Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) is considered one of the greatest films of all time. Through his unconventional use of film composition and mise-en-scene, Welles’ clever manipulation of the camera and the scene before it effectively captured audiences in a manner that was unprecedented in American cinema storytelling. A significant filmic element of the assigned sequence of Citizen Kane would be its consistent use of deep focus. Shallow focus is used to emphasize one part of an image over another, and Citizen Kane fails to do so the entire time. This is what makes the film one-of-a-kind. If one were not to watch the movie in its entirety prior to viewing this particular sequence, the viewer would quickly start to wonder where they are …show more content…
Quick one-second cuts between shots #26 through 28 definitely amped up the pace that we’re used to seeing with typical Hollywood cinema. It certainly sets the tone for the rest of the sequence. Another good shot would be #32 in which the band members are playing their trumpets for about one second. The shot alone would leave one confused, however the next would show Kane’s guests drunkenly pretending to play trumpets with their hands, also adding to the celebratory feel of the sequence.
Citizen Kane would not have been what it was without its mise-en-scene. For example, the film’s lighting techniques were used to give shots or characters a particular meaning. Despite the fact that the sequence was always in deep focus, the lighting would frankly tell you what to focus on. Welles became aware that lighting, along with shadows could affect people and their emotions, thus constructing another avenue for creative and effective
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In particular, shot #8 in the sequence has the banquet table and guests in full view, along with two human head-shaped figures; perhaps ice. It appears to have been strategically placed at the bottom of the frame in order to set up for the next shot, which was entirely the case. Shot #9 includes Jed and Jerry sitting right in front of ice sculptures of themselves with their respective names attached to them. A lot of information is conveyed just by the placement of these figures and of the characters in front of them. Knowing that Kane has an obsession with statues, it would then make sense for the next important characters of the film to have their own made out of ice. Even the placement of Kane standing at one end of the table, with Jed and Jerry being at the other signified the power structure that resonated throughout the
The fictional novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The story is told through the perspective of Scout Finch, who learns the importance of empathy throughout the story. She watches her father, Atticus, defend a black man who is accused of rape. The story revolves around the impact of prejudice. The author, Harper Lee, uses character development, foil characters, and symbolism to prove the theme of knowledge and maturity are accompanied by the loss of innocence and, sometimes, one’s ideals.
Citizen Kane is a film open to many interpretations and analyses. It tells the story of its main character through the complex points of view of those who knew him. Or thought they knew him. The character of Charles Foster Kane is played by, and done so in an enigmatic performance, by Orson Welles. The intrinsic bias and prejudice of the “narrators” in this film creates conflicting accounts of who Charles Foster Kane really was. Kane was a private man; closely guarding his true identity, making it difficult to differentiate the private Kane from his public identity. Throughout the film’s development of Kane, several inconsistencies and contradictions arise in the depiction of the character’s personality. All of these issues make it
The film Citizen Kane uses stylistic cinematography techniques that help stress both material presence and textual representation. One of the main techniques used throughout the film is deep focus which usually makes everything that’s in the frame of the shot relevant. This deep focus contributes toward the viewing of the film as presence and also representation. For example, one could think of the “ broad and self-conscious use of deep focus…as an attempt to present images that are purely and fully presence, presenting themselves to the view in their fullness without any added meaning or interpretation.” (commentary) or the deep focus can be looked at as an interpretative point of view.
