A Chaos of Appearances

AN ANALYSIS ON ORSON WELLES' "CITIZEN KANE"

PHOTOGRAPHY, MISE EN SCENE and MOVEMENT

Orson Welles' use of theatrical techniques in lightning has an unusual effect in the movie. Some shots exaggerate the symbolic features of the story such as separation and loneliness. The contrasts are very obvious and early in the film, the audience is provided with a foreshadowing of the protagonist's fate. The play of light and darkness overstates the contrasts in foreground and background, the textures and the characters' demeanor.

The positions of the characters also perform the same functions. What I like most about the film is that the director can place all the elements in the film without overshadowing the rest (the deep-focus shots for example). He can maximize the space making it possible for the audience to different characters at the same time.

The camera movements are very dynamic and give the audience another side of the story aside from the dialogues of the characters.

EDITING

The shifting of scenes are sometimes confusing since the story is not told in a chronological order and the points of view are constantly shifting. We see different sides of Charles Foster Kane depending on whose telling the story. But this technique (flashback) is very effective in establishing Kane's image as an enigmatic figure. Uncovering the story of his life will only lead to more questions than answers.

ACTING and DRAMA

I think Welles' portrayal of Kane was really good. His voice modulation is also appropriate in some shots like the series of breakfast scenes with his first wife Emily.
As for the rest of the cast, even if they were not well-known actors, their performance contributed a lot to the overall success of the film.

Welles regarded film as essentially a dramatic rather than a literary medium and is obvious in the lighting techniques he used throughout the film. By showing only the important elements needed in the scenes, the audience cannot miss a single action of the story.

STORY and LITERATURE

The word "Rosebud", although it seemed to be irrelevant to Kane's life, is a great way of to hook the audience for the unveiling of the story. They expect that the reporter's investigation will eventually reveal what it means. This nagging question from the very start provides the audience with something to look forward to as the story unfolds.

Like most classic tragedies, the downfall of Kane shows that power and influence has a price. His death poses a challenge to viewers to try and weigh the statements of the the other characters. We cannot be certain who is telling the truth. Each one has a different version of Kane and it is up to us to judge whether Kane made good or bad decisions or if he was just a victim of the circumstances.

IDEOLOGY and THEORY

Environment is a stronger force than heredity.
Perhaps it was the power. Or it was his failures that made him the person he was when he first appeared in the film on his deathbed holding the small crystal ball. As a young man he was very active and full of ambition, but reality shattered his illusions. By surrounding himself with important people he tried to fill this void. But in the end he became a lonely man, estranged from the rest of the world and bounded by the walls in Xanadu.

He remains a mysterious man until now.