Xanadu (Citizen Kane)

Xanadu is the fictional estate of Charles Foster Kane, the title character of the film "Citizen Kane". The estate gets its name from the real ancient Mongolian city, Xanadu, known for its splendour.

Appearance in the film

Built on an immense "private mountain" located on the "deserts of the Gulf coast" in Florida, [In real life, Florida does not have such a coast. However, in a speech that includes "the biggest private zoo since Noah," one might assume "deserts" is meant figuratively.] Xanadu is described as being the world's largest private estate; "cost: no man can say" according to the newsreel at the beginning of the film. The newsreel also states that Kane specifically conceived the estate for Susan Alexander, his second wife. Ironically, however, Susan grew to hate Xanadu, calling it "forty-nine thousand acres [76 square miles, 200 km²] of nothing but scenery and statues." The newsreel's pompous description of Xanadu (a pastiche of the "Timese" style of March of Time films of the period), is as follows:

The estate also boasts a championship-quality golf course and a Venetian-style canal with gondolas. The extensive zoo and aquarium were stocked with a menagerie of animals, including monkeys, horses, giraffes, birds, octopuses, elephants and donkeys. The estate is enclosed by a metal partition that is entered through a gateway with a giant letter "K" written above it. Central to the estate is Xanadu proper, the castle-like mansion that served as Kane's home and repository for his enormous collection of antiquities and "objets d'art". Xanadu has at least a few dozen butlers and maidservants.

Hearst Castle in California is the obvious inspiration for Xanadu, due to the Hearst/Kane comparison that is central to the film.

Oheka Castle was used for some exterior shots of Xanadu seen in the opening newsreel. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/locations Filming locations for Citizen Kane (1941)] ] [ [http://www.tlgolf.com/features/longisland200205.html "TLGold.com: The Open Island"] ] However, most shots of Xanadu were surrealistic, highly stylized matte paintings. Xanadu makes great use of Gothic architecture and, except in the opening newsreel, it always appears in the film at night with fog surrounding it, giving it an "ominous" look. This is appropriate since Xanadu becomes something of a prison, rather than a castle, for Kane in the film. Considering the size of the building, very little of the interior was shown, presumably due to the film's limited budget and the fact that little of the interior was needed for the required scenes. However, from what is shown of it, the interior seems to be as gloomy and imposing as the exterior, again emphasizing its status as a prison. Xanadu's interior especially does not appear at all homely or cosy, symbolizing the emptiness of Kane's later life.

The estate is featured in the opening and closing shots of the film, and is where Kane dies, virtually alone. Though he is still fabulously wealthy at the time of his death, Xanadu, still unfinished according to the newsreel, has already fallen into visible disrepair, presumably from neglect and its impractical size. After his death, Xanadu is abandoned and its vast estates and holdings are catalogued and auctioned. Kane's personal effects, including a sled that reveals the meaning of "rosebud," are incinerated.

Cultural influence

Xanadu has been used in recent times to represent the foolish excess of lavish lifestyles such as Kane's. Various celebrities — for example Michael Jackson with his Neverland Ranch — have been compared to Kane, with their inability to spend wisely and gradual disconnect from the everyday world. Xanadu's symbolic meaning of a "prison" built for oneself resonates to this day. Bill Gates' house has been nicknamed "Xanadu 2.0" in reference to the fictional mansion of this article.

When similarly stylized Gothic buildings appear in film, Xanadu is often considered a source of inspiration and the similarity is often noted by critics. This includes Hogwarts in Roger Ebert's review of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".

Footnotes