Citizen Kane Mise En Scene Analysis

Starting from when he was a little boy, Charles Kane's life carried a theme of loss: from being given away by his parents to his falling out with Jedediah Leland, to losing the gubernatorial race. This loss, and in turn, this loneliness, followed Kane until he died, as was made evident when he is seen being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse. Kane's love life is another example of where he felt extreme loss. While his second wife, Susan, left him, he and his first wife's love faded away over the years. It is this falling out of love with Emily that is displayed in such a powerful way in "Citizen Kane" through the scene where both Kane and Emily sit at their breakfast table. The sequence starts with a couple head over heels for each other and eventually ends with two people who do not feel any love for one another. Instead, they are simply filling in for the roles they are supposed to play as husband and wife. The audience can gather this by the mise-en-scène that is set throughout the seven instances of the couple sitting at the table. Through the acting, costumes and set, it is clear that there is a steady decline in the amount of
The acting between Orson Welles and Ruth Warrick, the costumes and sets in the table montage are just some of the elements of mise-en-scène that make that scene such a pivotal part of the film — it is in this scene where the audience sees that Kane's power is corrupting his soul, leading to strife between he and his wife. Viewers see that the mise-en-scène will drastically change throughout the sequence to reflect the changing relationship between Kane and his wife. From a lengthening table to increasingly curt responses, the mise-en-scène helps tell the story of a crumbling