Citizen Kane Merriah Kahrs

Merriah Kahrs

Dr. Permenter  

June 21, 2012

Blog 2

Citizen Kane

                I didn’t even know that this movie existed until I was asked to watch it in this class. I feel that this film showed many techniques that we have learned about in the chapters we were asked to read. I don’t know why but for some reason the one thing that I always pick up is the lighting that occurs throughout films.  In this specific film I noticed that the lighting was key to revealing the true colors of each character. For example when Kane is signing the document his face is nice and lit up but as he leans down to actually sign it the lighting goes away and there is darkness about him. Another thing that I enjoyed and caught my eye was when Kane went into Leland’s office. When he first walked into the room no one noticed him due to the shadows that were there. They only noticed Kane when he actually stepped into the light I enjoyed this scene because it showed the effect a shadow can have.  

                The angles that were used in certain scenes made me think of the terms in the chapters about angles. The scene were Kane is running for governor of New York is a great example of how the camera angle made the viewer’s feel that he was already in power. The shot it from a lower angle making him seem bigger and in power. It is amazing how one position of a camera can determine how you interoperate a scene.  There were many times when Kane seemed to be in power just because the camera portrayed him in that manner.

Something I also noticed was the cuts that they used; I feel that they made certain cuts to the film to add intensity. From the flash forwards to the flash backs it was something that kept me on my toes. Scenes like that have a tendency to confuse me but I feel that the director did an amazing job throughout this entire movie. This move seemed well advanced for its time and had all the qualities to make a good movie. The story line behind Kane’s love life was very interesting but the story was captured well due to the way it was filmed.

                I feel that this is a movie that needs to be watched many times to pick up what actually went into making this film. When you first watch a film like this the cuts, lighting and angles are something that isn’t too difficult to pick up on but  as you watch it a second time I seem to just understand the reasons behind why the director would shoot things a certain way. This movie has a great story line from start to finish and I feel that the main reason it was so great was because of all the techniques of filming that went into it. I feel like I would like to watch it one more time just to see if I could pick up on anything else.