...Film History & Research Citizen Kane Film Essay Orson Welles' Citizen Kane Success the first time around is very uncommon. Orson Welles's first feature film richly realizes the full potential of excellent craftsmanship. Citizen Kane is almost indisputably the greatest achievement in the history of filming. In 1941, this film was considered by many as the best film ever made. This film is about the enormous conflict between two twentieth-century icons, publisher William Randolph Hearst and the prodigy of his time, Orson Welles. The rather overwhelming beginning of an opening sequence is still as electrifying as any in the history of movies. That tarnished sign on a forbidding black wire fence is the first thing we see in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. Citizen Kane is a movie about perception and projection. Indeed, with the complex theme the whole movie seems to be placed in a kind of psychological trauma for the viewers. Citizen Kane is a portrait of a public and private figure that remains tantalizingly unfinished. Excellent acting was revealed for the first time as these new roles played out. Orson Welles was a director ahead of his time and his portrayal of Kane shows his acting ability. This film is one of the first films to rely heavily on style and visuals; Citizen Kane uses camera, lighting, and set techniques to show Kane's rise and fall from power. The movie as a whole, though as artistically satisfying as a picture can get...
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...Philip Lee Joor Baruah Monday- 11:15-12:30 Film 20A 30 October 2014 Citizen Kane Sequence Analysis Essay Mise-en-scene, cinematography and editing are visual elements in film that create meaning in the shots/sequences of the film. Ultimately it is these factors that can establish narrative agents and their relations, drive the narrative and place the view in a certain point of view of the narrative. Orson Welle’s 1941 film, Citizen Kane, is considered significant for its technical innovations with its use of deep focus lenses, low angles, high contrast lighting, long takes and dissolves. In my essay I will be analyzing the sequence depicting Kane’s “Declaration of Principles.” I will show how the elements of mise-en-scene, the cinematography and editing choices help to visually depict Kane as a powerful subject, establish narrative conflict and create perspective within the sequence. Through sequence of Kane’s “Declaration of Principles” Kane is depicted as a powerful narrative agent through social blocking in the sequence’s mise-en- scene. Throughout the long third shot, Kane is placed centrally and stands the tallest compared to Leland and Bernstein. Through the cinematic use of deep focus lenses that manages to capture Leland, Kane and Bernstein positioned in the background, mid ground and foreground all in focus at the same time. This allows for Kane to dominate the mise-en-scene in spatial relations to his friends. His physical relations to his friends and the surrounding...
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...Citizen Kane has been referenced in so many different mediums in my life. I had never seen the film, but the scene where Kane is giving a political speech with his massive image towering in the background has been mimicked in countless TV shows, even cartoons. I knew Rosebud has a sleigh, but never knew anything about the plot. More importantly, I never knew what the big commotion was over this film. I went and rented the Criterion Collection edition of Citizen Kane from the local video store for 50 cents, and with it came a simple commentary from the clerk. “This laid down the basics for all films today.” After listening to Roger Ebert’s commentary, I know understand why this is considered a masterpiece, and why it still stands as one of, if not thee, greatest films of all time. The film is simply full of special effects. A casual viewer would almost think there are no special effects in it, compared to what we are used to in this era of film. The film was visually deceiving you almost the whole time. . The film actually did not have a massive budget, and instead of building massive sets, they had to improvise wherever they could. Matte drawings are continuously used throughout the film. They are used from the onset, simply depicting Xanadu as an ominous, decrepit castle in the distance. The editors took this device and used it in ways never seen before in film. They created the effect of a hall full of spectators watching a speech, using only few actors, a...
