1. “Citizen Kane” is one of the most influential films
ever made. Discuss that statement
Throughout the years of cinema, one can definitely say
that “Citizen Kane” remains to be one of the most influential films ever made. This is not the case only because it was
directed by a prodigy of theater who had never directed anything prior this
film; “Citizen Kane” truly is a masterpiece.
When taking a look at the film, one can see a plethora of different
factors that makes “Citizen Kane” one of the greatest films.
One aspect to investigate is the photography used in the
film. The use of photography was so
unique for its time – showcasing a stylistic virtuosity – that it had brought
in a revolution. It completely challenged
the more classical model of shooting the scene in a transparent style that does
not call attention to itself; only to the actors and the story. The obvious style used throughout the movie
highly plays on lighting and contrasts in darks and lights, which greatly helps
set the atmosphere. One can see this in
the way that as the movie progresses through the life of Charles Foster Kane,
more and more darks and blacks make their way into the scene, creating an
ominous feel to his character.
Another way the use of photography supports the movie
greatly is how the placement of certain items in the shots can convey parts of
the story without the characters having to explain it to the audience. A primary example of this is the scene when
Susan attempts to commit suicide and locks Kane out of the room. The way that the main objects are layered in
the shot (the bottle of medication sitting at the nightstand in the foreground
at close-up range, Susan lying comatose on her bed in the middle of the frame
further away, and the sounds of Kane banging on the door that is located far in
the background) gives the audience a clear sense of what is going on even
without a single ounce of dialogue. One
can see that the drugs were being used by Susan because Kane’s insanity drove
her to do so.
Another aspect to examine when looking at why “Citizen
Kane” can be seen as one of the greatest movies is the marvelous use of
editing. The way that the timeline skips
around over days, months, and even years without a hint of hesitation proves to
be incredibly captivating. Throughout
the film, one can also see how Welles used different styles of editing. Some scenes were long, extended cuts, greatly
duplicating the feel of watching a stage performance. Other scenes were a string of different cuts,
creating a montage.
The greatest example of the superb editing job used in
“Citizen Kane” is the breakfast montage used to convey the slowly dissipating
relationship between Kane and his first wife, Emily. The montage starts off with a happy
atmosphere, complete with light tones, sappy dialogue, and whimsical background
music. In addition to that is the fact
that in the beginning of the scene, Kane and Emily also share a medium shot
together. However, as the scene
continues to jump through time, the audience can see how their sappy,
lovey-dovey romance starts to descend into the realms of bitterness and
regret. The sweet honeymoon-esque
dialogue begins to show annoyance, then resentment, and finally silence. The happy-go-lucky music also begins to get
darker in tone, with the introduction to some lower melodies and dissonant
chords. Also, by the end of the scene,
Kane and Emily have drifted so far apart from each other at the table that the
audience does not even realize how they are sitting at each ends of the
incredibly long table until the camera backs away.
Yet another aspect of “Citizen Kane” to look at in order
to support the fact that it can be declared as one of the greatest films of all
time is the story as well as the writing.
The way that the plot is made up of fragments in different parts of the
timeline with the use of various flashbacks proves to be extremely
powerful. Welles’s decision to not
present Kane’s life in a completely chronological pattern was definitely a wise
one, for the film could have risked being too long and unfocused. In fact, numerous critics have been left
completely amazed at the intricate structure of the movie. Another great decision used for the sake of
storytelling was the insertion of the motif, Rosebud. Rosebud acts as a plot gimmick intended to
hook the audience on a dramatic question throughout the entire film. Like the reporters, the viewers also hope
that the discovery of Rosebud’s identity will reveal some unmentioned aspect of
Kane’s ambiguous personality. This motif
keeps the audience focused and intrigued with the story until the very end.
When looking at all of these factors that make up the
masterpiece known as “Citizen Kane,” one can definitely agree that this film
deserves its spot as one of the best and most influential films ever created.
2. What had Orson Welles done in his first 23 years to
warrant the Hollywood Film Industry offering complete and creative control to a
first-time filmmaker?
By the age of 23, Orson Welles was definitely a force to
be reckoned with. From the time he
attended a progressive prep school, he was viewed as a “boy genius.” At this prep school, he managed to act and
direct over thirty plays. At the age of
16, Welles left school completely and traveled to Europe with the money left to
him from an inheritance. After bluffing
his way into the Gate Theatre in Dublin by claiming to be a famous Broadway
star, Welles continued to be successful.
During his stay at the Gate Theatre, he directed and acted in numerous
stage classics.
When Welles returned to the United States in 1933, he
managed to persuade his way into get an acting job that would spend time
touring with Katherine Cornell (who was one of the major stage stars of that
era). During this time, they mainly
performed works from Shakespeare and Shaw.
