The film, Citizen Kane, was released during 1941. Directed by the legendary Orson Welles, who also stars in it, the film is portrayed as an American drama. Today still, the film industry considers 'CK' to be one of the best films ever made. It is especially noted for innovative cinematography, its music and the narration technique.
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.
Although he was completely 'untried' as a film director, he was given a free hand to develop a story, pick the crew and cast, and even given 'final cut' privilege. After two disastrous first attempts, Welles and Herman Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay for CK.
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 achieved this by draping muslin on the top of the set to create the effect of a room with a ceiling. The microphones were hidden on top of the muslin. Trenches were dug in the floor so that low angle shots could be used in the scene where Kane and Leland meet when after the elections. The role of Kane was played by Welles.
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.
Although he was completely 'untried' as a film director, he was given a free hand to develop a story, pick the crew and cast, and even given 'final cut' privilege. After two disastrous first attempts, Welles and Herman Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay for CK.
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 achieved this by draping muslin on the top of the set to create the effect of a room with a ceiling. The microphones were hidden on top of the muslin. Trenches were dug in the floor so that low angle shots could be used in the scene where Kane and Leland meet when after the elections. The role of Kane was played by Welles.
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