Charles Foster Kane: A Scene Analysis Of The Film

The first scene in the film is the scene of Charles Foster Kane’s death. It begins by showing a sign that reads “No trespassing” which shows the isolation of Kane. The chain-link fence keeps unwanted people as well as possible friendships from approaching. The scene then continues with exterior shots of his mansion, Xanadu. Some of the various locations other than the massive castle itself sitting on a hill are an empty dock, an abandoned golf course, and a closed drawbridge. These deserted locations foreshadow a lack of visitors and the loss of friends. We see that only one light is on in the house and when shown inside there’s the hand of Kane holding a snow globe containing a small house. It cuts to his mouth which is partially covered by

a greying moustache, which shows age, and allows the viewers to assume he died of old age. He says his final word, “rosebud,” and his hand releases the snow globe. When he drops it, the globe rolls down the stars and then shatters on the floor, symbolizing the gradual downfall and ultimate destruction of his life. Then Kane’s maid walks in and sees him dead. In my opinion, this is the most powerful part in the scene, because it’s shown through the snow globe’s remains on the floor. The distortion of the image through the shattered glass mirrors how no one ever saw Kane for who he really is, but instead through a theoretical wall he had placed between himself and everyone else. The maid shows no emotion and walks over to cover his body with a sheet, and we see that Kane was wealthy enough to afford luxuries such as having a full-time maid but the lack of people there by his deathbed shows his disconnect with the world.