The Weimar Republic Explain how the political, social and economic context of the Weimar Republic affected the production and content of classic German Expressionist Cinema.
The economic disruption of the Weimar period created an expressionist style in German film-making, meaning films had unrealistic sets and featuring exaggerated acting techniques in order to create a dark and sinister atmosphere, mood and emotion. Due to the lack of funding, atmospheric films were made on small sets with low budgets.
Expressionist film-makers prefered darker storylines and themes such as horror and crime genres in order to represent the economic struggles at the time. The most popular film directors of the time were Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau and the most famous films of the period were The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (1922 – based on the Dracula story), Phantom (1922), The Last Laugh (1924) and Metropolis (1927).
Explain how the political, social and economic context of the Weimar Republic affected the production and content of classic German Expressionist Cinema:
Weimar Germany’s political and social instability, as well as its economic shortages, had a great impact on post-war German culture. Expressionism was most obvious in film. German cinema recovered quickly in the 1920s as people looked for cheap entertainment and escapism from reality.
Unable to afford the huge sets, ghastly costumes and props German film-makers looked for new ways to convey atmosphere, mood and emotion. As a consequence, German expressionism gave birth to two new cinematic genres: the Gothic horror movie and film noir.
Task 1 – Explain how the production context of Citizen Kane influenced the “look and feel” of the end product.
Before ‘Citizen Kane’ Orson Welles achieved a level of notoriety through his acting and direction of many theatre performances across the UK and America. His direction of the radio drama ‘The War of the Worlds’ (1938) shocked American audiences with his ‘authentic’ adaptation of the classic, prompting RKO productions to offer Welles a film contract with almost complete creative control; this project became ‘Citizen Kane’. Welles’ in-depth understanding of theatre and creative control over a substantial budget heavily influenced the final look and feel of the film, as the film showcased many camera techniques and editing styles not yet popular in western cinema; for example, the use of deep depths of field to increase the naturalistic view of the movie, used to mimic how the eye would see a certain scene. Welles also collaborated with industry-leading cinematographer Gregg Toland and renowned editors Robert Wise and Dede Allen to allow ‘Citizen Kane’ to have a high-quality and polished look throughout, in addition to incorporating experimental camera techniques for the period.
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 Orson Welles’ ‘Citizen Kane’ would have to be the “Campaign promises” scene as Kane conducts his speech for Governor. Welles uses this scene to effectively depict Kane at the pinnacle of his career, with sweeping pans and medium-paced zooms beginning the scene, setting the grandeur of the ceremony. Gregg Toland utilises low-angle shots to accentuate the political and social power Kane has developed up to this point in his career; in these shots he is portrayed as significantly taller than the rest of his party on stage, further portraying his power over them and showing their dependency on Kane for their own prosperity. The editing in this scene is also heavily significant, with the scene beginning on wide shots of a theatre full to brim with Kane supporters, then to Kane’s speech, then a cut to his watching wife and son. I believe this may be an attempt to foreshadow the downfall of Kane’s career (his infidelity with another woman) as Robert Wise juxtaposes his promises to become elected with shots of his family, possibly to demonstrate that these two parts of Kane’s life cannot co-exist harmoniously.
Task 3 – Why, in your view do you think Citizen Kane is regularly cited by critics as “ the greatest movie ever made” ?
Citizen Kane, unlike many other classic movies of the genre, gained heavy notoriety both from modern audiences and from the movie-goers of the 40’s, as it was said to be one of the most heavily anticipated movies of 1941. Orson Welles’ expertise in the theatrical world allowed for the movie to gain major recognition for its use of staging and acting to reflect changing character dynamics. In addition, ‘Citizen Kane’ also featured camera and lighting expertise from renowned cinematographer Gregg Toland and innovative editing techniques from Robert Wise, elevating Welles’ creative vision. Many critics regard ‘Citizen Kane’ as “the greatest film ever made” as a result of its technical expertise which was regarded as well ahead of its time. In my opinion, ‘Citizen Kane’ is regularly honoured with this title as it reflects the essence of an expertly crafted film which also withstands the test of time; the film’s experimental and ground-breaking nature which shocked audiences during its’ premiere still holds up on modern audiences, portraying how a traditional yet experimental film should be edited and shot. The film blurs the lines between the industries’ standard 2-hour feature film and an excellently crafted cinematographic experience, which hints at subtleties in the changing character dynamics and stays committed to its overall aesthetic and themes. The now overly replicated nature of ’Citizen Kane’ demonstrates its well-deserved titles and accolades, leaving a significant imprint on the industry and spawning many great films in its’ wake.
Explain how the production context of Citizen Kane influenced the "look and feel" of the end production:
Citizen Kane was released on September 5, 1941. At this time, America was still healing from the consequences of The Great Depression, which began in 1933. At this time, 70% of people went to the cinema weekly as it provided a way to escape from reality and be encaptivated by the films they watched.
There were many technological breakthroughs in the film industry during this time. Coloured film was invented, as well as sound in films. However, Citizen Kane was still filmed in black and white as the colour was costly when the film was released. However, I believe that having the film in black and white was even more significant as it helped dramatises the use of lighting and shadows; it was also considered a film noir which was the most popular genre, which is a black and white film.
Citizen Kane’s use of lighting consisted of chiaroscuro and shadows. These techniques visualise the feelings of a character without needing dialogue. It gave the viewers a way to see how they were feeling, making the audience feel close and personal to the actors.
