Citizen Kane is a film that was released in 1941. Described as an American drama, it was directed by Orson Welles, who also starred in it. Even today, moguls in the movie industry consider 'CK' to be one the greatest films of all time. It is particularly acclaimed for its narrative technique, music, and its inventive cinematography.
Before the film was made, Welles was receiving accolades after his performances with the Mercury Players. He caught the attention of Hollywood moguls through his highly controversial radio program, War of the Worlds, in 1938. The next year he was signed on contract with RKO Pictures.
Although he was completely 'untried' as a film director, he was given a free hand to develop a story, pick the crew and cast, and even given 'final cut' privilege. After two disastrous first attempts, Welles and Herman Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay for CK.
Citizen Kane was filmed in 1940, and released the following year. It dominated the Academy Awards by being nominated in as many as 9 categories. To the delight of Mankiewicz and Welles, it scooped the Best Writing (Original Screenplay) award.
The movie is a roman a clef. This means that it describes real people and real life behind the disguise of fiction. CK scrutinizes the life of Charles Kane based on publishing magnate, William Randolph Hearst. It also studies the life of Welles himself.
Kane started his career in the newspaper publishing industry because he had a passion for journalism. However, over the years, this passion turned into a relentless quest for power. The film is narrated with the use of flashbacks. The story is unfurled through the research of a reporter trying to solve the mystery surrounding Kane's dying word which was simply 'Rosebud'.
Even though the film was a critical success, it did not recoup costs at the box office. It faded into insignificance until French film critics raved about it some years later. This did much to restore CK's reputation and it enjoyed a sensational American revival in 1956. Again, there was consensus amongst film critics that it was indeed the greatest film of all time. For almost half a century, Citizen Kane stayed on the major film polls.
The cinematography was seen by film historians and scholars as Welles' way of creating a new method of film making. The most unique aspect of CK was the prolonged use of deep focusing. In almost every scene, the background, foreground, and all in between, are in focus. This was achieved by the cinematographer after experimenting with lights and lenses.
Another unusual element in the film was the manner in which low angle shots were utilized. This enabled ceilings to be visible in the background of many scenes. Because films were shot on sound stages at the time, it was not possible to show ceilings simply because sound stages had no ceilings.
The Citizen Kane crew draped muslin above the set to give the illusion of a room with a ceiling. Microphones were concealed above the muslin. The crew even made trenches in the floor to facilitate low angle shots for the scene that shows Kane meeting up with Leland after the elections. The part of Charles Kane was played by Welles himself. - 40732
Before the film was made, Welles was receiving accolades after his performances with the Mercury Players. He caught the attention of Hollywood moguls through his highly controversial radio program, War of the Worlds, in 1938. The next year he was signed on contract with RKO Pictures.
Although he was completely 'untried' as a film director, he was given a free hand to develop a story, pick the crew and cast, and even given 'final cut' privilege. After two disastrous first attempts, Welles and Herman Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay for CK.
Citizen Kane was filmed in 1940, and released the following year. It dominated the Academy Awards by being nominated in as many as 9 categories. To the delight of Mankiewicz and Welles, it scooped the Best Writing (Original Screenplay) award.
The movie is a roman a clef. This means that it describes real people and real life behind the disguise of fiction. CK scrutinizes the life of Charles Kane based on publishing magnate, William Randolph Hearst. It also studies the life of Welles himself.
Kane started his career in the newspaper publishing industry because he had a passion for journalism. However, over the years, this passion turned into a relentless quest for power. The film is narrated with the use of flashbacks. The story is unfurled through the research of a reporter trying to solve the mystery surrounding Kane's dying word which was simply 'Rosebud'.
Even though the film was a critical success, it did not recoup costs at the box office. It faded into insignificance until French film critics raved about it some years later. This did much to restore CK's reputation and it enjoyed a sensational American revival in 1956. Again, there was consensus amongst film critics that it was indeed the greatest film of all time. For almost half a century, Citizen Kane stayed on the major film polls.
The cinematography was seen by film historians and scholars as Welles' way of creating a new method of film making. The most unique aspect of CK was the prolonged use of deep focusing. In almost every scene, the background, foreground, and all in between, are in focus. This was achieved by the cinematographer after experimenting with lights and lenses.
Another unusual element in the film was the manner in which low angle shots were utilized. This enabled ceilings to be visible in the background of many scenes. Because films were shot on sound stages at the time, it was not possible to show ceilings simply because sound stages had no ceilings.
The Citizen Kane crew draped muslin above the set to give the illusion of a room with a ceiling. Microphones were concealed above the muslin. The crew even made trenches in the floor to facilitate low angle shots for the scene that shows Kane meeting up with Leland after the elections. The part of Charles Kane was played by Welles himself. - 40732
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