Citizen Kane Analysis

What is the Big Deal About Citizen Kane?

• Alan D. DeSantis

AFI's 100 Years… 100 Movies

• AFI's list of 100 greatest American movies provides a context for understanding the acclaim of Citizen Kane.

• Key films listed:

  • Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles)

  • Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz)

  • The Godfather (1972, Francis Ford Coppola)

  • Gone with the Wind (1939, Victor Fleming)

  • Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean)

  • The Wizard of Oz (1939, Victor Fleming)

  • The Graduate (1967, Mike Nichols)

  • On the Waterfront (1954, Elia Kazan)

  • Schindler's List (1993, Steven Spielberg)

  • Singin' in the Rain (1952, Gene Kelly)

  • It's a Wonderful Life (1946, Frank Capra)

  • Sunset Boulevard (1950, Billy Wilder)

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, David Lean)

  • Some Like It Hot (1959, Billy Wilder)

  • Star Wars (1977, George Lucas)

Analysis Worthy Scenes

• Every scene has an idea and concept being executed at every level of that
  film.” Each of the film’s 20 scenes are worthy of analysis

• Welles made America’s 1st “_” film; before Kane, high art was reserved for literature or painting in a museum

Early Years of Orson Welles

Welles’ Early Life

• Real “wonder kid” (famous & spoiled).

• RKO (smallest of the Big 8 studios) hired Welles at age 25 and gave him complete control: “From Start to Final Cut” (no oversight).

• Only Chaplin (mega star) got that POWER.

• He knew nothing about film (really!).

• His only experience was in:

  • Theatre (Acting & Directing)

  • Radio (Producing War of the Worlds)

The Basics: The Cast & Crew

• Key personnel involved in the making of Citizen Kane:

  • Directed by: Orson Welles

  • Produced by: Orson Welles

  • Written by: Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles

  • Starring: Orson Welles

  • Cinematography: Gregg Toland

  • Edited by: Robert Wise

  • Music by: Bernard Herrmann

• Production company: Mercury Productions

• Distributed by: RKO Radio Pictures

• Release dates: May 1, 1941 (New York City), September 5, 1941 (United States)

• Running time: 119 minutes

• Country: United States

• Language: English

• Budget: 839,727

• Cast members include Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, George Coulouris, Agnes Moorehead, Paul Stewart, Ruth Warrick, Erskine Sanford, and William Alland.

• Gregg Toland's contribution highlighted: Photography.

Story of Kane: General Summary

• General Summary: Media mogul who went
  from a) Rags, to b) Riches, to c) Rags
  – Poor but unexpectedly inherits millions
  – Young Kane is given up (sacrificed) by his mother to be raised by rich caretakers
  -This abandonment shapes his emotional detachment and need for control
  – When he turned 18, Kane became the richest & most powerful man in the world

  • But Kane never found joy or happiness.

Story of Kane: Things to Remember About Kane's Narrative/Story

Culturally Relevant: 80-Years Later

• Culturally Relevant: 80 Years Later
  • Kane’s appeal is the relevant & honest critique of the USA
  • While Hollywood films were romanticizing (covering up) the “Darker Side of America” — Kane asserts that…
  – America is run by the elite
  – Government & Corporations & Media work together
  – Money, Material, & Power are false promises that lead to loneliness and emotional emptiness
  – Politics is run by ego ambition & media manipulation

Mystery and Puzzle

• You get to play Investigative reporter & detective at home along with the “real” journalists & detectives in the movie
  – BUT we (the audience) are given 1 extra piece of information that the film’s “investigators” never receive
  • We learn about “Rosebud”

  Use of Newsreels:
  • 1st film to use “actual” newsreel footage
  (“The March of Time”) to add authenticity
  – Such news shorts preceded every film
  – Idea used early in his "directorial style"

  Welles used this technique to blend fiction with the feel of a documentary, making the world of Citizen Kane seem more real and grounded in actual historical context.

Semi-Biographic of billionaire, William Randolph Hearst - [& Welles denied it]
• Both: Start with 1 newspaper / Grew to reach 25%
• Both: Masters of “yellow journalism” = Sensationalistic & slanderous
• Both: Used papers to manipulate public opinion
• Both: Lost race for political office (humiliating losses)
• Both: Had young mistresses
• Both: Crazed ambition / Both: Built grand estates

These obvious similarities made the film the biggest controversy in Hollywood, particularly because Hearst, the real-life media mogul, was furious about the parallels.

Partnership Between Welles & Toland

• ORSON WELLES

  • Direction-Production

• GREGG TOLAND, A.S.C.

  • Photography

Welles & Toland Partnership

• Welles was always honest about Toland’s contribution – Big deal for an egomaniac.

