Citizen Kane: The Most Controversial Film

Charles Foster Kane, who was he really? By Thompson ... (1941) Charles Kane was a man that some of us hated or some us loved. He was a mysterious man, we know nothing of him, however we have heard of him. From friends, family, or especially in the newspaper, but who was he really?

Tasenetnethor is a gift from C. Granville Way and Jan Polack is a William Randolph Hearst Collection. William Randolph Hearst (1860–1951) was one of the most influential forces in the history of American journalism. Mercilessly caricatured in Citizen Kane, Hearst in reality was a populist multimillionaire who crusaded against political corruption. “He fostered simultaneous excellence and sensationalism in reporting, transformed the graphic design of newspapers, and was in the vanguard of the development of newsreels.” Hearst also became a conspicuous movie producer, a voracious collector, and an outstanding benefactor of the early Los Angeles County Museum.

The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and 1941 film Citizen Kane possess many similarities in themes and characters, despite the completely different settings and plots. Both main characters are ambitious and determined to achieve a goal, even to a certain point where they lose everything truly meaningful to them. While Macbeth strives to become king of Scotland, Charles Foster Kane attempts to become popular and influential. Both Macbeth and Citizen Kane desire to be powerful members of their respective societies and receive respect and recognition from their acquaintances. In both works, they acquired everything they thought they wanted, yet realised they could not have what they truly desired, essentially ending up with “nothing of value”.

Kishan Patel Art 2901 Exam 1 Essay 1 (100 points) Early films by Edison and Lumiere involved very simple cinematography, little to no editing and simple realist mise en scene. However, Georges Melies, a theater proprietor and an amateur magician, laid foundation for the new generation films. In A Voyage to the Moon, he becomes first person to introduce a sci-fi film.

There are many reasons as to why one of the greatest Hollywood movies of all time, Citizen Kane, is still watched and studied today by audiences in colleges, universities, public schools, and many more. Citizen Kane was produced in the year 1941 by Hollywood Director, Orson Welles. It is an American mystery drama which not only leaves the audience spellbound by its script, but also gives us the knowledge that we all need in the world today. I watched it in class and I thought it was the best movie I've seen in my life!!

As you can see ladies and gentlemen, the presentation of events, lighting, sound mis en scene, chiascuro lighting and cinematic techniques were all more formative in the essence of the narrative, rather than the story itself. “Mr Kane was a man who had lost everything he had”. Ladies and gentlemen of the board of studies as you know I’m here to promote to you how important and appropriate Citizen Kane is as a core text. Citizen Kane, a black and white 1941 film from director Orson Welles explores the notion of

Orson Welles’s debut on a big screen, “Citizen Kane,” undoubtedly could be considered as one of the greatest masterpieces of the world cinematography. “Citizen Kane” was highly appraised both by the critics and the general audience, nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories and even topped the list of the greatest films of all times by the American Film Institute. The film was created in 1941, and it contained innovative visual and musical techniques as well as revolutionary plot, which has not lost its topicality. I do consider, that in his film Welles throws American society a challenge: he questions generally accepted values and destroys the American Dream.

The Film Citizen Kane was a groundbreaking film in the 1940’s, the way Orson Wells depicts his film with different lighting, cinematography, choice of camera shots and mise-en-scene throughout this movie truly showed the masterpiece that this film is. In the Film Citizen Kane, it was the first movie that went against true Hollywood cinema by introducing flashbacks throughout the movie to show us how Charles Foster Kane changes throughout the movie. Throughout this movie the audience can see how Charles Foster Kane undergoes a variety of physical and emotional changes from when he was just a young boy all the way until his unfortunate death. Power, that’s all that Kane wanted in the start of the film. In the beginning of the film Kane gets ownership of the struggling New York Daily Inquirer, Kane suggests that he wanted to use journalism to apply to the public and protect the interest of ordinary people.

Directed by Orson Welles, the 1941 motion picture “Citizen Kane” is the story of the rise and fall of a great, influential man. The opening scenes of “Citizen Kane” are quite different from what follows during the rest of the film. Fading in and out of different landscapes instilled mystery. This mysterious vibe was carried on during Charles Foster Kane’s death through the use of shadows, quiet music, and close up shots. Isolated in his vast empire of a home, Kane uttered only one word before he passed: “rosebud.”

Citizen Kane challenged the traditional narrative and technical elements of classic Hollywood cinema mainly in the area of sound. Orson Welles was ahead of his time when he created his works of manipulating sound to transfer meaning in the film Citizen Kane. Welles used concealed hanging microphones to obtain different levels of sound throughout the film. The manner, in which the story was told, from Kane’s death flashbacked to his life of success and ultimate failure, was also a new style of storytelling for films. Welles also used symbolism with his last mumbling word “Rosebud.”

Another thing to keep in mind while watching this film is that “Special effects are everywhere in Citizen Kane, but in most cases are hard to identify” (Special Effects in Citizen Kane 3). For example, when Charles Kane was standing by the fireplace in the hotel he rented and when he went up to it, the viewers realized that it was abnormally big for a fireplace. Another example of this is when he went up to the window in Bernstein's office and it was huge compared to an average window. It is just so impressive how they knew how to angle the lighting to make things like the window and fireplace look normal at first glance and then realizing that it is really big, also it is impressive how they had all the right makeup and other supplies to make Welles look older and younger than his real

Citizen Kane by Orson Welles is a cinematic classic, released in 1941. Citizen Kane challenged traditional narrative and technical elements of classic Hollywood cinema. Kane was narrated by several people that include their take on Kane’s life. The story unfolds by many flashbacks and is told by different perspectives over the years through different narrations. Charles Foster Kane was a millionaire, head of newspapers and died saying “rosebud”.

On both the first AFI top 100 films list from 1998, and the most recent list released, the film Citizen Kane is ranked at number one. Containing innovations in camera movement, utilizing shot types that were either obscure or non-existent before filming, and having an incredibly different plot structure that adds complexity to a film in a time where many features were told in a linear and chronological way, the film brought many new things to the industry. Although these traits are what sets it apart and earns it a spot in the top 100, its influence on the film industry and the public is not as deserving of the first place position as some other films that have been more influential. Released in 1941, Citizen Kane was not a largely popular

Shot Analysis: Citizen Kane Orson Welles, director of “Citizen Kane”, is well known for his unusual directing methods that defied conventional cinematic techniques. Welles provided his audience with original forms of cinematography, narrative structures, and music. The scene I chose to analyze is extremely important to the plot of the film because Kane begins to realize that he is going through some serious financial problems. During the scene, Kane maintains a sarcastic mood, until he finally decides to surrender and signs the papers that transfer the ownership of his media empire to Mr. Thatcher.

Two films, although created years apart yet have a lot in common, including their content of it’s narrative techniques. Both films, even though black and white with strokes of genius of cinema offer a vast stretch for study. I will be looking at Sir Orson Welles “Citizen Kane” (1941) and Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950). We see in Citizen Kane he values for the American life. The three abstract themes that constantly follow through Citizen Kane are Wealth, Power and Love.