Mulvey

One thing that I enjoyed reading about in both the Carringer chapters and Laura Mulvey's book, was the connecction between Kane and Hearst. Although the film is now considered to be one of the greates of all time, when it was released it did very poorly at the box office, mostly because of a smear campaign which was initiated by Hearst's confidantes and facilitated through his newspapers. Because of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, Hearst, a business tycoon who stood for capitalism, stood in contrast to the New Deal era of social welfare and public works programs. It would seem that this would make him a target for other filmmakers, however he had a lot of influence, as seen by the unsuccessful opening of the film, and exerted a lot of fear among the members of the Hollywood studio system.

Carringer also delves into Citizen Kane from a psychoanalytic approach, applying the Oedipus Complex to Kane. which stems from his removal from his parents at a young age so that he can go to live with Thatcher on the East Coast. Also, she discusses Kane's fetishism, which is shown through his collection of artifacts from around the world, as well as his collecting of Susan and treatment of her as an object. This fetishism is once again linked to Kane's mother and his removal from her.