• While Kane was in the film . . .

• He had absolutely of the aspects of filmmaking.

• Toland even made him to describe what he wanted.

• Wells had bold, new visual ideas.

• Toland

Welles & Toland Partnership
• Welles was always honest about Toland’s contribution - Big deal for an egomaniac
• While Kane was the central figure in the film…
• He had absolutely no control of the technical aspects of filmmaking
– Toland even made him physically act out to describe what he wanted
• Welles had bold, new visual ideas
– Toland brought them to life with groundbreaking cinematography techniques

About the Visual Elements of Kane. 5 Visual Elements That Make Kane Great

#1) Visualizing Power:

Welles wanted to create the visual illusion that Kane was a “larger-than-life” figure
• To do this, he wanted the audience to always be looking up at Kane
– Powerful look upward / Powerless look downward
c) To accomplish this, Welles...
– 1) Shot from low angles (audience’s perspective)
– 2) Used deep-focus cameras (for even greater effect)
– 3) Included dramatic lighting to emphasize the contrast between Kane’s power and his isolation (very rare)

Welles and Toland’s collaboration on these techniques helped convey Kane’s overwhelming presence, but also his inner loneliness, making the film visually complex and emotionally rich.

#2) Editing

A) Welles challenged Hollywood’s “continuity editing” rule
B) Instead, Welles used editing as an expressive storytelling tool
Key: Welles loved the freedom of cinema, no longer restricted by the physical constraints of live theater

Welles broke away from traditional continuity editing, where scenes are typically cut to maintain the flow of time and space. Instead, he used unconventional techniques to manipulate time, space, and emotional impact.

Opening Shot: The Exposition

• What does this scene tell us about the rest of the movie?

What We Learn in the 1st Two Minutes About Kane

• What We Learn in the 1st Two Minutes About Kane
  • 1) "No Trespassing:" Kane is isolated and guarded.
  • 2) We become intrigued onlookers, left to wonder about the single light in the window.
  • 3) As we finally reach the window, the lights are turned off, leaving us alone and unsure in his cold, dark mansion.
  • 4) Idea: The house & its grounds are symbolic for Kane
  – He once lived a life of wealth and power
  – Now, lonely / paranoid & scared / old & run down
  – Xanadu insulates him from the world = no one ! a prison of his own making

  This intro sets up the contrast between Kane's past grandeur and his present isolation, hinting at the emotional emptiness that haunts him despite his riches. No one !

  #3 Deep/Universal Focus

  – Normally, focus is used to direct attention
  – But with deep focus, the audience can select multiple points of interest in the “frame” to focus on (like looking around at a theater)

  This technique allows Welles to convey layers of meaning within a single shot, emphasizing that everything in the frame holds significance. The viewer is free to choose where to direct their attention, which mirrors how different perspectives can reveal different truths about Kane.

#4) Long Takes

• A) One continuous shot, without breaks

• B) Challenging Aspect: Everything (camera, lighting, effects, etc.) & everybody has to be perfectly coordinated

• C) Innovative filmmaker, Welles loved long takes

• D) Making these shots significantly more difficult:

  1) Heavy cameras / 2) Deep Focus / 3) Ceilings--no hidden mics

#5) Expressionistic Lighting (From Germany)

• Lighting is the key tool for mood and characterization (but not film)
  • Welles was inspired by “German Expressionist cinematography”
  – Why?: Shadows & contrast reflect Kane’s identity (and his soul)
  • We rarely get a clear view of him

German Expressionism in Film

• Examples include:

  • F.W. Murnau's 1919 film Nosferatu

  • Weine's 1920 film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari

German and Burton Films

• And, Of Course, Tim Burton's Films

Special Effects: Creative Filmmaking

• 6 Great Examples of Creative Filmmaking

Examples of Special Effects (old school)

• [1) Theater shot / 2) Window shot/3) Coast shot]

• [4) hallway shot/5) Pterodactyl 6)lightning window shot]

Cinematic Magic Tricks

• See if you can catch these 6 “Cinematic Magic Tricks”

  • [1) Theater shot / 2) Window shot / 3) Coast shot]

  • [4) Hallway shot / 5) Pterodactyl 6) Lightning window]

About the Acting

Welles as Actor

Welles ages from 25-85
• With each jump, Welles had to transform...

• A) Transform physically
  • Walk, talk, behaviors, voice, posture, etc.
  • Hours of makeup each day

• B) Transform emotionally / psychologically
  • With each age shift, Kane’s personality evolves (gets darker & colder)

  • In many ways, he had to play 4 to 5 different characters

    • Age 25, Age 45, Age 65, Age 85