Rosebud is a euphonism of a clitoris - Citizen Kane (1941) Discussion

[–] doug65oh 7 years ago

Okay, but first explain why the hell a "euphemism for a clitoris" belongs in the movie, huh?

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[–] kaneforgov 7 years ago

'Rosebud' was supposedly the 'pet name' that William Randolph Hearst had for his girlfriend Marion Davies' private parts. There is no direct reference to this in Citizen Kane, although the story goes that Well's (Herman Mankiewicz’s) use of the word in the film enraged WR Hearst and was one of the main reasons he blackballed the movie.

The stuff of legends...

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[–] Kawada_Kira (7280) 6 years ago

There are all kinds of silly stories, urban legends and the like. But even if that were true, what would it have to do with the movie? Why would it get any place at all in the movie? This movie, to me, seems too serious to be slipping in clitoris jokes, especially to the central plot of the story.

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[–] Kawada_Kira (7280) 6 years ago

That's just... silly. So, what, a guy's wife leaves him and he goes berserk and trashes her room, and then suddenly at the end of it he sees a snow globe, thinks "clitoris", and walks out? I don't know how anyone could watch this movie and think the mystery word is about a clitoris. This theory, if it can even be dignified by calling it such, doesn't fit at all with the story.

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[–] slimone (7996) 5 years ago

Absolutely right.

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[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

Not exactly. In the film, "Rosebud" meant the sled, the reminder of all the lost comforts of childhood.

Which could just as easily have been another word, the label on the sled could just as easily have been "Marmot" or "Speed Demon" or "Krankenhaustermaier Toys", but Welles chose to use a word that pissed off Hearst. I wonder how that came to happen?

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[–] slimone (7996) 4 years ago

You are right! Rosebud was the sled he was given as a child. It showed the name of Rosebud as it was burning in the fire.

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[–] slimone (7996) 6 years ago

******* SPOILER****** Rosebud was the name of the sled in the last scene. Didn't you see the name on the sled when they threw it into the incinerator?

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

This is the definition of Spoiler. Fortunately, it doesn't concern me in the slightest, but some people do get uptight about it, so I am teaching myself not to give away important plot points. Your's was a big giveaway, even though the movie was released in 1941.

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[–] slimone (7996) 5 years ago

Oooops! Sorry about that. I'll try to edit the post.

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

No problemo. Just had a convo somewhere here where someone said it wasn't someone's fault if they were born in 1981 and hadn't seen Gone With The Wind. (Of course, the discussion was a bit more nuanced, I'm just paraphrasing.) I know CK, you know CK, but somewhere there is some young film fan who wants to read up on Citizen Kane w/o hearing about Rosebud. Haha, good luck with that, that's on them. But I try to accommodate.

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[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

While I'm no fan of naughty (??), I got a kick out of this theory. I can see Rosebud being a euphemism. But it's pretty well-disguised.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I always thought Rosebud represented the simplicity and happiness of Kane's youth.

But I can't disprove this theory.

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[–] Druff (1484) 2 years ago

That's definitely (imo rather obviously) what Rosebud means in the context of the movie. The idea here is what Rosebud means in the context of Hearst's personal life in the real world.

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[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

No, it wasn't. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

😎

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[–] Redsfan001 (6026) 3 years ago

Sigmund Freud would make much of this revelation.

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