Round and Square: Beginnings (7)

From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Beginnings (7)—Rosebud

Click here for an introduction to the Round and Square series "Beginnings."

Beginnings—Rosebud (Citizen Kane, 1945)

[a] A rosebud

This may be the most famous beginning in film history. I have never understood why the film is always ranked first ("beginning") in every poll of film critics. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent movie--inspiring and first with a bevy of wonderful innovations. But first? Of all time? All of the time?

[b] "Rosebud"

First, fifth, tenth, thirtieth (it couldn't be lower)—all of that is irrelevant here. There is no better (or more famous) movie beginning—ever. If you have never seen it, and you still think that "rosebud" refers to, well, a rosebud...then you really have to watch an American classic (the whole thing, once-a-week for fifty-two weeks). But that is another story for another time. Just watch the opening clip. I have included a few links below, for context.

The Beginning
The key (short) clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jipboWI9uiE&feature=related

The full sequence (with annoying advertising):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZOzk7T93wE&NR=1

Classic Scenes (Ignore the poster's distractions—they total twenty seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAHaRDlUrLw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAHaRDlUrLw&feature=related