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...sound operates on both physical and psychological levels. For most films sound provides cues that help us form expectations about meaning. In some cases, sound actually shapes our analyses and interpretations. Sound calls attention not only to itself but also to silence, to the various roles that each plays in our world and in the world of a film. Bordwell, D. & Thompson, K. (1993) Film Art: an introduction, McGraw-Hill Inc. USA Herrmann, Bernard. Score for a film in Gottesman, R.(ed) Focus on Citizen Kane, Prentice-Hall Inc, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Used in finding definitions of sound. Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten. Warner Bros., 1941. DVD. Ebert, Roger. “Citizen Kane”. 24 May, 1998. Web. Date of access 25 May 2012. Ebert’s article focuses on what defined the landmark 1941 film as the innovational piece of artwork it was and continues to be. Ebert himself describes Welles as a prodigy of his profession and follows the fictional Kane through channeling the real-life Hearst here and there during certain parts of the film. A psychological turn takes place at the end of the article as Ebert weaves the publicly scrutinized tycoon into a secluded and deluded old man towards the end of his life and how an unfulfilled childhood turned him into the powerhungry figure he was. Christley, Jaime. “Orson Welles”. 24 January, 2003. Web. Date of access 3 November 2011 Christley details the career of Welles and dictates the slight changes the...
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...setting, lighting, costume and the movement and actions of figures appearing within the film. The iconic Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941), a biopic that traces the life of fictional newspaper magnate Charles Kane, uses the elements of mise-en-scene to reinforce ‘loss’ as a recurring theme throughout the film. As a faceless reporter goes about collecting personal recounts of Kane, the stories told suggest that throughout the majority of his life, Kane was “moving inevitably toward [an inner state of] bitterness, disappointment and loss” (2). The first flashback scene shown (set at Kane’s childhood home) begins Kane on this aforementioned negative emotional journey. Kane is shown in the background of the scene, while in the foreground, his parents and Mr. Thatcher discuss his future. Kane appears visually trapped within the frames of a window, echoing the way in which he is being ‘trapped’ into Mr. Thatcher’s guardianship. During this scene, a close up of Kane’s indignant expression fades out slowly to reveal the sleigh he happily played with moments before. Having unwillingly left his simplistic home for the riches and supposedly assured success Thatcher can offer him, the sleigh is all that remains, shown abandoned in the foreground, covered in snow. Snow in itself bears “connotations both of burying [the past] and freezing [this idealised memory in Kane’s mind]” (3). Kane is never again shown against a pure white background, suggesting that his childhood (and implicitly his innocence)...
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...Citizen Kane Citizen Kane, a movie that was nominated for nine academy awards and won the Academy award for best writing is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. In order to understand why Citizen Kane has been so beloved in the world of film because of how realistic it felt although being a work of fiction or as the French call it a film à clef (French for Film with a Key) one must pick apart the all the parts that make a movie successful from its actors, lighting, plot, etc. The movie Citizen Kane brings in the audience into the life of Charles Foster Kane who is the main focus of the story and gives information on his life via a parody of the old “March of the Times” newsreels that were commonly used in the 1930’s along with “public” version of Mr. Kane’s very complex private life such as his rise to power, politics and social life which focuses itself on being a exposition as it introduces the audience to Mr. Kane and the important events in his life although using a hint of “Pro Kane” editorials with a very pompous and upbeat narrator with the finishing touch being Thatcher’s testimony before the US Senate that has Thatcher denouncing Kane. At the end of this newsreel the audience is handed a mystery that is on the forefront of their minds which was Charles Kane’s last word before his death “Rosebud” which piques the interest of the audience and makes them curious as to what happens with the absence of a giant such as Mr. Kane and what was the one...
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...and Loss in Citizen Kane Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) is an American drama film that narrates the story of a newspaper magnate who gained worldly success in his life, but he lost connection with people around him during this process. With the help of a series of flashbacks, the film illustrates Kane’s personal life. The film starts with the scene where Kane is on his deathbed and says the word ‘Rosebud’ before dying. A newspaper reporter, Thompson gets intrigued by this word, which becomes the motivation for him to learn about the life of Charles Foster Kane and the significance of the word ‘ Rosebud’. The director, Orson Welles depicts the personal life of Kane beautifully in his work through various sequences of the film. Each scene in the film plays an important role in demonstrating the distance Kane is developing with people around him. The gradual withdrawal of Kane from public life is illustrated through two unsuccessful relationships between his two wives. The puzzle sequence in the film in which Susan and Kane have a brief argument over the boring life Susan is having at Kane’s palatial estate, Xanadu displays dramatically the growing distance between Kane and his second wife, Susan. The puzzle sequence in the movie starts by showing Xanadu’s isolated location on the top of the mountain. This sequence gives the palace a gloomy look by having a dark background and not so happy music. In the next scene, Susan is shown solving jig-saw puzzle before Kane enters the...
