Film Analysis: Citizen Kane

The story of Charles Foster Kane was truly one that could go on as timeless. Born in poverty Kane was given away with the promise of having a better life. In a material point of view Kane lived a very fulfilling life filled with anything he ever wanted. Although throughout the movie, Kane despised the situation in which he was brought up in. Being placed under the care of his mother’s banker really influenced the way he viewed the world. He considered himself a people’s person a sort of hero for those in worse situations than his own. The mass appeal for this character along with the truly original storyline and plenty other factors led many people everywhere to gain a huge appreciation of this movie. Despise its early failure following its

Citizen Kane, is a 1941 American film, written, produced, and starred by Orson Welles. This film is often proclaimed by critics,filmmakers, and fans as one of the best if not the best film ever made. Citizen Kane is an unbelievable film becuase of how advanced it is compared to other films of its time. In the film, the producer used many different narrative elements to capture the audiences imagination. It truly is astounding how the filmmakers used certain editing techniques, sounds, and different narrative elements to illustrate the story and the plot. Although the plot isnt exactly captivating to the present day audience, this film is still amazing due to how much work and effort went into making it.

Many have called Citizen Kane the greatest cinematic achievement of all time. It is indeed a true masterpiece of acting, screen writing, and directing. Orson Welles, its young genius director, lead actor, and a co-writer, used the best talents and techniques of the day (Bordwell 103) to tell the story of a newspaper giant, Charles Kane, through the eyes of the people who loved and hated him. However, when it came out, it was scorned by Hollywood and viewed only in the private theaters of RKO, the producer.

Considered one of best films of all time, Orson Well’s Citizen Kane is a cinematically

The universal significance of Orson Welles’ cinematic masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941) is founded upon its insights into the struggles that characterise humanity’s search for fulfilment. Specifically, Welles offers Kane’s egocentric ambition and the irresolution of his desires for control and love as notions that undermine this search. The difficulty of deconstructing Kane encapsulates the tensions innate within the human experience. Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland through the innovative use of deep focus cinematography, invite us to derive personal meaning from Kane’s downfall, which contributes to the resonating value and integrity of the film.

By many, Citizen Kane is one of the greatest films ever made. Orson Wells, at age 25, directed, produced, and starred in this film. Citizen Kane is a memorable film for countless reasons. The film brought about controversy because it fictionalized the life of William Randolph Hearst, a powerful newspaper publisher. The film draws remarkable parallels with his life and his relationship with his mistress. There is also speculation that the film is loosely based on Wells’ life as well. This movie tells the fascinating story of the life and death of Charles Foster Kane, a narcissistic newspaper runner, politician, and a wealthy millionaire. What makes this movie spectacular is not only the acting of the actors, but the symbolism and cinematic effects. The techniques used by the cinematographer brought this film to life. This is what sets Citizen Kane apart from other films.

Alfred Hitchcock’s unique sense of filmmaking and directing has allowed him to become a very famous and well known film maker of his time. He uses similar recurring themes, elements, and techniques in many of his films to engage the viewers in more than just the film, but the meaning and focus behind the story.

Citizen Kane’s director Orson Wells and Double Indemnity’s director Billy Wilder both used specific techniques to create an intensified form of realism in their respective films. This realism was developed in order to ensure the delivery of their film’s message about human nature that people will do anything if they truly feel that they can get away with it. Both directors worked to establish a world in their films that would seem believable to audiences so that their ultimate truths would have a larger impact on those who watched. Wilder used his world of film noir to reveal the truth that a law-abiding man such as Walter Neff could be persuaded to commit murder with little influence because he believed that he could manipulate the system and not receive punishment for his crime. Wells created a world that would allow for a “larger than life” persona such as Charles Foster Kane who felt that he could do as he pleased and use the influence of his vast wealth to make it happen. Throughout the rest of this paper I will illustrate how each director used techniques associated with realism in film to show the audience why the characters believe they can act without consequence, the process in which they act, and finally that the events transpired are truthful because the audience is seeing them in retrospective.

Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.

The film, Citizen Kane is recognized as a significant historical event that forever changed the face of film history. A primary reason for this is its pioneering use of mise-en-scene, which refers to the manipulation of what appears in the frame to both guide our attention and enhance dramatic effects. (Mcgraw, 112) There are a number of ways in which mise-en-scene can be used, but for this essay I chose to go into great detail about just two of its most prominent applications featured in Citizen Kane. Delving into the film’s manipulation of lighting and framing, I reveal why exactly this film is so highly revered.