In 1941, Citizen Kane, an American drama film, was released. It starred Orson Welles who also directed it. Even today, movie magnates view 'CK' as one of the finest films in movie-making history. It was highly acclaimed for its music, its unique narration, and its ground-breaking 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 a complete rookie when it came to directing, the studio gave him free rein to develop a screenplay and to choose the crew and cast. He was even allowed the privilege of 'final cut'. After making two unsuccessful attempts, he collaborated with Herman Mankiewicz and the screenplay for Citizen Kane was born.
Shooting took place in 1940, and RKO released it in 1941. It received no less than 9 nominations in the ensuing Academy Awards. To the delight of Orson Welles and Mankiewicz, CK received the award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
Citizen Kane is a roman a clef (a factual story with the use of fictional characters) that studies the life of Charles Foster Kane. His character was based on the newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and on Orson Welles' own life. When the film was released, Hearst did not allow any of his newspapers to even mention it.
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'.
Although the film enjoyed critical acclaim, it was a box office flop. It faded into insignificance until, some years later, it caught the attention of French critics. This led to renewed interest and, in 1956, the film enjoyed an amazing American revival. Once again, film critics unofficially agreed it was the greatest film of all time. For the next 50 years, CK remained on all the leading film polls.
Film scholars and historians alike considered the cinematography to be innovative. They were especially impressed by the extended utilization of deep focus. In virtually every scene of the film, the background, foreground and the sections in between, are in focus. This is attributed to many experiments with lighting and lenses done by cinematographer, Gregg Toland.
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.
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 a complete rookie when it came to directing, the studio gave him free rein to develop a screenplay and to choose the crew and cast. He was even allowed the privilege of 'final cut'. After making two unsuccessful attempts, he collaborated with Herman Mankiewicz and the screenplay for Citizen Kane was born.
Shooting took place in 1940, and RKO released it in 1941. It received no less than 9 nominations in the ensuing Academy Awards. To the delight of Orson Welles and Mankiewicz, CK received the award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
Citizen Kane is a roman a clef (a factual story with the use of fictional characters) that studies the life of Charles Foster Kane. His character was based on the newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and on Orson Welles' own life. When the film was released, Hearst did not allow any of his newspapers to even mention it.
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'.
Although the film enjoyed critical acclaim, it was a box office flop. It faded into insignificance until, some years later, it caught the attention of French critics. This led to renewed interest and, in 1956, the film enjoyed an amazing American revival. Once again, film critics unofficially agreed it was the greatest film of all time. For the next 50 years, CK remained on all the leading film polls.
Film scholars and historians alike considered the cinematography to be innovative. They were especially impressed by the extended utilization of deep focus. In virtually every scene of the film, the background, foreground and the sections in between, are in focus. This is attributed to many experiments with lighting and lenses done by cinematographer, Gregg Toland.
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.
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