Citizen Kane Scene Analysis
Citizen Kane Scene Analysis
The scene we’re analyzing starts off with a shot of the New York Daily Inquirer. It’s a close shot, taking up the entire screen. I feel this close up is to show the viewer that the newspaper company is going to be the primary focal point for Kane, and his two partners at this point in the film. After the close up, the camera pans down to show Kane and Leland sitting in a car looking up at the building. Kane says “Take a good look at it Jedidiah, it’s going to look a lot different one of these days.” Despite the look on Kane’s face being one of optimism and promise, this statement gives leeway to all of the bad things to follow. Kane specifically says, “look a lot different” as opposed to anything else (i.e. Something specifically positive in nature). I believe this ambiguous statement was intentionally written in the script to give the viewer a little foreshadowing towards bad things to come. Kane and Leland then exit the vehicle and hop up the stairs into the building, while simultaneously, Bernstein pulls up in a coach filled with a bed and other furniture. The cab driver says, “There aint no bedrooms in this joint, that’s a newspaper building,” to which Bernstein replies, “You’re getting paid mister, for opinions or for hauling?” This dialogue provides two things. One, reemphasis on how serious Kane takes the newspaper company because not even a few moments later Kane tells the editor in chief that he is going to literally live in his office, and then two, it provides a moment of irony for the film. Bernstein snaps at the cab driver for not doing specifically his job, but rather giving his opinion in the matter, but that’s exactly what Kane does with the paper company when printing stories.
The next shot shows how Kane intends to “shakeup” the news business. It starts with showing the backs of Kane and Leland looking into the Inquirer’s news floor with Kane stopping before walking in to look at his partner and flash him a
The scene we’re analyzing starts off with a shot of the New York Daily Inquirer. It’s a close shot, taking up the entire screen. I feel this close up is to show the viewer that the newspaper company is going to be the primary focal point for Kane, and his two partners at this point in the film. After the close up, the camera pans down to show Kane and Leland sitting in a car looking up at the building. Kane says “Take a good look at it Jedidiah, it’s going to look a lot different one of these days.” Despite the look on Kane’s face being one of optimism and promise, this statement gives leeway to all of the bad things to follow. Kane specifically says, “look a lot different” as opposed to anything else (i.e. Something specifically positive in nature). I believe this ambiguous statement was intentionally written in the script to give the viewer a little foreshadowing towards bad things to come. Kane and Leland then exit the vehicle and hop up the stairs into the building, while simultaneously, Bernstein pulls up in a coach filled with a bed and other furniture. The cab driver says, “There aint no bedrooms in this joint, that’s a newspaper building,” to which Bernstein replies, “You’re getting paid mister, for opinions or for hauling?” This dialogue provides two things. One, reemphasis on how serious Kane takes the newspaper company because not even a few moments later Kane tells the editor in chief that he is going to literally live in his office, and then two, it provides a moment of irony for the film. Bernstein snaps at the cab driver for not doing specifically his job, but rather giving his opinion in the matter, but that’s exactly what Kane does with the paper company when printing stories.
The next shot shows how Kane intends to “shakeup” the news business. It starts with showing the backs of Kane and Leland looking into the Inquirer’s news floor with Kane stopping before walking in to look at his partner and flash him a