Film Analysis on Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is one of the most influential films in Hollywood history. Director Orson Welles used many camera, lighting, and musical techniques that seem quite common now, but were quite revolutionary when the film was made in 1941. For example, throughout the film, the music clearly follows the mood of the film, from striking march during the newsreel scenes to somber and even dirge-like in the opening and death scenes. However, there are certain musical vignettes that denote certain characters in the film, and the sound itself is highly matched with the many photographic techniques used in the film. If the shot is long, then the sound may be more unclear or distant than sound used in a close-up. It is an interesting technique, and the film would be far different without the close attention to sound and music that match the photography so effectively.

The photography in this film is incredibly diverse and unique. While many of the different types of photography, such as deep-focus and crane shots were used before "Citizen Kane," Welles put more of them together in one film than just about anyone had done before. One of the most famous scenes may be the long, continuous crane shot of Susan Alexander's billboard that continues through the neon sign, over the roof of the building, and through the skylight into the nightclub where Alexander slumps over a table. The shot is fantastic even today, and was startling at the time. There are numerous deep-focus shots in the film, such as the scene with Kane at one end of the dining table, and Joseph Cotton at the other. This technique allows more of the scene to reach the audience, and gives a feeling of depth to the film. These deep-focus shots were accomplished with a wide-angle lens. Another excellent example of both deep-focus and true mise en scene is the scene where young Kane plays outside in the snow, while his parents decide to send him off to the city for his own good. Kane remains in focus through the cabin window as he frolics in the snow, while the family gathers inside around a table. The extreme staging of this scene indicates the detail that Welles used throughout the film, and why it is still considered remarkable today. Every part of this film is carefully staged, from where the actors stand in relationship to each other, to the lighting, and the sets themselves, which had to be larger than life to create the otherworldly Xanadu. Special effects were used, and are most obvious in the airbrushed paintings of the mythical hilltop paradise, Xanadu, but otherwise the effects are all by camera, lighting, and staging.

The photography and staging also change as Kane ages. In the beginning of the film, the lighting is bright, and other actors surround Kane as a young and happy man. As he ages and loses everyone important to him, the scenes become darker, and larger, using deep-focus to isolate Kane in large rooms far away from the other characters. This shows how alienated from life Kane had become. This technique also shows more of the very ornate surroundings of Xanadu, giving the viewer a real picture of the grandeur and garishness of the place. It indicates that Kane could surround himself with everything but love and people who cared about him.