Task 1
Explain how the production context of Citizen Kane influenced the “look and feel” of the end product.
In 1939, colour was first used in film (The Wizard of Oz). However, due to the cost of colour production being high, most films were filmed in black and white. This may have been one of the reasons Film Noir was so popular at the time, as well as the “Golden Age” of detective fiction books being from the 1920s until the late 1930s, many of which were turned into their own film noirs such as “The Maltese Falcon”. They were dark and cynical crime dramas, often using shadows and chiaroscuro lighting. Citizen Kane used both of these film noir techniques, as well as cinematography that mirrors the genre, despite not being a crime drama itself. For example, extreme high and low angles, shadows and cameo lighting.
Additionally, Citizen Kane was the first film to use the deep focus shot, as well as the editing technique the “wipe”, where one shot is “wiped” off the screen with another.
This means that these techniques were used frequently and showed off throughout the film, as it was displaying this new technology. The creative cinematography and mise en scene such as elaborate blocking and foregrounding.
This could be due to the rise of auteurs at the time, where the director had the most control over the film rather than the writer. This allowed the directors to focus on making more thought-provoking films, reflecting psychological and social problems. Orson Welles used the micro elements and techniques such as lighting to show his own messages and themes such as that being rich and powerful does not always lead to happiness.
Task 2
Choose your favourite scene from the film and explain why this is the case. You should consider Welles’ use of micro elements in your answer.
My favourite scene from the film is where Susan is performing at the opera, as Welles’ techniques clearly displays the complex relationship between Susan and Kane.
This deep focus shot, allowing the audience to see both Susan and Kane at the same time, uses a high angle to show Susan’s lack of power and vulnerability, emphasised by her placing in the centre of the stage with a spotlight directly on her, exposed for everyone to see. This clearly displays Susan’s lack of control over the humiliating situation Kane has put her in. The blocking in this shot showing a physical distance between Kane and Susan, suggesting an emotional distance between the two of them. Susan’s desperation is amplified through the close ups of her face during the performance.
In contrast, Kane is presented as powerful and wealthy in the scene, which can be seen through him watching Susan from above, showing his complete control over her. As well as the high angle shots of Susan in the scene contrasting the frequent use of low angle shots of Kane throughout the film. The mise-en-scene of the scene emphasises this, through the elaborate and wealthy looking costumes and set. The reaction shots, close ups of Kane’s face, are used to heighten the emotions of the scene, showing Kane hopeful then emotions changing as Susan doesn’t live up to expectations. Kane’s subdued emotion close ups highly contrast Susan’s highly emotional close ups, suggesting Kane does not understand or care about how Susan is feeling.
The lighting adds to the overall tone of the scene using shadows and dramatic lighting to heighten the emotional intensity of the scene, such as when Kane forces himself to clap for Susan and he is engulfed in darkness.
Task 3
Why, in your view do you think Citizen Kane is regularly cited by critics as “the greatest movie ever made”?
I think Citizen Kane is regularly cited by critics as the greatest movie ever made due to a combination of features brought together to create an overall impressive film. The film was especially impressive at its time for its unconventional chiaroscuro lighting, which later became a common convention of later film noirs. The use of shadows added to the overall ominous and mysterious tone of the film, as well as amplifying characters’ emotions in certain scenes.
Additionally, the cinematography by Gregg Toland was innovative at the time, being the first film to use the deep focus shot. This allowed the audience for the first time to be able to choose where to look in a shot, instead of being directed to one specific place, allowing Welle’s to create complex blocking of characters, such as the use of foregrounding to show complex relationships between characters.
The film was also the first to use the editing technique “the wipe”, where one shot is “wiped” off the screen by the next shot. “The wipe” is used inventively in this scene, where the technique is used continuously to overlap front pages of newspapers with Susan’s opera performances. This shows the passing of time, displaying how Kane had forced Susan into never-ending opera performances.
Furthermore, Gregg Toland used extreme high and low angle shots, which was later incorporated into film noir, predominantly to show Kane’s power. This contrasts the scene from his childhood, which shows the lack of power he once had through high angle shots.
Citizen Kane also uses a non-linear narrative structure, telling the story of Charles Foster Kane through flashbacks of his life, being told by those who knew him. This adds to the overall intrigue of the film, as the audience are wanting to know what “rosebud” means and what happened to Kane throughout his life. This type of non-linear narrative is still used today, in films such as Memento (2000) and Pulp Fiction (1994).
All these techniques brought together to create meanings and messages throughout the film, I think is the reason why critics often cite Citizen Kane as “the greatest movie ever made”. I think this is partly due to the emergence of the auteur, Orson Welles now had full control over the film and could act as its author by using all the micro elements of film to create the story.
