Citizen Cane Film Analysis
Introduction
On its list of the “100 Greatest American Movies of All Time” the American Film Institute has Citizen Cane (1941) in the coveted number-1 spot, and this is hardly surprising. Citizen Kane challenged the traditional narrative and technical elements of Hollywood filmmaking of its time, and holds up today as a true masterpiece of filmmaking.
Citizen Cane (1941)
Orson Welles directed, wrote and starred in this brilliant film which “revolutionized the medium and has since been considered the most important movie ever made” (p.426). Filled with implicit and explicit meaning, the movie tells the story of Charles Foster Kane, a powerful financial and political figure with recognizable human frailties whose story begins with his death, and is told through the search for the meaning of his last spoken word, “rosebud.” Despite his wealth and power Kane is desperate to be loved, and that desire is a narrative that many can identify with.
For …show more content…
Particularly noticeable to me was the loud campaign speech given by Kane, which not only reminded me of the political candidates of today (and I mean that literally), but also of scenes of speeches made by Adolf Hitler in Triumph of the Will (1935), directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Throughout the film, “the sound design for Kane creates an aural realism equivalent to the movie’s visual realism” (p. 427).
Conclusion
A rich story with revolutionary directing, cinematography, lighting, and audio married to genius set design and acting places Citizen Cane (1941) apart from the traditional Hollywood narrative and technical elements of its era. It was ahead of its time, and paved the way for the films we enjoy today. The American Film Institute correctly places this masterpiece in the number one spot, right where it
On its list of the “100 Greatest American Movies of All Time” the American Film Institute has Citizen Cane (1941) in the coveted number-1 spot, and this is hardly surprising. Citizen Kane challenged the traditional narrative and technical elements of Hollywood filmmaking of its time, and holds up today as a true masterpiece of filmmaking.
Citizen Cane (1941)
Orson Welles directed, wrote and starred in this brilliant film which “revolutionized the medium and has since been considered the most important movie ever made” (p.426). Filled with implicit and explicit meaning, the movie tells the story of Charles Foster Kane, a powerful financial and political figure with recognizable human frailties whose story begins with his death, and is told through the search for the meaning of his last spoken word, “rosebud.” Despite his wealth and power Kane is desperate to be loved, and that desire is a narrative that many can identify with.
For …show more content…
Particularly noticeable to me was the loud campaign speech given by Kane, which not only reminded me of the political candidates of today (and I mean that literally), but also of scenes of speeches made by Adolf Hitler in Triumph of the Will (1935), directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Throughout the film, “the sound design for Kane creates an aural realism equivalent to the movie’s visual realism” (p. 427).
Conclusion
A rich story with revolutionary directing, cinematography, lighting, and audio married to genius set design and acting places Citizen Cane (1941) apart from the traditional Hollywood narrative and technical elements of its era. It was ahead of its time, and paved the way for the films we enjoy today. The American Film Institute correctly places this masterpiece in the number one spot, right where it