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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.
Prior to the making of CK, Orson Welles had been enjoying personal acclaim after his success with the Mercury Players. In 1938 his controversial radio show, War of the Worlds, caught the attention of Hollywood. The film studio, RKO Pictures, subsequently signed a contract with Welles in 1939.
Even though he was an 'untested' film director, Welles was given complete freedom to write a screenplay, pick the cast and crew, and he was also allowed 'final cut' privilege. His first two attempts were disasters. Then, just in the nick of time, Welles and Mankiewicz collaborated and produced the screenplay for Citizen Kane.
Citizen Kane was filmed in 1940, and released the following year. It dominated the Academy Awards by being nominated in as many as 9 categories. To the delight of Mankiewicz and Welles, it scooped the Best Writing (Original Screenplay) award.
The movie is a roman a clef. This means that it describes real people and real life behind the disguise of fiction. CK scrutinizes the life of Charles Kane based on publishing magnate, William Randolph Hearst. It also studies the life of Welles himself.
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.
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 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.
Prior to the making of CK, Orson Welles had been enjoying personal acclaim after his success with the Mercury Players. In 1938 his controversial radio show, War of the Worlds, caught the attention of Hollywood. The film studio, RKO Pictures, subsequently signed a contract with Welles in 1939.
Even though he was an 'untested' film director, Welles was given complete freedom to write a screenplay, pick the cast and crew, and he was also allowed 'final cut' privilege. His first two attempts were disasters. Then, just in the nick of time, Welles and Mankiewicz collaborated and produced the screenplay for Citizen Kane.
Citizen Kane was filmed in 1940, and released the following year. It dominated the Academy Awards by being nominated in as many as 9 categories. To the delight of Mankiewicz and Welles, it scooped the Best Writing (Original Screenplay) award.
The movie is a roman a clef. This means that it describes real people and real life behind the disguise of fiction. CK scrutinizes the life of Charles Kane based on publishing magnate, William Randolph Hearst. It also studies the life of Welles himself.
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.
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 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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