CITIZEN KANE
Citizen Kane (film)
Citizen Kane released on 5th September 1941 is a film directed by Orson Wells. The film opens with the enigmatic word "rosebud" which sparks a journey through the life of Charles Foster Kane, a media tycoon, as a journalist is assigned to uncover the hidden meaning behind the word.
The story starts in medias res, in the middle of the plot or more specifically at the end of Kane's life. The narration of the film unfolds through a series of flashbacks, interviews, and investigations, revealing the complexity of Kane's character and the mystery behind his final utterance. An enigma is established here, as per the Hermeneutic code; the audience is unaware of the significance of Kane's last word. The narrative follows a non-linear pattern which is framed inside the linear pattern of the journalist Jerry Thompson's narrative, who is trying to uncover the meaning behind Kane's last utterance. With the use of multiple narrators in the story, the viewer is stripped of their omniscience while also making the narrators appear unreliable as they all choose to discuss different elements in Kane's life depending on their interests. The unreliability of these narrators presents itself as an opportunity to present conflicting accounts of Kane's character, which then mesh together to create an intricate portrait of a complex man. The narration no matter how chaotic with past and present flashes and conversations follows a circular structure, we start with Kane's fortress Xanadu and end with it, both scenes further signify the motif of loss. While the starting scene depicts the loss of Kane's life the ending scenes depicts his lost childhood and innocence.
The characters in Citizen Kane are richly drawn and multi-dimensional, reflecting the complexities of human nature. But more than anything else the character of Charles Foster Kane played by Orson Wells himself draws the audience's attention. Kane embodies the hollowness of the American dream. He ascends from a humble background and rises to the top of the socio-political ladder. But that success is material and there is no happy ending. The film is essentially an extended description of the character Charles Foster Kane also symbolised in the title of the film Citizen Kane. The confrontation scene between Thatcher and Kane regarding criticism of his business not only serves to underline the political beliefs of the newly adult Kane but also the mise-en-scéne in this scene creates the dominating, self-assured figure of Kane and reminds the viewer that he alone is the plot. The other characters be it Leyland, Susan, or Bernstein only seem to serve as unreliable narrators and fodders to create or showcase the amalgamation of the entity known as Charles Foster Kane.
Orson Welles's use of cinematography in Citizen Kane is groundbreaking and influential. The use of deep focus shots and low angles by Gregg Toland, along with several lightening techniques including the chiaroscuro helps to create striking and memorable images. Especially with the use of shadows and silhouettes as seen in the shot of Kane in his study where his face is partially hidden. The shot is visually striking but also emphasises the character's enigmatic and mysterious nature. The framing of Getty, Susan, Emily and Kane shot-wise displays how their choices will affect their future in the scene at house 182. The lighting is also used as a subtext within the film to add a vital dimension to the narrative. For example, it is used to show Kane's authoritative nature by dousing him in hard light or the use of low light to create an empathetic atmosphere around him. The dramatic use of camera movement opens up the cinematic space and helps to convey the spatial, casual and psychological relationships within the frame. Be it the smooth graceful crane shot of Kane's fortress Xanadu in the opening and the climax marking the circularity of the story, of the rise am fall of an ironic character or the long take shot during Kane's separation from their parent or the Swiss-pan shot at the breakfast table with Emily show casing their failing marriage every shot is designed to best portray the story.
The sound design in Citizen Kane is masterful in its subtlety and effectiveness. Welles and Herrmann created a complex soundtrack which is sometimes a combination of various dialogues, or only music into a comprehensible conversation. The use of sounds in Citizen Kane is just as innovative as the cinematography. The soundtracks sometimes precede the visual image to prepare the viewers for what they are about to see. They are also often used to create an illusion of something that is not actually on scene for example the thunderous clapping of the large amount of people during Kane's political speech or the echo of the voices of Susan and Kane as they talk in the castle which was done to make the place appear bigger than it was. The background sounds are also often used to depict the inner feelings or turmoil of the characters for example the screaming woman that is heard in the background of the tent when Kane slaps Susan depicts her anguish and suffering while similarly the screeching parrot who flaps his wings as Kane destroys Susan's room after her leaving shows his wounded heart. Wells has used both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds to give life to every scene in the film. He used them to depict mood, suggest future scenes, create the atmosphere, create illusions, etc. The sound montage in Citizen Kane emphasizes the abnormal and stressful lives of the characters with realistic soundtracks.
The editing in Citizen Kane is meticulous and purposeful, each technique was appropriately applied to bring out the realest possible outcome. The most notable editing technique is the use of mate paintings- like the scene of Leyland's hospital under the bridge. The paintings helped in making the scenes look more impressive and real. The continuity editing techniques assisted in moving the tale along without a verbal explanation of events being required. The beginning of the film presents montage editing as the scene displays seemingly unrelated things. Wells also uses the match editing technique brilliantly in the photo scene where he zooms in on a photo at Chronicle and then seemingly transforms that into the scene of a new photo being taken with Kane. The use of fades to melt one scene into the next is wonderfully done in Citizen Kane. The editing is so precisely done that sometimes the scene is cut to a very basic, raw form but everything fits together seamlessly and enhances the narrative flow and the thematic depth of the film.
Citizen Kane even today remains a towering achievement in cinema, with its innovative narrative structure, groundbreaking cinematography, rich characterization, masterful sound design and meticulous editing. Orson Welles's masterpiece continues to captivate audiences and inspire filmmakers decades after its release.
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