Citizen Kane (1941) Film Viewing Assignment
Director: Orson Welles
Film Editor: Robert Wise
The one major and the three main supporting actors and their character names: Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane, a rich and successful publisher of newspapers
Joseph Cotten as Jedediah Leland
Dorothy Comingore as Susan Alexander Kane
Everett Sloane as Mr. Bernstein
Let us consider the cult film “Citizen Kane” shot by young Orson Welles in 1941. The film is based on the script of the same Orson Welles in a duet with Herman Jacob Mankiewicz. The leading role in the film played Orson Welles himself as Charles Foster Kane, a rich and successful publisher of newspapers. Three minor but very important roles were played by Joseph Cotten as Jedediah Leland, who is Kane's best friend and works as a reporter for his publishing house; Dorothy Comingore as Susan Alexander Kane, the protagonist’s second wife; Everett Sloane as Mr. Bernstein, an employee at The Inquirer and one of Kane’s friends.
I got interested in the film for a number of reasons, mostly because of innovation that first appeared here. “Citizen Kane” is the only film, in which Orson Welles was able to show everything that he wanted without the necessity to lend an ear to the Hollywood producers. In the film, Welles opens to the viewer the whole new language of cinema. It is in his film, where firstly flashbacks appeared, and it was he who supported the John Ford’s initiative to shoot strong characters from the bottom to the top, and the weak ones from the top to the bottom.
Today, flashbacks are an integral part of the cinematic techniques that modern filmmakers use. Flashbacks are used in the film to shed the light on the story of Kane’s life. They reveal some aspects of his life; shed light on the ins and outs of his life that no one knows about until then.
A great film must meet certain criteria, for example: 1. Good Script; 2. Good Soundtrack; 3. The editing; 4. Good Costumes; 5. Good Theme; 6. The actors; 7. The mise en scène. In the film, there is a match of all of these criteria, except perhaps the music. The script is original and intriguing. The editing is performed at the final stage of filmmaking, its main task is to implement a plan, conceived by director and screenwriter, and place the film into a single coherent picture. The costumes of the era perfectly convey the atmosphere and the surroundings. The actors played very realistically and believably, which also meets the criteria of a good film. The mise en scène perfectly reflects the period that Orson Welles tried to convey. Considering all the pros and one minus, the film 90 percent meet the criteria of a good movie.
Of the supporting characters, Kane’s second wife, Susan Alexander sheds light on the nature of his character in the best way. In the course of the story, the audience is gradually shown, how Kane gets richer, succeeds, but becomes stale, loses friends and loses himself. Love to Susan quickly turns into arrogance, selfishness and self-deception. Out of a sense of kindness, Susan is selflessly trying to help her husband to regain himself, to get out of the fetters of lust for power, selfishness, greed, but is defeated and leaves a gloomy deserted castle, inhabited by Kane.
What is common to all the classic movies? Firstly, it is about innovation, the origins of which are derived from the classics. All subsequent films have to borrow something from this film, and then it can be considered as a classic. The contribution of the film “Citizen Kane” to the world cinema can not be overestimated. Maybe, by modern standards the film is a little bit dragged out, but it is just brilliant in all senses of cinema, that is, a true classic.
