“The innovation and diffusion phases of transformation took place between 1926 and 1930. Seemingly overnight the silent film era ended; by 1930 Hollywood switched completely to talkies. In 1925 silent filmmaking was the standard; a mere five years later Hollywood produced only films with sound….Within nine months, formerly perplexing technical problems were resolved, marketing and distribution strategies were reworked, soundproof studios were constructed, and 15,000 theaters were wired for sound.” (Gomery and Pafort-Overduin) “Citizen Kane” (1941), is an American mystery drama film produced, directed, stared, and co-screenwriten by Orson Wells’ in his first feature length film. Co-stars of the film included: Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, George Coulouris, Agnes Moorehead, Paul Stewart, Ruth Warrick, Erskine Sanford, and William Alland. Welles examines the life of the fictional character, Charles Foster Kane whom Welles was inspired by his disdain for William Randolph Hearst. Narrated principally through flashbacks, the research of a newsreel reporter is charged with solving the mystery of Kane’s last dying word: “Rosebud.” (Welles) …show more content…
October 30, 1938, Welles secured his fame as a dramatist with his radio broadcast “The War of the Worlds” written by HG Wells in 1898. ( A&E Television Networks Staff) As a result of his unorthodox style, Hollywood, specifically RKO Pictures, courted Welles when he pitched to them his idea for Citizen Kane. Welles was given carte blanche on the movie, another first in Hollywood for an untried director. Welles was given the freedom to develop his own story, use cast and crew of his choosing, and to have final cut privilege. The result was nothing less than magic on the screen with many first in innovations for the movie
Citizen Kane begins the movie with an interesting opening of a man dying while saying his last words. This began the mystery of who was this man and what did he mean by his last words “rosebud”. In the next scene it jumps to a news article
Citizen Kane directed and co-written by Orson Welles, who also starred as the main character Charles Foster Kane, is considered the top movie of the top 100 movies. Citizen Kane starts with a newsreel that tells the life of Charles Foster Kane, who had just recently died. A newspaper team sets out to tell the real story of Charles Foster Kane and learn the truth behind Kane’s last words, “Rosebud” (Gottlieb, 1992). The reporter asked several prominent people in Kane’s life to give their story about the man and any information they would have about his last words. Although, no one knew why his last words were “Rosebud” and what “Rosebud” even was. The audience travels through Kane’s life seen through the eyes of other people, giving us details
Citizen Kane is filled with symbolic imagery. In most of the movie you can pick out scenery, character actions, lighting, camera movement, and the composition within the frame of key shots that help tell the story without the character orally telling the full story. However, because of its new and experimental use of mise-en-scene, the movie did not do well in the box office. In time Orson Welles movie would become one of the best movies of all time and would even come to change filmmaking in
Orson Welles’ 1941 classic film Citizen Kane tells the story of Charles Forster Kane. The turning point of the film is when Jim Gettys attempts to blackmail Kane. The scene demonstrates Kane’s fall from grace through pride. His reactions to the other characters in this scene (Mrs. Kane, Susan Alexander, and Mr. Gettys), the angles that are shown in his perspective, and the lighting of the scene helps to demonstrate this point. It is after the blackmail scene that, in desperation, Kane tries to regain his credibly with the public and
At the end the film we are visually told a strong message that a man isn’t necessarily the sum of his achievements, possessions, or actions, but that something deeper must drive him. Kane was more than his public accomplishments is the last word Kane uttered: “Rosebud.” Kane’s life story unfolds in layers through the reporter Thompson's investigation and is told by a succession of people who were close to him. Kane never gets to tell his own life story, and we must wonder how much his telling of it would differ from the reminiscences of his associates. None of these people ever really knew what drove Kane to do the things he did. Only Thatcher would have had the chance to fully understand Kane, but he was too concerned with making money to have any compassion for a lonely child. He viewed Kane through a distant, mature lens of acquisition and conservatism. The differing perspectives on Kane’s life, especially in the absence of Kane’s own point of view, force us to question what was truly important in the life of Charles Foster Kane as well as to ponder what constitutes a life in general. Judging by Kane's last word, the most important pieces of his life were not the things that made him newsworthy, such as his newspaper successes and political ambitions, nor his friendships and associations. Instead, as Kane's life comes to an end, he grasps at a memory from his
Many have called Citizen Kane the greatest cinematic achievement of all time. It is indeed a true masterpiece of acting, screen writing, and directing. Orson Welles, its young genius director, lead actor, and a co-writer, used the best talents and techniques of the day (Bordwell 103) to tell the story of a newspaper giant, Charles Kane, through the eyes of the people who loved and hated him. However, when it came out, it was scorned by Hollywood and viewed only in the private theaters of RKO, the producer.
