Orson Welles in Citizen Kane Essay - 542 Words

Orson Welles in Citizen Kane Orson Welles produced, directed and starred in Citizen Kane, the classic masterpiece which communicates its original narrative through ground-breaking cinematography, lighting, music, setting, sound and performances. The film has underlying symbols in every single shot, and uses innumerable cinematic devices to convey meaning. One of the many implications Citizen Kane makes is strongly embodied in the sequence of Kane and his wife Susan at their palace, Xanadu. Welles choice of camera shots, mise-en-scene and movement in this sequence are used effectively to symbolize womens inferiority to men. The manner in which Susan Alexander is shot in this sequence is†¦show more content†¦As the camera cuts to a long shot taken from behind Kanes left shoulder, Susan appears so small that the spectator must actually search the mise-en-scene for her. By choosing these particular camera shots and angles, Welles uses cinematic devices to portray women. Mise-en-scene takes an important role in this sequence, as it strongly illustrates the powerlessness and irrelevance of Susan. In front of the vast empty fireplace completing her endless jigsaw puzzles, Susan kneels near the bottom of the frame, which symbolizes defencelessness and insignificance. To her right, there is a fire pump which is so large it dwarfs her, and behind to her left is a massive statue of a Roman goddess. This is ironic, since deities represent strength and authority, both of which Susan is completely lacking. The goddess takes on the dominant role of this shot instead of the living person, Susan. This particular use of mise-en-scene represents the inequality between men and women in the film. Susans movements also play a major role in implying the submissiveness of women. Gentle, graceful hand movements as she places puzzle pieces, a slow turn of the head as she acknowledges Kanes entrance, and delicately twitching her fingers as she begs Charles to go to New York; all of which indicate frailty and helplessness.Show MoreRelatedOrson Welles And Citizen Kane2180 Words   |  9 Pagesin half between his polar personalities. Charles Foster Kane has recently died and the predicament of interpreting his life and its meaning is left upon a single reporter. â€Å"†¦A group of prominent films critics were asked to list the greatest directors and the greatest films, Orson Welles and Citizen Kane both came in first (Carringer 32).† Orson Welles’ produces, co-wrote, directed, and starred in the great American classic film, Citizen Kane, at the age of 26. Throughout this entire film, the audienceRead MoreCitizen Kane, Directed By Orson Welles995 Words   |  4 Pagesand film critic Roger Ebert, Citizen Kane, is a movie directed, co-authored, produced and starred by Orson Welles and released in 1941. The film follows a series of flashbacks to solve a mystery, and is based upon newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The movies subtle comparison between the fictional protagonist, Charles Foster Kane (played by Orson Welles) and William Randolph Hearst leads Hearst to ban any mention of the movie in his newspapers. Citizen Kane shows the harsh realities of theRead MoreCitizen Kane By Orson Welles855 Words   |  4 PagesTrying to multiply their prosperity and authority they can lose their human nature and soul, turn human relation into the market. 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Setting precedent for a new world of cinematography to arise, Welles utilised the day’s contextRead MoreOrson Welles s Citizen Kane994 Words   |  4 PagesOrson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941) is known as one of the most innovative and highly rated films of all time. Welles and his cinematographer, Gregg Toland, were among the first filmmakers to use deep-focus photography for significant portions of the film rather than using the more classic medium and close up shots . Welles and Toland also used unconventional filming methods, such as â€Å"high contrast, unusual camera angles, and the use of shafts of light† (Cagle, Dombrowski and Ramaeker), which createdRead MoreCitizen Kane Directed by Orson Welles545 Words   |  2 PagesWhat is the meaning of life? Joseph Campbell states that, â€Å"Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.† Directed by Orson Welles, the film Citizen Kane (1941) is about Charles Foster Kane who is a wealthy newspaper publisher and in the film, his life is retold from when he was a little boy to his passing by his friends and family. On the other hand, American Beauty (1999), a film directed by Sam Mendes, tellsRead MoreThe Movie Citizen Kane written by Orson Welles1179 Words   |  5 Pages The Film Citizen Kane by written by Orson Welles does an excellent job at using film techniques and mise-en-scene to help viewer s understand the sense of nature between characters. I wrote about this once before when analyzing another scene in the film but there are many examples within the film of techniques being used intricately in both deliberate and subliminal ways to portray the tone of specific scenes. A series of scenes in which this is very apparent is when a story is being told about CharlesRead MoreCitizen Kane : Film Directed By Orson Welles1203 Words   |  5 PagesCitizen Kane (Orson Welles 1941) is a film directed by Orson Welles, this film follows the life of a millionaire Foster Kane played by Orson Welles himself. The film is set in the early 1930’s and 40’s and follows his life and the presses attempt to unveil the meaning of his last mysterious word â€Å"Rosebud.† The brilliance of this film comes from the cinematography and shows the assertions of humanity through its use of Mise-en-scene and various technical aspects such as low angle shots and Deep-FocusRead Mor eFilm Analysis : Citizen Kane Directed By Orson Welles1955 Words   |  8 PagesThe 1941 film, Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles is a phenomenal example of the exploration of innovative uses in photography, sound and editing. Orson Welles uses staging, shadows, low-key lighting, deep focus and overlapping dialogue to emphasize various aspects of the film. The main character Charles Foster Kane is sent away by his parents when he is just little boy after they come into a large amount of money. Due to this, he grows up to be an insensitive and vain man. Kane becomes very successfulRead MoreThe Film Citizen Kane : A Film Of All Time, And Director Orson Welles1425 Words   |  6 Pages Critics have called the 1941 film Citizen Kane one of the best movies of all time, and director Orson Welles’s direction is largely to thank for the work’s accolades. Citizen Kane is famous for its use of long shots, deep staging, deep focus, and, as will be considered in this paper, i ts lighting practices. Welles strategically lights his characters in order to develop them throughout the film; this paper will focus on three shots that show Jerry Thompson (William Alland) develop from functioning