When asked how he got the confidence to create such an innovatively different film from contemporary cinema, Welles said “ignorance...sheer ignorance. There is no confidence to equal it. It's only when you know something about a profession that you are timid or careful.” Prior to Citizen Kane, Orson Welles had no filmmaking experience whatsoever. Citizen Kane was, in fact his first film. Little did he know that he would make a film that many people believe to be “the best film ever made.” One of the film’s aspects that entitle it to such respect was its innovation and ground breaking new techniques. (Orson Welle's Quote )
One thing that made the film unique and new at the time was its filming techniques. Welles used many methods which were at the time, new and ground breaking. One of the technical aspects was the excessive use of deep focus shots. A lot of the shots in the film had everything from the foreground to the background in sharp focus. This made the whole film look very clear to the audience. Another aspect was the use of low angle shots. These shots were used to show perspective. This gave the audience a new perspective as the audience could see the ceiling above the characters. Filmmakers back then used sound studious to capture the sound of the characters, and so they virtually had no ceiling. The new perspective given to the audience gave the film a fresh new feeling.
Citizen Kane also utilized a story telling technique uncommon back when it was released. Instead of a linear, story unfolding as the film progresses, it is told through a series of flash backs. The story follow a reporter named Thompson as he interviews Kane’s close friends and loved ones. This technique actually makes the story more interesting than it would be, on its own. Each character would tell their own, unique stories which were parts of Kane’s life. Many of the characters add their own personal opinions about Kane, how he affected them, and regards for his death. The storytelling technique effectively conveys Kane as a mysterious, complicated man, whose true personality will be unknown to the viewer.
The film also utilized symbolism very deeply. At the end, the audience could see where Kane’s last dying word “rosebud” originated from, and its meaning. While all of Kane’s possessions were being taken into account, all the useless junk with little to no value was getting burned. In the incinerator, was Kane’s sled as a child, with the word “rosebud” painted on it. Rosebud, being Kane’s last dying word, symbolizes when he was truly happy. The sled represented his childhood, the only time in his life when he was truly happy.
Citizen Kane is probably revered by many as the greatest film ever made due to its many innovations in film. Definitely everyone who watched it was captivated and intrigued by its techniques which have influenced filmmaking and many of the new films we see today.
One thing that made the film unique and new at the time was its filming techniques. Welles used many methods which were at the time, new and ground breaking. One of the technical aspects was the excessive use of deep focus shots. A lot of the shots in the film had everything from the foreground to the background in sharp focus. This made the whole film look very clear to the audience. Another aspect was the use of low angle shots. These shots were used to show perspective. This gave the audience a new perspective as the audience could see the ceiling above the characters. Filmmakers back then used sound studious to capture the sound of the characters, and so they virtually had no ceiling. The new perspective given to the audience gave the film a fresh new feeling.
Citizen Kane also utilized a story telling technique uncommon back when it was released. Instead of a linear, story unfolding as the film progresses, it is told through a series of flash backs. The story follow a reporter named Thompson as he interviews Kane’s close friends and loved ones. This technique actually makes the story more interesting than it would be, on its own. Each character would tell their own, unique stories which were parts of Kane’s life. Many of the characters add their own personal opinions about Kane, how he affected them, and regards for his death. The storytelling technique effectively conveys Kane as a mysterious, complicated man, whose true personality will be unknown to the viewer.
The film also utilized symbolism very deeply. At the end, the audience could see where Kane’s last dying word “rosebud” originated from, and its meaning. While all of Kane’s possessions were being taken into account, all the useless junk with little to no value was getting burned. In the incinerator, was Kane’s sled as a child, with the word “rosebud” painted on it. Rosebud, being Kane’s last dying word, symbolizes when he was truly happy. The sled represented his childhood, the only time in his life when he was truly happy.
Citizen Kane is probably revered by many as the greatest film ever made due to its many innovations in film. Definitely everyone who watched it was captivated and intrigued by its techniques which have influenced filmmaking and many of the new films we see today.
Hey Josh, I enjoyed reading your post and I agree with the things innovations the Orson Welles used and pioneered, such as the deep focus, flashbacks, etc. Orson Welles was definitely a genius, a brilliant director (although we must give credit to his director of photography, Gregg Toland, whose presence was invaluable to the film's success), and a damn fine actor too.
ReplyDeleteI liked your point about the multiple perspectives of Kane's friends and loved one's; however, I had to think "Wouldn't it have been more interesting if they had been contrasting." After all each perspective was from different experiences and a different time frame. What do you think?
Also just a small thing I noted, you sometimes forgot to italicize the title of the film :P And in these two sentences:
"One of the film’s aspects that entitle it to such respect was its innovation and ground breaking new techniques.
One of the aspects of the film that makes it innovative is its filming techniques. "
You have almost used the exact same sentence. In fact you use at least ten of the same words in both of them. While it illustrates the link between the paragraphs, it would be better if you used different words to convey the same idea.
@Thanks Connor, I edited my blog already in accordance to your corrections, thanks again!
ReplyDeleteA blog post that talks about the groundbreaking innovations of Citizen Kane unlike the 95$ of the negative blogs in this class?!?! ITS NOT POSSIBLE.
ReplyDelete"Rosebud, being Kane’s last dying word, symbolizes when he was truly happy. The sled represented his childhood, the only time in his life when he was truly happy."
I dislike this because you just swift through the symbolism. I prefer in-depth explanations.