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.
The film was shot in 1940 and released by RKO Pictures in 1941. It was nominated in no less than 9 categories in the Academy Awards. Much to the delight of Welles and Mankiewicz, it won 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 began his career in the publishing business because of a passion for the industry. However, over time, the passion became an obsessive desire for power. CK is narrated with flashbacks, and the story is exposed through a reporter attempting to solve the obscurity of Kane's single dying word, '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.
Historians and film students saw the cinematography as an innovative new way to make films. Most significant was the protracted use of deep focus. In most scenes, the foreground, background and everything in between, is in focus. Gregg Toland, the cinematographer, achieved this by experimenting with lenses and lights.
Another unique element of the movie was the achievement of certain low angle shots. In the film, one can see ceilings in the background. Like all movies at the time, the film was shot on a sound stage which does not have a ceiling. How did they do it in CK?
The crew of Citizen Kane managed to achieve this effect by putting muslin cloth over the set to give the illusion of a ceiling. Hidden on top of the cloth were the microphones. They then dug trenches in the floor to enable the use of low angle shots. This is particularly evident in the scene when Kane and Leland meet after the election loss. Welles played the role of Charles Kane.
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.
The film was shot in 1940 and released by RKO Pictures in 1941. It was nominated in no less than 9 categories in the Academy Awards. Much to the delight of Welles and Mankiewicz, it won 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 began his career in the publishing business because of a passion for the industry. However, over time, the passion became an obsessive desire for power. CK is narrated with flashbacks, and the story is exposed through a reporter attempting to solve the obscurity of Kane's single dying word, '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.
Historians and film students saw the cinematography as an innovative new way to make films. Most significant was the protracted use of deep focus. In most scenes, the foreground, background and everything in between, is in focus. Gregg Toland, the cinematographer, achieved this by experimenting with lenses and lights.
Another unique element of the movie was the achievement of certain low angle shots. In the film, one can see ceilings in the background. Like all movies at the time, the film was shot on a sound stage which does not have a ceiling. How did they do it in CK?
The crew of Citizen Kane managed to achieve this effect by putting muslin cloth over the set to give the illusion of a ceiling. Hidden on top of the cloth were the microphones. They then dug trenches in the floor to enable the use of low angle shots. This is particularly evident in the scene when Kane and Leland meet after the election loss. Welles played the role of Charles Kane.
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