American Cinema Final Exam

1. "Citizen Kane" is one of the most influential films ever made. Discuss this statement.


Nowadays, some movie buffs may view Citizen Kane and see just a film. A great film, but just a film nonetheless. To appreciate how Citizen Kane revolutionized the film industry, one has to be familiar with the films that preceded it.  Citizen Kane pioneered many filming techniques and styles we are now familiar with. It was the first film to utilize deep focus photography, a technique that uses a large depth of field, creating a grittier, realistic look. The film played with experimental camera work, such as the opening scene where the camera slowly closes in on Xanadu until we are with Kane in the estate. We see a huge number of low angle shots, which make the characters (Kane in particular) appear powerful and domineering. The film followed a unique, non-linear narrative; the story line was choppy and non-sequential in its order. The story was told from a couple points of view, as opposed to only one person’s POV. The film is also famous for linking montages with sound or dialogue. This creates a fluidity that wasn’t seen in films before 1941. These techniques established Citizen Kane as a film unlike any that had come before it, and a film that has changed the movie industry forever. 

2. What had Orson Welles done in his first 23 years to warrant the Hollywood Film Industry offering complete creative control to a first time film maker?

 Orson Welles established himself as a prodigy the moment he took to the stage. At the tender age of 19, he directed and starred in his first film “The Hearts of Age”. His first film combined with this Broadway performance of “Romeo and Juliet” and his roles in several radio shows, landed him a position in the Federal Theatre Project. He went on to direct a Haitian version of Macbeth (known as Voodoo Macbeth) which became a huge success and went on tour across the country. He eventually formed his own theatre company called The Mercury Theatre, which then formed a radio show. Welles adapted H.G. Wells novel, War of the Worlds, for radio. The performance was so realistic, that listeners tuning in actually thought Mars had invaded New Jersey. It caused a moderate amount of panic, and Orson Welles became a star almost overnight. Anxious to feed off of his new fame, RKO had Welles come to Hollywood to make two movies for $225,000 and allowed him complete creative reign over his films. One of the films made was “Citizen Kane,” when Welles was just 26-years-old.


3. Pick an extended scene or sequence from Citizen Kane and discuss the storytelling techniques by analyzing any combination of its component parts (direction, writing, performance, cinematography, production design, art direction, editing, sound, score, etc.)

One scene that really interested me was the image of El Rancho, Susan Alexander’s night club. The night Thompson goes to visit Kane’s widow, there’s a heavy thunderstorm. As a result, the lightning and thunder are used as a transition into the scene. Susan Alexander’s face on the front of the building is illuminated by lightening, reminiscent of the paparazzi’s camera flashes. The camera pans up from the image, revealing the “El Rancho” sign on the dilapidated roof of the building. The camera then moves through the sign, and looks down through the window pane at Susan Alexander drinking herself into a stupor. The camera then moves through the window, and suddenly we are in El Rancho watching the scene unfold. This high angle shows Susan Alexander’s vulnerability and her fall from stardom.


- Sam Hagar