...Understanding Movies Citizen Kane By the time Citizen Kane came out in 1941, many technological advances had been made in terms of filmmaking. Different photographic techniques became important as they were chosen and implemented for specific reasons and at specific times of the film. Citizen Kane is considered by many critics to be one of the best films of all time mainly because it was so innovative at the time. The film is often praised for its cinematography, sound, and narrative structure. I personally did not love the film because I found it to be a bit boring at times. It felt more like a biography of Kane’s life and not much more. I kept waiting for “it” to happen but no monumental or memorable event really ever occurred. The film begins with Charles Foster Kane on his deathbed as he whispers his last word “rosebud”, before dropping his globe and it shattering everywhere. The rest of the film is essentially a chase by a reporter named Jerry Thompson as he tries to find out what Kane meant by “rosebud”. Through a series of interviews that Thompson conducts, we get an in-depth look at Thompson’s life through flashbacks in the perspective of many people who knew him and were close to him. The setup of the movie was something I did enjoy. The film began at the end of Kane’s life and then progresses through flashbacks. I always find it interesting when movies are set up that way because traditionally a film has a conclusion at the end of a film while Citizen Kane showed us Kane’s...
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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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...industry with his production of Citizen Kane. With the help of cinematographer Gregg Toland, and music by Bernard Herrmann, the movie received recognition for it’s narrative structure, sound and cinematography. The story is centered around Charles Foster Kane and his mysterious last words, “Rosebud.” As the audience, we are put in the position to piece together the puzzle from the various stories we are told by different points of views. The narrative structure isn’t in chronological order, but told in a series of flashbacks from 5 confidants of Kane. The passage of time is easy to follow because of the structure and sound of the film. Because the film only shows the opinions of others, we get to see a whole range of different perspectives. The “News on the March” sequence used a range of different voices and newspaper headlines to create buzz and show...
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...Timeless Icon was a research paper about Clint Eastwood being timeless icon or Spurious Miscreant. In the beginning the author explains what movies he plaid that made him the best there was. Towards the middle of the paper is explains why he could be spurious miscreant. This is a well written research paper because of its well formatted and organized paragraphs. This paper also shows a great amount of organization within the paragraphs, proper APA citations and references, strong content, and good grammar and spelling. The paragraphs are on track with what they need to be and are very thorough. I would give this research paper for an A- because it’s a well written paper, it just needs some tweaks. It’s not a profession paper, it’s more of a “laid back” and persuasive paper. A well-organized paper should have a paragraph with one main point, not multiple. Each of these paragraphs explain one point. The introduction paragraph explained what the paragraph was going to be about, which in this case how timeless icons can change history. When the author wanted to use a long quote in the paper he did formatted to the proper way. The author changed the topic of the when he switched to talking about spurious miscreant, which he did the proper way and stayed on topic with the negatives towards him. The proper APA citations is making sure you give credit at the end of the sentence. Such as, “Merriam-Webster defines an icon as 1) A widely known symbol and 2) A person who is very successful...
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