Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Citizen Kane
Rather than have you write a 2 page response to our viewing of "Citizen Kane," I'd like you to submit a response/analysis of some aspect of the film through this new, class blog. Your post should be approximately 250 words. You are also expected to respond to at least ONE of your classmates' posts.
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The director, Orson Welles, did so many cool things with the camera that were so technical. I love how much was done to make Kane seem larger than life - literally. Kane’s image was seen in so many scenes. In Bernstein’s office there is a large photo of Kane hanging above the fireplace. The photo makes clear that Kane represents a very powerful person. The most obvious use of oversized images was when Kane spoke to the crowds under a huge image of himself. He was running for office and was underneath a huge banner like a fascist. In America, large images like that are not used in campaigns. We saw huge images of Mao used in China and we are used to seeing huge photos of dictators like Stalin or Saddam Hussein in nondemocratic nations, but that doesn’t happen in the US. Clearly Welles was using Kane to mock William Hearst and to make him look like an egomaniac and a dictator within his news corporation.
ReplyDeleteThe camera angles used by Welles also work to represent Kane’s larger than life stature. Through the high camera angle Kane looks down on his wife Susan in the scene where he eventually hits her. The camera tilts up to him when she speaks suggesting how inferior she is in comparison to him. The camera angles also reinforce how Kane was a character who was unlikeable and ultimately nasty.
The viewer knows that Kane is an important figure because the deep focus technique keeps him in so many scenes. Even as boy playing outside in the snow as his mother decides to give him to Mr. Thatcher, Charles is always an important part of the scene. He doesn’t have a childhood because of his mother’s decisions, but he clearly grows up feeling superior and much more valuable than others.
The camera angles used by Welles also work to represent Kane’s larger than life stature. Through the high camera angle Kane looks down on his wife Susan in the scene where he eventually hits her. The camera tilts up to him when she speaks suggesting how inferior she is in comparison to him. The camera angles also reinforce how Kane was a character who was unlikeable and ultimately nasty.
The viewer knows that Kane is an important figure because the deep focus technique keeps him in so many scenes. Even as boy playing outside in the snow as his mother decides to give him to Mr. Kane, Charles is always an important part of the scene. He doesn’t have a childhood because of his mother’s decisions, but he clearly grows up feeling superior and much more valuable than others.
Cam, on second thought, if this is your reaction, move it into the blog (out of comment sections). Make it a new post.
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