Citizen Kane is a movie that has received critical acclaim from many different areas of the film industry. It has been the recipient of several awards, including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1941, a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film in 1941, and was added to the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board in 1989. It also received several Oscar nominations for several elements in the film, from best cinematography to best picture, and watching the film, it’s very easy to see why Citizen Kane earned the accolades that it has.
Citizen Kane centers around the story of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), a man who, quoting a character from the film, “got everything he wanted and then lost it…” He passes away in his mansion and utters “Rosebud” as his final words. As reporters get word of his passing and learn of his final minutes of life, Jerry Thompson (William Alland) is sent by his news agency to find out the story of Rosebud. This leads us on a journey through the life of Kane by the reporter visiting the people in Kane’s life and through flashbacks we see the events that made him the man that he was. We see the sadness of a boy Kane being sent away from his family to live with Walter Thatcher (George Coulouris). We see the exuberance of a young adult Kane when he buys the New York Inquirer and starts the business with his best friend, Jedidiah Leland (Joseph Cotton). We see the determination of an adult Kane when he marries the president’s niece and begins his run for Governor of New York. From here, the film takes a dark turn when several relationships between Kane and other pivotal characters begin to fall apart, leading to his death.
The movie overall is very pleasing. A superior point of the movie was the screenwriting, done by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. The onscreen chemistry between Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles proves effective in telling the story. The emotional work of Orson Welles also does a very good job in getting across the sadness that he feels for not having the love that he deserves. Overall, Citizen Kane is a very nicely done movie and has earned the accolades that it has been awarded.
Musings of a Film Student 
You did a good job summarizing the film.