CITIZEN KANE MINUTE #3 - A Very Simple Thing
The greatest film of all time, five minutes at a time.
- Minutes 10:00-15:00
- Special Guest: Podcaster Rick Heinichen
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One quick item about the opening newsreel narration: 1940s moviegoers would have been very familiar with the format and style of speaking. When I was a kid we had a VHS set of old newsreels and they all have that stentorian bombast quality. The actual “March of Time” announcer was Cornelius Westbrook Van Voorhis (1903 – 1968). He was a radio announcer in the 1920s & 1930s (CBS & NBC) so odds are Welles actually knew him. There’s an interesting article on that elevated style of speech:
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/06/that-weirdo-announcer-voice-accent-where-it-came-from-and-why-it-went-away/395141/
I do love ‘the simple thing’ foreshadow. Welles was really playing with the audience, spelling out the whole plot in the newsreel and then saying that Rosebud won’t necessarily be a huge thing. Amazing.
I always feel badly for Susan Alexander Kane. I just feel pity for her. And Welles sets that up perfectly with this dingy club and her boozy persona. It is just cringe-y.
Never thought the film room was Kane’s mind. But it is a wild idea, suitable for a Twilight Zone.
Great episode. Loving this show.
Thanks Anj! Yes, I love Rick’s theory while also not buying it. But every time I learn that Joseph Cotten and other CK cast members were also playing reporters in the screening room, I inch a little closer to believing in it.
Still halfway through, but I had a question: Are CK fans Kane-iacs or Rosebuds?
Both great.
Citizen Fans?
Kanadians?
Works well if you say it with emphasis on the second word, as with Citizen Kane.
Citizen Fan works well, I mean. Regarding Kanadians — not only do is it open you up to accusations of bias, but it’s a potential source of confusion. See, unlike comics, podcasts are an auditory medium. (I heard the difference explained a few times on OHOTMU or Not.)
Almost forgot: Thanks for the approval!
I’m glad you called out Citizen Kane for ripping off The Rutles.