Citizen Kane

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

Love, power, and the meaning of life! All of these themes are present within Citizen Kane, one of film history’s most respected and admired films. While Kane is a very powerful figure in the film, he struggles with love from beginning to end until the two are almost indistinguishable to him. Kane is ultimately searching for the meaning of his own life, but maybe more importantly himself, having lost everything he ever loved eventually. This is depicted as the film follows Kane from a young boy until his dying day. Citizen Kane is a character study, essentially, and it’s brilliant. I found it interesting how it was stated in the class lecture that Welles had never before made a movie. The film is remarkable to be the product of a first attempt. It is astonishing as well to know that RKO almost burned the film negatives because it was a failure at first. In contrast, Welles’ cinematography with Citizen Kane captures so many ideas and concepts vividly from symbolism with the snow globe to the way Welles depicted innocence/authority with lighting.

2) Find a related article and summarize the content.

The article by Charles Silet dove into some of the amazing facts about Orson Welles. Silet started off with background information about Welles like where he was born, and his education. Transitioning into some achievements, I found myself excited to find out that Welles made his stage debut at the age of sixteen with the Gate Theater Company in Dublin, Ireland. His ‘voodoo version of Macbeth’ (Silet par. 2) with producer John Houseman, where he casted all black actors, launched him into a position to be a major figure in American theater. In addition, Welles founded the Mercury Theater along with John Houseman, and soon had the theater on the air, experimenting with radio drama. Welles’ most famous broadcast was War of the Worlds, a modernized version of H.G. Wells’ science fiction story. The famous broadcast landed Welles a contract with RKO radio pictures, granting him permission to have full control over making a film. This unheard of notion made Welles one of the great auteurs in film history.

Moving along, Citizen Kane was mentioned in the article with some brief history like how it was based on the life of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. This film “appears on virtually every film critic’s list of ten best movies and is regarded by many as the singular achievement of 100 years of American films” (Silet par. 11). Silet spoke about other works by Welles like The Stranger and The Lady from Shanghai. Welles even stained his hands with some musical work, having staged Around the World in Eighty Days in New York. After going through more titles, Silet concluded with comments on the last years of Welles’ life. Welles had received an abundance of recognition for the quality and originality of his work. He won an Oscar in 1970, and was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1975. Welles ended up dying in Hollywood.

***Link to article used***
Silet, Charles L. P. "Orson Welles." American National Biography Online. N.p., Feb. 2000.

         Web. 9 Nov. 2015. <http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-01233.html>.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.

Silet’s article further confirmed facts about the life and career of Orson Welles, adding extensive achievements to what was already discussed in class. Although this was, the commentary on Citizen Kane stood out the most because it was the film screened during class. Silet mentioned that Citizen Kane “was directed with such stylistic verve and with such innovative use of cinematography, sound, and music and within such a daring narrative structure that it became one of the most celebrated films ever made” (par. 4). This point was brought up in class briefly. The concepts of the different techniques, specifically ones like montaging, were easier to grasp after watching scenes like the one where Kane and his wife are at the breakfast table. At the time that this film was released (1941), having the creative ability to show a span of time in this way was so innovative. If Welles did not seem intensely revered already, Silet concluded saying, “Welles's bold experimentation as a director and actor, on the stage, on radio, and in films, established him as one of the great artists of the twentieth century” (par. 11).

4) Write a critical analysis of the film.
After class screenings, I am usually taken aback by so many amazing works, leaving me with an overpowering thirst for more. This time around, Citizen Kane definitely quenched my need for greatness. If it wasn’t for how respected this movie is just in casual conversation, seeing it definitely confirmed everything. The film did drag a little in certain areas, but overall it was handled significantly well to be based off of a man’s life, hitting the most important and riveting aspects. History in general is important and deserves a certain awareness that it is not always given. However, to capture the intricate history of one man, his life, career, accomplishments etc., and have it be one of the most celebrated films of all time is absolutely amazing. Citizen Kane may have went down in history, but it is going up on my list of greatest films.

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.