My most memorable scene and the scene I believe is the most powerful is the final scene where Kane’s childhood sled gets burnt. This scene is shocking to the audience because it represents Kane’s childhood burning along with the sled and the way the text “Rosebud” appears on the sleigh as it’s being burnt adds more shock to the viewer. This is a good climax to the film because Charles Kane’s childhood is visited a number of times throughout the film and we know how much Kane values his childhood days and that he’s desperate to hold on to them and not lose them. We also feel that Kane is now vulnerable and helpless because he now has no control over his life since he’s dead which is a big contrast because throughout the whole film Charles Kane has a control freak personality and gets angry if things aren’t the way he like.

Another reason why this ending scene is so powerful is because Kane’s childhood sled is revealed after the long overhead pan shot of all of Kane’s priceless statues he has in his mansion where the word rosebud has been teased at the viewer throughout the film. The contrast of the countless expensive objects which don’t really mean anything to Kane and this reveal of the sled being burnt which he does care about dearly makes the viewer feel sorry for Kane after disliking him throughout the film because of his destructive personality. This leaves the viewer with mixed feelings towards Kane at the end of the film.