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...tuxedos and tailcoats that Gable wore made him the style-icon he became. Succeeding the title of the “King of Hollywood” from Fairbanks, he was known for always being well-dressed, be it on-screen or off. Gable will remain most remembered with his famous looks from the 1930's; double breasted suits, wide lapels, and wide shoulders, drape cut and trim waist despite the fact that he changed his style to some degree amid his more prepared years. One thing he didn't change was his mark mustache, which he pulled off well until the very end. 1940s Still in the midst of the World War II, much of the world’s public had shifted their focus when it started dissolving in towards the end of the decade. With films like The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Citizen Kane and Notorious, came great names like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart and many others. Heavily influenced by the war, the decade saw many restrictions on clothing from governments across the world hence promoting a modified form of the same fashion of the 30s, with little adjustments to comply with the rules. Major Players Cary Grant In his initial days he would regularly wear neckline sticks and sew ties, later he would wear 3-fold ties all the more frequently. As a result of his thin figure he could purchase garments off the rack, for example, trench coats from Aquascutum and country garments from Abercrombie and Fitch. The only thing Grant disliked wearing was hats. Many described him to have such a perfectly shaped...
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...In this essay I will explore the different ways in which Orson Welles used various sounds to create and manage the dramatic tension in the 60-minute drama. I will be exploring in detail the use of the orchestra, the medium used to present the broadcast to the viewers and lastly the use of sound and silence to maximize the effect. The time slot in which the broadcast took place was one of the main parts of the entire story. Welles scheduled the broadcast to take place during one of the most prime slots on radio when other popular shows we’re changing causing them to switch over. Welles started the broadcast with a piece from a live orchestra, which roughly lasted around 3:34. This was then interrupted with a news broadcast of explosions happening on the planet Mars that then went onto the orchestra once again. Welles carefully placed this “short” news flash a few minutes in, as any listeners that just tuned in would have heard this. It then went back into the music piece by (name of band) this would have not cause any suspicion to the listener’s but also to add to the authenticity of the whole act. Welles also used this, as a technique to slightly comfort the listener’s with a fine piece of music being played it would make them slightly vulnerable in that they are being relaxed in which they are hit with the interruption of the attack from Mars it would not have had the same effect on the audience if they hadn’t been preoccupied with something that does not require there attention...
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...Introduction “Rosebud”, has one cryptic word carried such weight since? Charles Foster Kane is a figure as enigmatic as he is influential, a multimillionaire media tycoon, a failed politician, but most of all, a man looking for something he lost. The role, based in large part on the newspaper don William Randolph Hearst, drew its share of attention before its release, when Hearst attempted to ban any reference to the film from appearing in his papers, and tried to shut down its production. Unfortunately for Hearst, his suppression was unsuccessful, and only cemented the connection between the film and himself. Today, Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane is widely regarded as one of the best films of all time, not only for its narrative, but for its...
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...Narrative structure in Citizen Kane The narrative structure of Citizen Kane is largely nonlinear, which was revolutionary at the time the film was released. The narrative defies Classical Hollywood Cinema, in that it is not told as a chronological story with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, the narrative begins with the end of the story – the death of the main character, Charles Foster Kane. The life story of Kane is then summarized in a newsreel, which actually gives away the whole movie. The entire plot is summarized in those few minutes, doing away with the suspense that would build up throughout a movie. Through this, the audience is asked to analyze and explore the character of Kane rather than being immersed in the plot and wondering...