Orson Welles’ cinematic classic, Citizen Kane, is a film that centers on a group of reporter’s investigation into the meaning of Charles Foster Kane’s last word, “Rosebud.” Through their investigation of his last words, the team of reporters, is presented with an almost, but not quite, complete picture of “Citizen” Kane’s life. By assuming that the man’s last word was as grandiose as his life, the reporters miss out on the bigger, more holistic picture, which is Charles Foster Kane’s life. The reporters’ emphasis of attention on what turns out to be a small and trivial, although they never find that out, aspect of Kane’s life, make Citizen Kane a perfect example of the pitfalls of over-interpretation.
When discussing the greatest films of all time, Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, usually comes up. It’s influence in American cinema can still be felt today, but at the time the film was not released without controversy. The main character in the movie, Charles Foster Kane, is undeniably based of the real life figure of William Randolph Hearst, a famous American newspaper publisher. Hearst was very aware of this fact and tried to hinder the success of Welles’ picture by denying it any sort of press in his newspapers. Despite the smear campaign Kane’s influence lives on through Welles’ revolutionary filmic techniques and its presence in pop culture.
Charles Kane, a newspaper mogul, died at his home in Xanadu. His last dying words were ‘Rosebud’ which no one had any idea what they meant. A newspaper reporter is given the task to investigate what the word meant. He had to interview many people including Kane’s friends like Jedediah Leland and his concubine Susan Alexander who only shed some light on the mystery of Kane’s life but no information about the Rosebud word. Citizen Kane is the movie that has received lot applause for centuries despite flopping at the box office in 1941. The narrative structure line non-linear form, the mise-en-scene composition, and the cinematography put the film in high regard.
Nineteen minutes into Orson Welles’s masterpiece Citizen Kane, the audience sees titular character Charles Foster Kane as a boy playing with his sled in the snow. This scene acts as the beginning of the story, while the film’s plot begins with Kane’s death and last words, “Rosebud.” The film follows with flashbacks and journalistic investigations to solve the meaning of “Rosebud,” until one of the last shots of the film reveals the word painted across Kane’s childhood sled as it burns in a furnace. Thompson, a reporter searching for the meaning of Kane’s last words, interviews Kane’s best friend, old business manager, and ex-wife in hopes that their insider knowledge will reveal the true meaning of “Rosebud” and “solve the puzzle.” Thompson’s
In 1927 new technology emerged in sound, people started going back to the theatres to watch films,
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.
In the time period 'Citizen Kane' was released, film making was rather predictable – typically making use of the same camera angles, set types, and lighting. This film introduced methods of cinematography, and revolutionary avant-garde storytelling to Hollywood.Welles' both directed, and starred in the film - having utter control of even the most minuscule details he put his full attention to every aspect of the film - including lighting, and music. This, in itself, was unusual being that studios, and their managers, basically micro organized every detail. Prior to the 'Citizen Kane' release - not just the way studios handled the film making process changed - films at the time were typically put in chronological order: start to finish. This film revolutionized that, starting from Kane's death, and telling the story of his life; we watch him pass, visit his childhood, and eventually adulthood. What was even more fascinating for that time period, was that we heard about his life from five people, and five biased perspectives; he made use of both non-linear, and composite storytelling. The manner in which he portrayed Kane showed all his flaws, and didn’t show a heroic representation of the character that was so typically done in
Citizen Kane is a movie that can be rewritten and implemented into any film created today. In many ways, the storyline tells us more about ourselves than anything else and it relates to each one of us who has ever wished for a better life. From his flamboyant adventures to the blah blah to his political agenda in his later years. Every film that came after Citizen Kane owes a great deal to Orson Welles because of the way he used special effects, music, and shadows and lighting, which without a doubt makes it one of the finest movies ever made. Some even call it the Mona Lisa of its time because Orson Welles was the first to implement all of these techniques, which revolutionize cinema forever.
The absolutely stunning film, Citizen Kane (1941), is one of the world’s most famous and highly renowned films. The film contains many remarkable scenes and cinematic techniques as well as innovations. Within this well-known film, Orson Welles (director) portrays many stylistic features and fundamentals of cinematography. The scene of Charles Foster Kane and his wife, Susan, at Xanadu shows the dominance that Kane bears over people in general as well as Susan specifically. Throughout the film, Orson Welles continues to convey the message of Susan’s inferiority to Mr. Kane. Also, Welles furthers the image of how demanding Kane is of Susan and many others. Mr. Welles conveys the message that Kane has suffered a hard life, and will