Slate Money: Movies: Citizen Kane
Podcast: Slate Money
Date: July 27, 2021
Host: Felix Salmon (A), with Emily Peck (B)
Guest: Ben Smith (C), New York Times media columnist, former Buzzfeed editor-in-chief
Episode Overview
This episode of Slate Money’s “Goes to the Movies” series delves into Citizen Kane—often cited as “the greatest movie ever made.” Host Felix Salmon, co-host Emily Peck, and guest Ben Smith explore Citizen Kane as a cinematic milestone, a critique of media moguls, a mirror for media power in America, and a psychological study of its protagonist. The discussion traverses the real-life inspirations behind Charles Foster Kane, its resonance with modern media figures like Trump and Murdoch, Hollywood’s anti-materialist trope, as well as the film’s influence and continuing relevance (or lack thereof) for new audiences.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Personal Histories with Citizen Kane
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[01:59] Ben shares that he was exposed to classic films in childhood thanks to his mother, but admits Kane went “straight over” his head as a kid, recalling mainly some memorable scenes and memes.
“My mom used to make me watch black and white movies when I was a kid … I can't actually remember if I saw it [Kane] there or just on the VCR.” – Ben Smith
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[02:39] Emily tried to get her 12-year-old son to watch it: “He sat on the couch for about 20 minutes and then he just shook his head, rolled his eyes, and left and went to play Minecraft. … I didn't disagree.”
2. Citizen Kane’s Real-Life Parallels: Hearst, Politics, and Power
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[03:44] The film is a thinly veiled portrait of William Randolph Hearst, legendary newspaper baron.
“It's almost hard … to remember how powerful a newspaper baron was. … It's somebody who builds this enormous … business on news, but then also … uses it as a political cudgel.” – Ben Smith [04:14]
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[05:20] Iconic lines like “You provide the prose poems, I'll provide the war” are attributed to Hearst; the film cements these into the public imagination.
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[06:03] Kane’s abuse of media for personal/political gain mirrors modern figures:
“… the person who springs to mind is not Murdoch quite so much as … Berlusconi.” – Felix [06:05]
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[06:33] Kane’s political ambitions map onto real-life historical trends: Hearst’s early progressivism and eventual shift toward reactionary politics.
3. The Archetype of the “Fallen Mogul”
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[09:57] Emily notes the movie’s emotional core is not Kane’s financial collapse, but his inner emptiness and failed pursuit of love and approval.
“It was more like the fall came from something inside of him … the pursuit of stuff and riches is an empty one.” – Emily
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[10:29] Hollywood’s recurring lesson: money doesn’t buy happiness.
“Hollywood loves nothing more than to make movies about how money can't buy happiness.” – Felix
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[11:38] The panel ponders if Kane ever truly cared about wealth—it’s not the money, but the adoration he seeks.
4. Kane, Trump, and the Pathology of Power
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[12:24] Trump cites Kane as his favorite movie. Discussion turns to psychoanalysis:
“I mean, Emily, as Emily said, like, it's pretty straightforward. ... Does Kane’s need to be loved read through to Trump as well? … Yes, 100%.” – Ben [12:57]
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[13:29] The “Susan Alexander” subplot is dissected: how powerful men impose their will, often disastrously, on others—a parallel to Hearst’s manipulation of Marion Davies in real life, and reminiscent of Trump’s patterns.
“He’s always trying to impose his will on the world.” – Ben [12:57]
“In real life, the Susan Alexander character was far more talented … Orson Welles wound up apologizing for it.” – Emily [13:29]
5. Modern Media Moguls: Murdoch, Kushner, Bezos
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[16:11] The discussion moves to modern equivalents: Murdoch, Sheldon Adelson, Jeff Bezos, and examples of real interference by newspaper owners.
“When you own a newspaper, it turns out you want to impose your will on it.” – Ben [16:23]
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[24:38] Bezos used his ownership of the Washington Post to his advantage during personal scandals:
“He had gotten all this … goodwill … and just immediately cashes it all in to cover up a … meaningless personal foible.” – Ben
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[26:27] The “Citizen Kane” media critique feels surprisingly current:
“The story of the man who didn't get loved enough as a child and craves love … is timeless. But the portrayal of the media in this movie is kind of timeless too.” – Emily [26:03]
6. The Evolution and Consistency of Sensationalist Media
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[20:38] The panellists discuss the business of selling newspapers with tabloid fare versus sober reporting—a dilemma still seen in today’s media economy.
