life endeavors to find some thing, some place he could call ‘home.’ Yet he could never satisfy that almost infantile need, which is why it’s so riveting to see him wandering the halls of Xanadu on the night of his death, clutching the snow globe, then offering up his final word, “Rosebud.”
Watch this fascinating interview and see what you think.
[Originally posted June 2008]
Thanks for finding this Scott. Orson Welles is a fascinating character. He doesn't realize that by him not making as many movies as he wanted to make, his legend grew greater. Had we had dozens of movies of his to dissect, like most filmmakers, we wouldn't be nearly as impressed.
But I just have to say this interviewer is a moron. He pretty much doesn't ask a single question I'd have asked Welles. "Where do you want to live?" In one question (in reference to a quote Welles once made) he doesn't even know the proper quote. "You said something about Italy, and Rome, and…I don't remember what it was…but one of them was a mistress?" Great research there buddy. You have an interview with the director of the greatest movie ever and you ask him about a quote you can't even say properly.
Carson, I agree. Having sourced, reviewed, and linked to all the interviews I have for this blog, I'm amazed at how bad interviewers are.
Did you see the one I posted a few months back where the interviewer mistook John Cusack for Kevin Spacey, and asked him about how much she loved him in American Beauty? Amazingly awkward moment.
I did see that. At first I thought it was some undercover b*tch from TMZ or some such trying to get a rise out of an actor so they could do a segment on how crazy he is. Then I realized she really thought he was Kevin Spacey in American Beauty.
Yes, that was a terrible interview. You would think he would have been more interested about Kane's BRILLIANT shot composition.
The kitchen shot is the best single camera shot I've ever seen. Just that shot could be a class.
I found it really interesting what he said about Rosebud (that it was a cheap device) though because that's the same thing I had always thought but was too afraid to say so out loud. Questioning "rosebud" is like questioning why cheese should be on pizza. So now that I'm armed with the knowledge of Welles backing me up, I can say it with confidence.
Are we sure he doesn't say "tawdry device" because "Rosebud" was actually the pet name Hearst had for a part of Marion Davies's anatomy?
Reportedly, "Rosebud" is what really sent Hearst over the edge about the film.
Scott, I suspect he felt it was tawdry because it evoked a sentimentality that he might have felt pandered to his audience. There are some interviews with Scorsese where he sees sentimentality as one of the worst things he could do. This sounds similar.
For anyone interested, I have a new post on KANE at The Last Reveal (http://thelastreveal.blogspot.com/).
Scott, I first saw this clip earlier in this year and like the insights as well. In summer of '08 I happened to be in Woodstock, IL which Wells mentions as his best idea of home.
It is part of the thread I like to follow about writers being developed outside LA. Here's the post I did on Wells: http://screenwritingfromiowa.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/screenwriting-quote-of-the-day-38-orson-welles/
An odd connection is that is the Woodstock, IL where they filmed "Groundhog Day."
@screenwritingfromiowa: I read your post. Good stuff. I'll post today to bring to GITS readers' attention.