My favourite scene in the film is Kane’s final speech for governor. This scene is very memorable for it showing both the political ambitions and Kane’s character in general. In this scene their is a range of micro-elements used well.

Mise en scene is used well by how the set design is used to show the power and confidence of Kane by giving an idea the size of the room he is in. Space is used in a way where nothing is compact but it shows how popular he is. Lighting and composition is the main important part of Mise en scene in this as light focuses on Kane as a statement he is winning, where his dialogue is at its most clearest while comparing to his rival who is covered by a dimmer light when the sound of the scene is at its weakest. In general it was a good idea to do this film in black and white from Welles as it fits the idea of this being a noir film and colour would of made this scene in particular feel less serious.

Cinematography is used in a unique way here by Gregg Toland who uses multiple techniques in the space of under 3 minutes. He uses an extra long shot to show the size of the crowd, while using symmetry to show Kane as a powerful figure to them. This makes the audience admire Kane in both the scene and in real-life, where you feel supportive and see him as a different political figure. The camera also is used well when the camera is zooming towards Kane and goes to worm’s eye view, this part of the scene was likely used as a way for verisimilitude, as if the viewer is walking to congratulate Kane for his speech. Other techniques what are used is the birds eye view to show his cabinet and the close up shots of Kane to show the power and emotion he is putting into his speech.

Editing is greatly used especially by the final cut is used to foreshadow something is about to go wrong and it is great way to highlight the idea that Kane is a flawed character, as throughout the movie everything what starts off good for Kane eventually goes wrong. Cutting to the rival was a great way to end this scene as it brings more power to following scenes when everything does go wrong.

Sound is used very well here as you feel your in that room hearing Kane’s speech. The echo in the room is the stand out thing you hear and that is done well to show the scope of supporters for Kane. With no score in the background, it helps as it shows how powerful the speech is by to make the audience motivated with it. Welles has used the use of dialogue incredibly here as a way to show Kane’s power and ability to motivate a crowd in a way that also does the same for the audience. I believe if Welles had used anything non-diagetic sound here the scene would not have the same affect.

This scene likely had lots of inspiration on the filming of other film scenes such as JJ Abrams Star Wars Force Awakens when General Hux speaks in a very vicious speech to the First Order. This may also have inspiration on villain speeches in film and all media, even though Kane is not a villain, he is a flawed character and lends a lot to villainous characteristics. A moment inspired by this is Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now’s speech, or in any other visual forms of entertainment with Walter White from Breaking Bad with all his passionate speeches.