Citizen
Kane is a movie beyond its’ time and certainly a cinematographer’s masterpiece
to say the least. The extreme
close ups, dark and contrasting lighting used and wide-angle lenses used really
caught my attention now that I know a little about film photography. Anyone with a knowledge of film can
tell that every detail was meticulously thought out. Each shot and cut made was deeply considered for the
audience.
The
mise en scene in the film really helps to tell the story. The closed form used helps illustrate
the different complex relationships between the characters. The way the shots vary throughout
Kane’s life in the film are what interested me the most. As he ages we seem to lose the glimpse
of Charles Kane that we had in his younger years. The camera shot becomes farther away as the senior version of
Kane ages until that final moment of his life as we see the image of his mouth
saying the infamous “rosebud”. The
mise en scene of camera distances with the different characters helps viewers to
develop an opinion on each character.
Kane’s
movements are especially peculiar to watch as he ages. His vibrant energy in the beginning of
his youth in the newspaper dwindle as he grows older. The kinetics are very closely similar to any real life example
of aging.
Something
I watched carefully for the most where the editing cuts made. From the flash forwards to the seamless
transitions to the flashbacks used, this film is rich with editing techniques
that were not used before in this manner.
The marriage montage for example told the entire story of Kane’s
marriage to Emily in a few short moments.
The same montage is used to illustrate Kane’s affair with the rather
spacey Susan. Their original
friendship flourishes on camera into the affair it becomes in minutes. These editing cuts keep the audience’s
attention throughout and for me, where very clarifying.
More
than anything, I was most intrigued by the character development of Kane. His changing demeanor, his cunning
personality, his growing distance from the people he should have trusted. The several questionable sources that
have something to say about Kane make the film quite the jigsaw puzzle for
viewers to piece together. In
fact, this film started the trend of the puzzle movies that have since become
so popular.
The
soundtrack used in this film was something I paid close attention to as a music
major, I constantly see how music can tell the story in any film. Herrmann’s score is very advanced and
sophisticated in its’ style. There
are several musical motifs used for certain situations like the images of
newspapers. These motifs are
molded to aid in telling the story along with the bold print of the newspapers. The marriage montage also has music
that literally accompanies the snowball effect marriage. Watching and listening to this scene
over and over, I was reminded of some of my sessions with clients. I accompany their movements on the
piano or guitar and play their movements, following their every twitch. I imagined Herrmann sitting off the set
improvising as the scene went on.
Lastly,
I enjoyed finding aspects of realism and formalism in this film. There was so much to watch for, I had
to watch many scenes more than 3 times to soak in all of the rich imagery used
to tell the story of William Randolph Hearst. I had honestly never heard of this film before this class
and now I feel inspired to watch other films directed by the genius Orson
Welles.
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