Citizen Kane uses mise-en-scene is multiple scenes to help tell the narrative. A perfect example is when the parents
The aspect of the Citizen Kane’s mise-en-scene that stood out to me the most were the sets. The first scene showing the once amazing and repugnant Xanadu now in disrepair helps to portray the psychological disrepair Kane experiences over the film. The giant oversized office of Mr. Thatcher portrays the cold decrepit old men who are in it. The huge interiors of Xanadu show the isolationism of his relationship towards Susan and his own loneliness in the world. Each of the sets in the film help to show the progression of the character. The sets along with the other aspects of mise-en-scene create the effect of reality by its change. The mise-en-scene of the film is a reflection of the character progression throughout the movie. The scene where
Instead of a straightforward timeline, Welles implemented flashback sequences explaining his life through implementation of flashback sequences. This innovative narrative structure allowed the film to present five differing perspectives of Kane’s life. Most interesting, we never observe life through the eyes of Kane himself (other than childhood), leaving audience members to decide what type of person he was. By not defining Foster’s goals, audience members were even further challenged to distinguish his true colors. This creativity goes even further when trying to explain the movie’s genre.
Citizen Kane by Orson Welles uses the two predominant elements of flashbacks and high key to convey to the watcher the troubled past of Mr.Kane and the characters that surround him. Flashbacks and high key are used throughout the movie. An example of these two different terms was demonstrated when Mr.Kane being oblivious to the situation of his marital problems. Overall, the use of flashbacks and high key photography helps to show the struggles of Mr.Kane and his associates; without them the movie becomes dry and
The movie begins with deep shadow shots of the overgrown and dilapidated grounds of Kane's castle
Due to a lack of voice in his youth, it is no surprise that Kane has no qualms over the acquisition of The New York Inquirer, where everyone would have no choice but to listen to him. Welles' use of the film technique, deep focus, provides the audience with significant details that contribute to Citizen Kane's status as an iconic
Kane is almost always shown in the most prominent position in the frame never in a place with less power but the one place where the audience will pay attention to him first, the Mise-en-scene. One of the first time we see him in frame with a reflection was when he was staring the picture of the chronicle staff. He stares at it with almost a smug look his face showing off the desire for the staff that could turn his small newspaper into something that would help him reach the masses and make people listen to him, to increase his circulation. The group is also framed on the left side of the screen a position of dominance in film, also the first direction the eyes are typically drawn to when something changes on screen. Mr. Kane is shown in this reflection at the front of his group smoking his cigar and his two friends still behind him, so this helps emphasis that at this point in his life he still has people backing him, still willing to support him no matter what he did. Another, example of how the set is designed to show his current state of mind is when he was having breakfast with his first wife they start very close while complementing each other Kane is still close enough to hear his wife to directly interact with her and take on the request of hers staying in bed longer by pushing off his appointments till noon. However, after a
The best example of this is when those being interviewed are singled out, showing their faces in deep concentration and their profile in relative darkness. As a side thought, this film wouldn’t have the same impact in color, as the tones and focuses would be lost. The drawings, harsh lighting, and angular shooting gives the film almost a surreal sense of being and progression. The viewer is kept off balance from a sense of film progression with the employed use of flashbacks and an immediate progression back into the
Critics have called the 1941 film Citizen Kane one of the best movies of all time, and director Orson Welles’s direction is largely to thank for the work’s accolades. Citizen Kane is famous for its use of long shots, deep staging, deep focus, and, as will be considered in this paper, its lighting practices. Welles strategically lights his characters in order to develop them throughout the film; this paper will focus on three shots that show Jerry Thompson (William Alland) develop from functioning as a narrative device to directly invoking the work’s thematic meaning.
“Citizen Kane,” a masterpiece film of Orson Welles' creation, utilized a number of film making techniques that in 1941 were nothing short of revolutionary. His use of unorthodox narrative styles and film making techniques convey nearly as much to the viewer as the narrative itself. Traditionally, films were shot in an easy to follow, chronological format. Films began at point A, proceeded to point B, and ended at point C. “Citizen Kane” turned the chronological narrative on its head.
Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane is a revolutionary film. Although it might not look like much to the modern viewer, many aspects of the film were the first of their kind to appear and are still used today.
She yearned to see friends and leave Xanadu. Orson Welles was a mastermind in creating scenes using light. Inevitably this caused the viewer to think thoroughly about what they viewed.