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...Tatyana IR – 13016 Citizane Kane. The movie begins with that Charles Foster Kane, the media magnate, dies. He dies in him house. He dropped a glass sphere and said a word "rosebud" in low tones. Newspapers and magazines started writing about it. After we observe Kane's life style. Many people called him the communist and the fascist, they wrote, that he was involved in two wars and at the end of his life he was paralyzed. Also he constructed the castle, its name was Xanadu. He was married two times and Kane stood in governors, but didn't win. The journalist, his name was Thompson received a task "why Kane said before his death the mysterious word "rosebud""? So he began travel and met with different people who knowm anything about Charles Foster Kane. Susan Alexander, the second wife of Kane, refused to speak with Thompson. Then the journalist found the diary of the banker with name Walter Parks Tetcher. We found out that he was given to a Tetcher for an education in the childhood. Then we saw a beginning of the career of Kane in media business. Charles stared to work in style "yellow journalism". Charles Kane married on the niece of the U.S. President. In 21 years, Charles had to become one of the most reachest people in the world. He refused of all his money and he became journalist. He quickly created the empire, which influenced destiny of the nations. He didn't achieve success in policy. Kane wanted that everyone loved...
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...Garza Professor Owen Composition 1301.12 7 March 2014 TTRO#3 Topic: How have computers changed our cinema? Thesis: Over the years technology has majorly advanced in various aspects; one of these wonderful advances has been within the cinema industry. Source that I found for this topic: http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/9-mind-blowing-technologies-changing-the-film-industry%E2%80%99s-future--2 This article explains the growth of the movie industry and how clear it’s adapting, shifting towards two polar points; higher-quality and sensorial experiences in the theater. According to the article in late 2013 better and brighter IMAX movies, thanks to lasers and other features such as 3D, movie projections and audio enhancements. Source found for my second topic: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blog/gadgets-on-the-go/why-do-movies-look-so-fake-on-my-new-hdtv-20130710-2ppd2.html This article talks about the new look in cinema how “Everything looks a little too crisp and real, to the point where foreground objects can stand out as if they’re not really part of the scene”. The issue is known as “soap opera” effect, because it makes grand-looking Hollywood movies appear as if they were shot on video tape like a budget soap opera. Everything looks to crisp and real, to the point where foreground objects can stand out as if they’re not really part of the scene were added later using CGI trickery. Outline essay #3 Intro- theses: With advancing...
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...Assignment: Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation Assignment: Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation The” Citizen Kane” speech given by Charles Foster Kane in 1941 campaigning for Governor is full of bias. The bias starts from the very beginning of his speech by addressing his audience, attacking his opponent by using various fallacies of incorrect argument. First he begins with attacking “boss Jim W. Getty and his political machine” one example or another, where he is saying “There is only one man who can rid the politics of this State of the evil domination of Boss Jim Getty’s.” The tactics that are used here are for the reason of making himself to look better and stronger, in his point of views and political plan. This fallacy is called scapegoating, when you putting the blame for the problems on the opponent’s convictions and building confidence in the listeners. Kane in this example also uses Ad Hominen, which is where the candidate is verbally attacking his opponent rather than the argument. There is an example of gender and age bias: “The working man and the slum child know they can expect my best efforts in their interests.” Kane is indicating that men are the only ones working and that all the children are slum. Kane makes a statement about “the decent, ordinary citizens know that I’ll do everything in my power to protect the underprivileged, the underpaid, and the underfed.” In my opinion I believe, that this could be a begging the question...
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...1. The three basic types of music heard in original scores during the silent film era, were adaptations, newly composed music, and arrangements. Adaptations of classical works are usually used in action and dramatic scenes and involve borrowing of a substantial portion of an existing composition for use in a film score. In The Birth of a Nation an example of adaptations was when a composition by Mozart was used for a scene that showed Lincoln’s assassination as well as for the ending of the entire movie. These music was used to portray the tension and violence in these scenes. Adaptations are the most prominent in the film. This type of music is meant to be very recognizable as well as well as true to the original piece. Newly composed music is music that is created to reflect themes that are highly specific to the storyline of the film. This new music is original and is created for the film. D.W. Griffith uses this time of music to create themes that run throughout the story and attach to specific characters and their role in the film. Themes can be altered throughout the film to reflect a change in the story or the mood. Arrangements are a new form of a previously composed melody. In an arrangement the film composer borrows the just the melody from a classic and creates an almost entirely new sound. In The Birth of a Nation, arrangements of well-known melodies are used to stir up emotions. Southern songs such as “Maryland, My Maryland”, “Old Folks at Home”, and “Dixie” remind...
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