Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is arguably the best film ever produced and many people state this for the many cinematic components thrown into the mix. Orson Welles is a radio major and in that specific field you use many components such as sound effects, audio balancing, and sudden cuts in the dialogue. While Welles was a new filmmaker he made a big name for himself by adding more elements to his movies then any other director. Making an upbringing to these multiple elements makes filmmakers of today look deep into each element and puts a deep analysis of why it is important.

One of the elements I noticed that stood out then any other one Welles used was lighting. Lighting did symbolize the meaning and atmosphere of each scene. Sometime this component is overlooked and not recognized by many people, but Welles used this component and inspired other filmmakers with the absence of lighting and has become well know for the genre film noir. An example in the movie where lighting plays a role is whenever Thompson (the news reporter) is in a scene he always has the absence of light presenting on himself. This can be analyzed by stating that the use of having a silhouette of himself, he isn't important or has little meaning to the story so the main focus is on other characters in the story.

Another time this element is used effectively was in the first couple of scenes when Kane met Susan. Where Kane pursues Susan into her apartment and when he speaks to her and has a dark shadow presented on his face, it has a deeper meaning that I find to be notable. It seems as if the dark shadow on Kane foreshadows how he treats her later when they are married. I find that this element wasn't always presented as we would like it to be but since Welles used multiple elements, we can't blame him for not focusing 100% on one component.

There is a scene where Susan is presented with Thompson when she is weak and drunk and has a frontal and backlight presented on her presence. This image tends to mix the symbolic meaning of her being powerless and yet has a distinct harsh light to persuade the audience to also tell you she is important and strong. Lighting definitely can bring different moods and tones to the film whether it be dark and powerful or bright and happy. I find there seems to be a film where they use the same meanings behind their lighting placement with the dark and powerful element.

This film is "Barton Fink" and with the isolation of the shadow on his presence tends to give off a ominous, looming madness type feel. It can be connected to Kane and how he is always the powerful and dark character in the story in total contradiction to the others.