Orson Welles and Gregg Toland also created cinematography and editing styles that had never been seen on screen. One example of this was the use of Worms and Birds Eye View shots. This was uncommon as, at the time, it had ceilings, so camera gear such as microphones and lights would have been seen in the shots. This emphasises how amazing this movie was to audiences and other filmmakers. These angles were used to dramatise the movie’s look and to show a character’s presence to an audience (low angle shows Kane’s confidence while high angles show the vulnerability of a character).
Additionally, Citizen Kane uses long single shots and continues to create a life-like realness to the movie enhancing the viewer’s experiences as there are no distractions or cuts from the dialogue.
Lastly, Citizen Kane was the first film to the “wipe” in editing. This is where one shot is wiped off the screen to reveal the new shot. This was a captivating way to ensure the attention of the viewers was on the screen.
Furthermore, Citizen Kane is famous for using low-angle shots; therefore, the sets required ceilings. This was uncommon at the time as most movies didn’t have ceilings because that’s where lights and microphones were situated, so the ceilings in the movie were constructed of cloth to allow microphones to still be placed overhead. Welles also made a hole in the floor of the set to place the camera. The use of low angles dramatically affects the look and feel, enhancing Kanes confidence, dominance/superiority and his overwhelming power (over characters).
Why, in your view do you think Citizen Kane is regularly cited by critics as “the greatest movie ever made”?
Citizen Kane is believed to be “the greatest movie ever made” due to its remarkable cinematography and techniques used, which at the time were not demonstrated in films very often or done well enough in order to make an impact on the audience. The script of the characters and their stories were also enhanced and illuminated by the lighting, deep focus and camera positions used. A number of camera angles and shot lengths were used in order to portray and reveal Kane’s story. The dim and mysterious lighting also played a role in order to show Kane’s true narcissistic and materialistic personality.
Citizen Kane is considered “the best film”, due to the way the plot structure, cinematography and editing were incorporated to form the end product. One shot that was revolutionary and made the film stand out to critics so much was the deep shot of a young Charles playing outside in the snow, while his mother spoke with someone inside the house. The deep focus effect was created in order to form a shot that was easily viewable and clear to the audience, which was rare in Hollywood at the time. The camera movements established by crane shots also inspired other directors for future Hollywood movies to achieve the same effect.
Another scene that stood out to the audience is the beginning scene that shows the death of Charles Kane. Instead of a still camera, his death is portrayed with a fish angle lens shot from the perspective of a snow globe that Kane’s was holding as he passed away. As he passes, Kane drops the snow globe, allowing the audience to see as one of his caretakers finds his body.
Welles told the story of Kane through multiple point-of-view shots and scenes from the people who knew Kane best (such as his previous wife) or were closely working with him giving the viewer insight on those peoples thoughts and perceptions of Kane which ultimately lead to a new type of unique storytelling in filmmaking.
Instead of having long scenes to show the deterioration of Kane’s marriage, a montage of the couple having breakfast is used to show how their marriage becomes worse over time and how they become further apart at the breakfast table symbolising the coldness and distance of their marriage.
Choose your favourite scene from the film and explain why this is the case. You should consider Welles’ use of microelements in your answer.
My favourite scene from Citizen Kane is the deep focus scene, a flashback to Kane’s childhood in his parent’s home. This scene had a significant contribution to cinematography at the time as it used deep focus meaning every aspect of the scene was in the frame, including the background. This scene is impressive as the cinematographer is required to mix lighting, the type of camera les and composition in order to produced the final product.
The deep focus technique, makes the scene clarifies and illustrates the whole space in the scene, without causing confusion in the audience and allowing the viewer to gain for information and context. deep focus also illustrates Kane’s loss of control even when he is being taken away from his family.
His life story being told in flashbacks that are given from the perspective of other characters, which gives the impression of Kane being a mysterious, difficult individual and ultimately not answering any of the viewer’s questions, but leaving them more confused about his upbringing and life story. But overall the flashbacks established a picture of how unhappy Kane’s life was despite all of the power and wealth he has.
EXPLAIN HOW THE PRODUCTION CONTEXT OF CITZEN KANE INFLUENCED THE “LOOK AND FEEL” OF THE END PRODUCT.
The cinematography of Citizen Kane was crucial in order to influence the end product. This included lighting, screen frame size, camera movements and a range of long and deep shots. All of these techniques were difficult to produce at the time and obtain a quality scene out of them.
The use of flashbacks and deep focuses influenced the overall mysterious atmosphere of the film and managed to portray the plot and allow the audience to get insight and understand Kane’s final words which were a mystery to many before he died. The context achieved from flashbacks to Kane’s childhood incorporated and highlighted how his “success” ultimately turned into nostalgia, loneliness and greed which lead to his death and how he becomes hungry and greedy for power and wealth corrupting and stripping him away from his initial personality.
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.
My favourite scene from Citizen Kane is when Kane and his first wife are confronted with Kane’s mistress in her house after Kane’s speech about integrity in his office as he’s running for governor. This is because of the lighting and blocking throughout.
This is my favourite scene as the blocking in the scene shows perfectly how Kane has lost all power in the situation and how he is only a small part of this problem. Another example of this is the lighting within the scene, this is because it contrasts between Kane and the other characters. It cloaks him in darkness as it represents the sins and darkness of his actions whereas his first wife and Getty both are lit up to represent how they’re not involved in Kane’s dark actions and how they’re the good people in the moment.
This scene is another example of excellent blocking as it has little Kane in the background of the scene which makes him seem powerless and small within the situation which we know to be true as he is being put up for adoption in this scene and the bank takes him to look after him.
