Citizen Kane (1941)

CITIZEN KANE

Relate class discussion/text to screening:

     Many class discussions have revolved around the topic of "auteur directors" and, recently, it was discussed how Orson Welles, who plays Charles Foster Kane, takes the true auteur director approach for the film. Welles had complete and total control over the film while also starring as the leading role. Citizen Kane would be Welles' only opportunity to have the complete control over a film. Also discussed in class was how Welles used camera angles, lighting, and character features to develop the story, foreshadow, and symbolize the characters' roles. Welles based Citizen Kane off of the life of William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the San Fransisco Examiner and the New York Journal. 

Related article:

     In a biography of Welles, it states how Welles signed a contract with RKO who gave him complete creative control of two films, one of them being Citizen Kane. The biography also mentions how Welles based the fill off of the live of William Hearst, as mentioned previously.

(http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363#hollywood-and-citizen-kane)

Apply the article to the film:

     The article relates to the film because it is about Orson Welles, the director, write, producer, and star of Citizen Kane. The article discusses Welles' life before, during, and after the release of Citizen Kane. Welles was not successful with the film at first being that it, Citizen Kane, was based off the life of Hearst who, when the film was released, did not allow any of the papers he published to write about it. The article also notes how the cinematography makes Citizen Kane one of the greatest films.

Critical analysis:

     Overall, Orson Welles was able to display a true auteur approach through Citizen Kane. Despite this film not being one of my favorites, the cinematography and the way Welles had complete control made the film much more interesting. The way that Welles made a complete circle with the film, filmed at different angles, presented the characters, and focused on the sound made his film, Citizen Kane, one of the greatest films made. And for this, the latter success is well deserved. 

Checklist for plagiarism:

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.