- “Citizen Kane” is one of the most influential films ever made. Discuss this statement.
Answer: “Citizen Kane” qualifies as a modernist work. As a modernist work it rejected what previously dominated so far in american cinema. The film strays away from the standards of order, regularity, and invisibility in classical cinema. Citizen Kane doesn’t follow the path of traditional narration by many means. The movie itself is very complex. It’s difficult to pinpoint a particular genre that the film falls under. Citizen Kane could be categorized as a newspaper film, mystery, or even a fictional biopic. There are also several main characters, making the central character harder to distinguish. The film focuses on flashbacks from several characters points of view, consequently breaking the film into sections. Each of these flashbacks piece together a disjointed reflection of Kane himself. The on going mystery of ‘rosebud’ is the motivational piece throughout the film. This mystery never gets realized by any of the characters, and is only partially revealed to the audience. The last scene still leaves the audience questioning the significance of the rosebud sled. The audience experiences the workings of hollywood cinema that usually is kept under wraps. The abnormal narrative of Citizen Kane serves to engage the audience.
2) What had Orson Welles done in his first 23 years of life to warrant the Hollywood Film Industry offering complete creative control to a first time filmmaker?
Answer: In the beginning Orson Wells started in theatre, then eventually radio, giving way to his break in the world of cinema. Throughout the 1930’s, he directed and produced a multitude of productions for the Federal Theatre project. Afterwards Wells started the formation of the Mercury Theatre. Wells pieced together plays like Horse Eats Hat, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. His creation of the Mercury Theatre paved the way for an acting career on the radio. Wells was showcased in various broadcasts. One of the broadcasts included the H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. Orson Wells directing abilities were recognized, and consequently he was offered a contract by RKO Studio’s president. The president, George Schaefer, presented Wells with complete artistic control of two pictures. He had a passion for theatre that undoubtedly attributed to his early success in film. The first movie he made was Citizen Kane which featured many of the actors from the Mercury Theatre. From there eventually his career in theatre took off.
3).Pick an extended scene or sequence from “Citizen Kane” and discuss the storytelling technique by analyzing any combination of its component parts (direction, writing, performance, cinematography, production design, art direction, editing, sound, score, etc.).
Answer: One of the more interesting sequence of scenes is when Kane is talking to his second wife in the palace in Xanadu. The room is very large, along with the fire place. In every scene his wife is working on a puzzle and then he walks in. The camera zooms in on her, so she fills the frame when she speaks. Although when Kane is talking the camera is far away, so he looks small and far in the frame. This camera and framing technique not only makes the room look larger but it also represents their current marriage. Kane’s wife feels like he is very distant from her, physically and emotionally. The camera usage creates the illusion of space between the couple, and serves as a representation of their relationship.
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