Citizen Kane Analysis
March 26, 2010
1). Orson Wells was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked in film, theatre, television and radio. He was also the star and the director of Citizen Kane. Citizen Kane is considered one of the greatest films ever made.
~ William Randolph Hearst was an American newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher. His life was a source of inspiration for the lead character in Citizen Kane. The release of the film caused a lot of controversy, because Hearst didn’t want the movie released however, he made some progress with pulling all his resources and some theatres delayed the release of the film (www.filmsite.org/citi.html).
~ Gregg Toland was an American cinematographer noted for his innovative use of lighting and techniques such as deep focus. His claim to fame was the visual contributions he made to the film including camera placement, and lighting effects.
2a). Deep focus: is photographic and cinematographic technique incorporating a large depth of field, covering everything in the scene. The scene where young Kane’s mother was signing the papers for the oil found and so Charles new guardian Mr. Thatcher. Everything in the scene including the hat in the foreground and young Kane in the distance is in sharp focus.
b). The sound montage is used extensively with the flashback scenes to denote the interval of time within related scenes. When Kane and his wife is arguing in a tent surrounded by hundreds of Kane’s guests, is a perfect example of the perfect use of sound (citizen Kane 1941).
c). Low angle shots: are shots in which the camera looks up at the action, to acquire meaning through a process of association becoming identified with a specific character or situation that it is repeatedly used to film. A great scene for example is when Kane was talking with his friend Leland after his defeat at the polls (Belton pg.49). High angle shots: are shots where