He eventually joined forces with John Houseman (an aspiring theatrical
producer, and later actor and director) in 1935.
By the time he was 22, Welles had established his own
theater company along with Houseman, called The Mercury Theater. Several of their productions were recognized
for their brilliance. Welles not only
starred and directed, but he also was in charge with designing the sets,
costumes, and lighting. He has been
described as “the most compelling Shakespeare of this generation.”
With all of his successes before the age of 23, it is
clear to see why Hollywood would have their eye on Orson Welles. He was definitely not just a prodigy with
directing and acting; he was a jack-of-all-trades with his clear ability to
successfully do practically everything else dealing with production.
However, even though the people at Hollywood was
incredibly attracted to idea of having such a prodigy work with them, they did
not manage to keep a great relationship with Welles. George Schaefer (president of RKO Radio
Pictures) even made an offer to Welles that could be considered the greatest
contract ever to a first-time director: complete artist control. However, throughout his new career as a
filmmaker, Welles was denied many liberties with his films, such as control
over the final edits. This was
definitely apparent during the filming of “Touch of Evil” (even though he was
working with Universal Studios at that time).
When the finished film was brought to them, they decided to reshoot and
add a bunch of scenes, claiming that the audience would not be able to
comprehend it otherwise. Welles was so
opposed to this that he composed a 58-page memo to show to Universal’s head of
production, Edward Muhl, describing what he believed needed to be done to make
the film work successfully. Sadly
enough, many of his suggestions went disregarded until many years later.
Later on in his life, Welles had even paralleled his role
in “Citizen Kane” in an interview by claiming that if he had not been
introduced to the life of filmmaking, he could have been successful. One can only wonder the levels of success
Welles could have achieved if he were able to work in different area of art
(like writing or stage theater).
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.).
The scene that will be discussed for this question will
be the one where an 8-year-old Charles is playing outside with his sled while
his mother discusses with Mr. Thatcher about Charles’ future.
Concerning cinematography and direction, this particular
scene was shot very masterfully. The set
creates a set of closed frames, which gives the sequence a sense of
self-containment and of being trapped.
Not only was closed framing used in this scene; a sense of nested frames
also helps portray this scene. If one
studies each character in the shot, they can see that everyone seems to be
isolated from the other in some way or form.
First there’s Mrs. Kane and Mr. Thatcher, who are separated from
everyone else with the use of the wall behind them. This gives a feel that they are in their own
space in order to look over contracts together.
Then there is Mr. Kane, who is standing alone behind them. The way that he stands so far away from his
wife and Mr. Thatcher in the shot truly helps convey the fact that he was
completely left out of this decision making.
Finally, there is the young Charles, who is excluded from the entire
conversation and is imprisoned inside the small frame of the window.
The high angle that the scene was shot gives the
atmosphere of fatality, since the audience gets the chance to view the
characters from above. One aspect of the
cinematography that truly makes this scene captivating is the way that it is a
deep-focus shot. It extends from a
medium range in the foreground to an extreme long-shot range in the
background. The sheer amount of depth
created with the extreme high key lighting truly helps give life to the
ornately-decorated set. The high key
lighting also helps to create a nice contrast between the blacks and the whites
in the composition of the shot. The
white of the snow surrounding Charles helps catch the audience’s eye and makes
him become the dominant focus of the scene.
This greatly supports the dramatic context of the scene since the subject
matter being talked about inside the house is about Charles.
The performances of the actors also successfully deliver
the mood of this scene. Mr. Kane’s
posture and expression clearly shows how confused and outraged at this decision
(that he was not even a part of) to basically get rid of his son forever. This is the case even if he does not realize
that his wife is mostly agreeing with this setup so that Charles would not have
to deal with a life of being abused by him.
Mrs. Kane expression definitely sets the tone of the
entire scene. The way that she seems to
be staring off into space as she goes over the contract with Mr. Thatcher
highly suggests that she does not want her son to go away as much as her
husband, but she knows that this sacrifice of hers is greatly needed for the
good of Charles. The scene appears to be
passing through her like a surreal dream as she tries to detach herself from
the feelings of sadness that she knows that she will feel after Charles leaves
her life for good.
Charles playing in the background with his sled certainly
portrays a plethora of aspects of his character. He runs around happily, yelling things such
as “The Union forever!” without a care in the world. This truly shows his innocence that remains
intact before he is forced to suffer through a decision that was made for
him. As one can see, this sense of
innocence has remained with Charles throughout the movie in the way that his
final word before his death was the name of his beloved sled. From the way that the sled remained important
and cherished to him after all of those years, one can discern how he might
have wished for the life that he had as a child.
Main Reference:
Giannetti, Louis D. "Synthesis: Citizen Kane." Understanding Movies. 12th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2011. Print.
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