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[22:15] Iconic lines like, "If the headline is big enough, it makes the news big enough," resonate in the digital age:
“This is the way Internet sees the news.” – Emily
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[22:44] Discussion on American (and perhaps universal) tendency to center stories on rich, unsympathetic men yet render them empathetic.
7. Legacy, Influence, and Changing Audience Reactions
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[29:47] The team agrees Citizen Kane can feel slow and ponderous to modern audiences, especially compared to contemporary action-oriented cinema.
“Cane to a modern sensibility is a little bit, did you whisper boring, Emily?” – Felix
“I mean, it's a little bit.” – Emily -
[30:10] The movie’s revolutionary visuals and technical achievements are praised, but Emily admits: “It just doesn’t hold up to my standards in 2021 of what is an entertaining film. Although it gives you a lot to think about, I'll say that.” [41:45]
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[31:47] Citizen Kane’s status as “the greatest” was bolstered later by French critics; at the time of its release, it was not an immediate critical darling.
8. Jewish Representation and the Bernstein Character
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[33:14] The portrayal of Bernstein is dissected: progressive for its time or an anti-Semitic caricature?
“I suspect it was taken at the time as a very sympathetic portrayal … obviously also relied on certain stereotypes.” – Ben
“I liked it. … I'm a Jewish person with a big nose approving of another person's big nose. And I'm glad that the movies have moved on.” – Emily [35:05]
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[35:54] Bernstein is identified as Kane’s “most appealing” character, particularly for his poignant “girl in the white dress” speech.
9. MacGuffins, Themes, and the Search for Rosebud
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[37:17] The panel debates if “Rosebud” is just a narrative MacGuffin or central to the theme:
“I think it's deep to the meaning of the film … [He] spends his life trying to get that adoration and love back. And that Rosebud kind of embodies all of that.” – Emily
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[38:15] The “trauma as origin story” device in Hollywood is traced from Kane to Disney to Marvel.
10. Final Verdicts and Legacy
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[40:29] Ben: “I was totally swept up in it and found it moving. … The media business is so simple … and so little has changed in it.”
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[41:45] Emily: “It just doesn't hold up to my standards in 2021 of what is an entertaining film. Although it gives you a lot to think about, I'll say that.”
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[42:55] Felix: Praises the film’s lasting influence but stops short of calling it a masterpiece for modern viewers: “Where we're at now in terms of the craft of movies is just far advanced from where we were in 1941.”
Notable Quotes & Moments
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On media power:
“When you own a newspaper, the temptation to meddle is just so irresistible. Because it is so much power.” – Ben [24:03]
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On “fake news” then and now:
“There's that hilarious scene … they rip up the one saying Kane wins and they run the one saying fraud at the polls. Fraud at polls. Which becomes extremely resonance.” – Felix [21:19]
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On the Internet media age:
“If the headline is big enough, it makes the news big enough.” – Kane in Citizen Kane quoted by Carter, [22:15]
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On being bored by greatness:
“Did you whisper boring, Emily?” – Felix [29:47]
“I mean, it's a little bit.” – Emily -
On representation:
“Bernstein … is probably the most appealing character in the movie.” – Ben [35:43]
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Final summation:
“All great cinema somehow flows [from Kane]. … But you stand on the shoulders of giants. … I'll put it up there in the sort of influential pantheon.” – Felix [42:55]
Important Timestamps
| Topic / Quote | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Ben’s childhood art house upbringing | 01:59 | | “You provide the prose poems, I'll provide the war” discussion | 05:05 | | Kane as proto-Trump/troubled figure | 12:24 | | Modern equivalents (Murdoch, Bezos, Adelson)| 16:01–25:32 | | “If the headline is big enough…” | 22:15 | | Bernstein character & Jewish representation | 33:14–35:54 | | Rosebud/the search for meaning | 37:17 | | Final verdicts | 40:29–42:55 |
Tone & Language
The tone is conversational, lightly irreverent, and intellectually curious—mixing personal anecdotes, media criticism, and cultural analysis, all with a brisk, contemporary feel. There’s frequent humor, occasional snark, but also thoughtful engagement.
Summary For Listeners
Slate Money’s deep dive into Citizen Kane interrogates its artistic legacy, exposes the enduring patterns of media power, and questions both its status as an all-time masterpiece and its entertainment value for modern viewers. The conversation links 1941’s media anxieties directly to the ownership struggles and moral complexities of today’s media giants, all while probing the film’s narrative devices and character studies. Both new and longtime viewers of Kane will find fresh perspective—and reassurance that stories of egotistical, unloved men striving for influence never quite go out of style.